Heat pump vs Furnace in Newport County, Rhode Island
When a heat pump makes sense
If you want cooling as well as heating from one system, a heat pump gives you both. Look at a cold-climate model, since a standard heat pump loses heating power once temperatures drop toward what you see here in the winter months. Expect to run it against gas prices that favor the furnace, since electricity costs more to heat with in this area.
When a furnace makes sense
With about eight months of heating a year and winter nights averaging 26°F, a furnace keeps its full output no matter how cold it gets outside. It runs on natural gas, which costs at least 30% less than a heat pump to heat with at Rhode Island prices. If your home already has a gas line, this is the cheaper machine to run through the winter, though you will need a separate system for cooling.
When a heat pump makes sense
If you want cooling as well as heating from one system, a heat pump gives you both. Look at a cold-climate model, since a standard heat pump loses heating power once temperatures drop toward what you see here in the winter months. Expect to run it against gas prices that favor the furnace, since electricity costs more to heat with in this area.
When a furnace makes sense
With about eight months of heating a year and winter nights averaging 26°F, a furnace keeps its full output no matter how cold it gets outside. It runs on natural gas, which costs at least 30% less than a heat pump to heat with at Rhode Island prices. If your home already has a gas line, this is the cheaper machine to run through the winter, though you will need a separate system for cooling.
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 Newport County.
Gas costs at least 30% less than a heat pump here, and with eight months of heating a year, that adds up fast.
If your home has no gas line, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat it through those 26°F nights and cool it come summer.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 30% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in New England that heat with one | 1.7% | 54.8% |
| Handles a 26°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 heating from one system, a heat pump gives you both. Look at a cold-climate model, since a standard heat pump loses heating power once temperatures drop toward what you see here in the winter months. Expect to run it against gas prices that favor the furnace, since electricity costs more to heat with in this area.
When a furnace makes sense
With about eight months of heating a year and winter nights averaging 26°F, a furnace keeps its full output no matter how cold it gets outside. It runs on natural gas, which costs at least 30% less than a heat pump to heat with at Rhode Island prices. If your home already has a gas line, this is the cheaper machine to run through the winter, though you will need a separate system for cooling.
A Newport County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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