Heat pumps are outselling gas furnaces by a record margin

Heat pumps are bringing more highly-efficient, low-emission heat to Americans this winter than ever before. According to new data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, heat pump sales outpaced gas furnaces by just under 37 percent from November 2023 to November 2024. This marks a big jump from 2023.

Heat pumps are so much more efficient than gas furnaces because they move heat rather than create it. While gas furnaces burn fossil fuels to create warm air, heat pumps use electricity to transfer existing heat into your home. And they have the added benefit that, when summer comes around, most heat pumps can help cool your home by transferring heat back outside. 

As of 2020, most Americans still rely on gas to heat their homes, but 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 home energy use.

“Switching to a heat pump can provide reliable heating and cooling that’s highly-efficient and can be powered by renewable energy,” said Johanna Neumann, Senior Director of the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy at Environment America Research & Policy Center.