Heat pump vs Furnace in Norfolk city, Virginia
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already heats with electricity, a heat pump is the natural fit, since it runs on the same power your house uses now and adds cooling for summer. Norfolk winter nights average 35°F, mild enough that a heat pump keeps up without much strain, though if you want extra assurance on the coldest nights a cold-climate model is built to hold its heating power better than a standard one.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line and you would rather keep heating and cooling as two separate systems, a furnace is the straightforward choice. It only heats, so you would still need a separate air conditioner, but it runs on gas rather than electricity, and here the two options cost about the same to run.
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already heats with electricity, a heat pump is the natural fit, since it runs on the same power your house uses now and adds cooling for summer. Norfolk winter nights average 35°F, mild enough that a heat pump keeps up without much strain, though if you want extra assurance on the coldest nights a cold-climate model is built to hold its heating power better than a standard one.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line and you would rather keep heating and cooling as two separate systems, a furnace is the straightforward choice. It only heats, so you would still need a separate air conditioner, but it runs on gas rather than electricity, and here the two options cost about the same to run.
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
Heat pump wins in Norfolk city.
Your winters only get down to about 35°F at night, so a heat pump keeps up fine, and most homes around here already run on electricity anyway.
If your home already has gas line and you would rather not add electric heating to the mix, a furnace is still the better fit.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | About the same | About the same |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the South Atlantic states that heat with one | 30.1% | 48% |
| Handles a 35°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 your home already heats with electricity, a heat pump is the natural fit, since it runs on the same power your house uses now and adds cooling for summer. Norfolk winter nights average 35°F, mild enough that a heat pump keeps up without much strain, though if you want extra assurance on the coldest nights a cold-climate model is built to hold its heating power better than a standard one.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line and you would rather keep heating and cooling as two separate systems, a furnace is the straightforward choice. It only heats, so you would still need a separate air conditioner, but it runs on gas rather than electricity, and here the two options cost about the same to run.
A Norfolk city contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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