A Heat pump is a highly-efficient system that heats and cools your home in place of a furnace (or boiler) and an air conditioner. Heat pumps are more efficient than other technologies because they move heat rather than create it.

Learn more about what a heat pump is, what the different types are and what their benefits are, and get resources to determine if getting a heat pump is right for you.

What kind of heat pumps are there?

When it comes to buying a system, there are two heat pump options for your home HVAC system: air-source and geothermal.

What is an air source heat pump?

Air-source heat pumps transfer heat between environments, moving heat into a building to increase the temperature and cooling by moving heat out.

What is a ground source heat pump?

Ground-source heat pumps also called geothermal heat pumps work the same way as air source heat pumps, but use the temperature differential from the Earth to heat or cool your home rather than the surrounding air.

What are the benefits of installing a heat pump?

Both air source and geothermal heat pumps are far more efficient than their gas-powered counterparts. Heat pumps have a coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.0-6.0 in comparison to gas furnaces with a COP of 1.0. This means that heat pumps are producing 3 to 6 times as much heat per unit of energy input as furnaces. Additionally, pairing heat pumps with solar panels to generate the electricity will give you a true clean energy home that can reap all the benefits of renewable power.

It’s time for us to transition to electric heat pumps for heating and cooling.

Most Americans rely on gas furnaces to heat their homes. This means every time it starts to get cool outside, millions of Americans crank up their thermostats and burn fossil fuels at home. Since space heating and cooling accounts for more than half of home energy use, switching to an efficient electric HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system alone can make a big impact to reduce energy use. Heat pumps are far more efficient than fossil fuel-powered appliances or those using other outdated heating technologies. And with a heat pump powered by renewable energy sources as solar panels or wind turbines, you will be heating your home with renewable energy energy sources that are clean, efficient and abundant. 

Gas furnaces have long lifetimes and installing new ones can lock us into another decade or so of dirty energy use.  Thankfully, clean energy tax credits that took effect in January 2023 and state-level rebate programs exist in many states to lower the cost of replacing inefficient HVAC systems with an electric heat pump.