Heat pump vs Furnace in New York County, New York
When a heat pump makes sense
If you want cooling as well as heat from one system, a heat pump gives you both. Choose a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward the 28°F nights typical here from December through February. You will be running it for heat about seven months a year, and at New York's electricity and gas prices, that costs more than heating with a furnace.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat it here, costing at least 35% less than a heat pump to run through a winter that lasts about seven months. It only heats, so you would still need separate air conditioning for summer. Close to half the homes in New York County already heat this way.
When a heat pump makes sense
If you want cooling as well as heat from one system, a heat pump gives you both. Choose a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward the 28°F nights typical here from December through February. You will be running it for heat about seven months a year, and at New York's electricity and gas prices, that costs more than heating with a furnace.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat it here, costing at least 35% less than a heat pump to run through a winter that lasts about seven months. It only heats, so you would still need separate air conditioning for summer. Close to half the homes in New York County already heat this way.
Heat pump
- Runs on
- Electricity
- What it does
- Heats and cools
- Tax credit
- No federal tax credit since the end of 2025
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy · Internal Revenue Code
Furnace
- Runs on
- Natural gas
- What it does
- Heats only
- Tax credit
- No federal tax credit since the end of 2025
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy · Internal Revenue Code
Furnace wins in New York County.
Gas costs at least 35% less to heat with here, and most homes in this county are old enough that a furnace is the easier fit.
If your home has no gas line to it, a cold-climate heat pump still heats and cools from one system without one.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 35% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the Mid-Atlantic that heat with one | 4.2% | 51.4% |
| Handles a 28°F night | Standard models lose heating power in the cold; cold-climate models are built for it | Yes |
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, NOAA
When a heat pump makes sense
If you want cooling as well as heat from one system, a heat pump gives you both. Choose a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward the 28°F nights typical here from December through February. You will be running it for heat about seven months a year, and at New York's electricity and gas prices, that costs more than heating with a furnace.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat it here, costing at least 35% less than a heat pump to run through a winter that lasts about seven months. It only heats, so you would still need separate air conditioning for summer. Close to half the homes in New York County already heat this way.
A New York County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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