Homes that have a connection to a natural gas line often use a gas furnace to provide heating
This is sensible, as it makes the best use of the gas supply and takes advantage of the immense heating power and reliability of a gas furnace.
But what about all-electric homes?
There are two standard options to heat a home using only electricity. The most common for many decades was the electric furnace.
Now, the heat pump has emerged as a popular alternative. Is there a clear choice between these two when it comes to choosing your home heating in Maitland, FL?
There’s No “Best” Choice for All Situations
In other words, we can’t give you a definitive answer to the “heat pump or electric furnace?” question because each home and household has specific requirements.
There is no automatic best choice. What matters is finding what is the best choice for an individual home.
We can help you with this: schedule an appointment with our expert technicians and we’ll determine the ideal heating system to meet your comfort needs and match your current budget and future budget plans.
We can provide some help right now with a brief look at the pros and cons of electric furnaces and heat pumps.
The Electric Furnace
Pros: Electric furnaces are among the most affordable of central heating systems, costing less than both gas furnaces and heat pumps. Although they lack the high heating capacity of a gas furnace, this is not crucial in Florida’s warmer climate—you can expect to always get the amount of heat you need for comfort. Electric furnaces also have long service lives, often lasting more than 20 years.
Cons: Running an electric furnace can be costly depending on the electricity price in your area. Electric furnaces use electrical resistance heating, which consumes high levels of electricity compared to heat pumps. They take longer to warm up a house than other types of heating systems.
The Heat Pump
Pros: The major benefits of a heat pump is that it’s both a heating and cooling system in one. Heat pumps operate like air conditioners, except they can reverse the direction they move heat so they can bring heat into a house as easily as they remove it. Compared to electric furnaces, heat pumps consume far less electricity: they use electricity to move heat from one place to another rather than generate it through electrical resistance. They are among the safest heating systems—their exterior doesn’t even get warm in heating mode.
Cons: For a heat pump purchase to be cost-effective, it must replace both the current AC and heating system. Purchasing a heat pump just to work as a heater is a massive money waste. If you don’t have plans to also replace your air conditioner, then a heat pump probably isn’t the best option.
We’ll Help You Make the Right Choice
If you’re ready for an all-electric heating system, Facemyer is ready to help you choose the best one! We’ve been family-owned and operated since 1997 and we know how to find the right comfort solutions for local homeowners.