InstaBidsFor homeowners
Heat pump vs gas furnace: which fits your home?
Choose heat pump for all-electric houses or houses with central propane or oil; gas furnace for backup heat for an air-source heat pump. The right choice depends on whether the house runs on electricity only or has natural gas, propane or oil, how cold winters get where you live, and what each system would cost to run in your house.
| Factor | Heat pump | Gas furnace |
|---|---|---|
| All-electric houses or houses with central propane or oil | DOE (2022): heat pumps are an efficient option for all-electric houses or houses with central propane or oil | Building America Solution Center: propane and fuel oil furnaces are used for new homes in some locations where natural gas is not readily available |
| Backup heat for an air-source heat pump | Building America Solution Center: below about 35°F the heating efficiency of standard, central air-source heat pumps drops, so a backup heat source is often needed | Building America Solution Center: dual-fuel systems combine the air-source heat pump with another source of supplementary heat, such as a gas furnace |
| Heating and cooling from one system | DOE (2022): heat pumps can be used for both home heating and home cooling | Building America Solution Center: forced air furnaces are often configured with an add-on indoor refrigerant cooling coil installed in the air handler |
| Heating efficiency, as each source rates it | DOE (2022): up to three times more heat than the energy they use | Building America Solution Center: gas-fired Category IV furnaces achieve efficiencies of >90% AFUE |
| Temperature of the air from the registers | Building America Solution Center: heat pumps provide air at about 80°F to 115°F | Building America Solution Center: furnaces generally deliver air to the living space at between 130°F and 140°F |
| Ducts | Building America Solution Center: ducts may need to be larger for a heat pump than for a gas or oil furnace | DOE (2022): central forced-air furnaces distribute heated air through the house via ducts |
| Replacing an existing furnace | ENERGY STAR: in most zones, an air-source heat pump can be installed as a drop-in replacement when either a central air conditioner or a furnace needs replacement | Building America Solution Center: choose a Category IV high-efficiency, sealed-combustion/direct-vent, condensing furnace whenever possible |
| Combustion and venting | ENERGY STAR: no combustion, so no direct emissions such as NOx, carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide | Building America Solution Center: when naturally drafted or induced draft furnaces are installed, a combustion safety test must be performed |
| Filters | DOE (2022): clean or change filters once a month or as needed | DOE (2022): clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as recommended |
| When DOE says to consider replacing it | DOE (2022): when your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old | DOE (2022): when your furnace or boiler is more than 15 years old |
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?trade=hvac&from=options-compare--heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=options&page_type=options#job=heating%20system%20replacement - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
| Priority | Choose |
|---|---|
| an all-electric house or a house with central propane or oil | Heat pump |
| heating and cooling from one system | Heat pump |
| backup heat for an air-source heat pump in cold weather | Gas furnace |
What does furnace replacement cost?
For furnace replacement prices, see How much is a new furnace?
Get written bids
Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.
The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.
Sources for the facts on this page
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver Guide (2022), government, read 22 October 2026.
- ENERGY STAR (U.S. EPA / DOE), Air-Source Heat Pumps, government, read 22 October 2026.
- Building America Solution Center (PNNL for U.S. DOE), Traditional Split Heat Pumps, national laboratory, read 22 October 2026.
- Building America Solution Center (PNNL for U.S. DOE), Combustion Furnaces, national laboratory, read 22 October 2026.