Heat pump ownership

What it's actually like living with a heat pump: real winter performance, how bills compare with gas or oil, what tends to break, and whether backup heat gets used.

• Do heat pumps keep a house warm enough in cold winters? Yes, modern cold-climate heat pumps handle cold winters.
• How much do heating bills change after switching to a heat pump? Most people save 20 to 40% on heating costs.
• Do people who switched from gas to a heat pump regret it? Most don't regret it, but the cold-climate ones do.
• What problems come up with heat pumps after the first year or two? Refrigerant leaks and dirty coils are the big ones.
• What do homeowners wish they had known before installing a heat pump? It's not the heat pump, it's the sizing and the install.
• What is a heat pump? A heat pump is an electric device that moves heat instead of making it.
• How does a heat pump work? It moves heat, it doesn't make it.
• How much does a heat pump cost? Most heat pumps run $5,500 to $12,500 installed.

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