Furnace Vs. Heat Pump - Which One Is Right for Your Home?

Climate control is necessary for a comfortable environment in any home, and we largely achieve this climate control through HVAC systems that cater to our heating and air conditioning needs. When it comes to heating and cooling of a building, there are a number of options available, but today we want to focus on furnaces and heat pumps, how they operate, and which operating conditions they are each best suited for.

Heat Pumps

A heat pump is an HVAC device that transfers heat energy from one location to another. A heat pump doesn't actively generate heat. It simply moves it around. In the case of a house, a heat pump moves heat between the exterior of the home and interior of the home. The main components of a heat pump are an indoor evaporator, an outdoor condensing unit, refrigerant, and a compressor.

How it Cools Your Home

• A fan sucks warm air from your home into the ducts.

• The air handler circulates the warm air while the refrigerant liquid circulates to the evaporator coil of the condenser. The refrigerant absorbs the heat energy from the warm air and changes state into a gas.

• The warm air loses its energy, becomes cool, and is returned to the home.

• The refrigerant, which is now a gas, moves to the outdoor condenser where it loses its heat to the environment. It is then recirculated back to the indoor unit by the compressor as a liquid.

This process is reversed to heat your home.

Advantages of a Heat Pump

• Heat pumps are very energy efficient as no fuel is consumed to generate heat.
• It functions relatively well in areas that experience mild winters.
• It provides the dual functions of cooling and heating.

Furnaces A furnace is an HVAC component that actively generates heat through the use of fuel.  We carry various categories of furnaces including electric furnaces, gas furnaces, coal-fired furnaces, and wood-fired furnaces. However, for today’s discussion, we are going to look at gas furnaces. Gas Furnaces Gas furnaces consume natural gas or propane as fuel. The combustion of this gas produces heat, water, and flue gases. The heat is circulated through your home via a central duct system. Goodman furnaces are energy efficient and reliable furnaces. These furnaces are available in a wide range of heating capacities to meet your needs, extending up to 40,000 BTUs. Typically, 10,000 BTUs can heat an area of 400 to 450 square feet. While heat pumps are 100% efficient due to their lack of fuel consumption, many gas furnaces are catching up with AFUE efficiencies of around 96% and above. Goodman furnaces have many choices for efficiency, starting with 80% AFUE to models that have an efficiency of 90+% AFUE efficiency. Goodman furnaces are available as single-stage furnaces or two-stage furnaces and have the option for a fixed speed blower or variable speed blower. The two-stage with a variable speed blower adjusts the consumption of gas and the speed of blowing out the hot air precisely. This increases their efficiency and allows for fuel consumption with minimal waste.

Advantages of Goodman Furnaces

• Goodman furnaces have a longer lifespan than heat pumps because they have fewer parts that require maintenance.

• Additionally, maintenance requirements are lower because furnaces are usually only used during one season compared to multiple seasons like a heat pump.

• Furnaces perform better in very cold climates because there's no limit to the amount of heat you can generate.

In conclusion, the choice of whether to select a heat pump or a furnace as part of your HVAC system is determined by the nature of the climate in which you reside. If you live in a place with extreme winters, a furnace is definitely the choice for you. However, if you call an area with only mild weather home, a heat pump could be the ideal choice. Talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members for more information about each of these heating options.