What is a heat pump, and how is it different from a furnace?
A heat pump moves heat instead of burning fuel to make it. Here's how that works — and why it's not magic.
A furnace makes heat by burning fuel. A heat pump moves heat — pulling it out of the outdoor air (even in winter) and delivering it inside, then reversing the process to cool in summer. Because it's moving heat rather than creating it, a heat pump can deliver more usable energy than the electricity it consumes.
That efficiency comes with trade-offs. As outdoor temperatures drop, there's less heat to pull from the air, so the heat pump works harder and its output falls. In a cold Ontario winter, a heat pump may need a backup heat source — electric resistance heat or a paired furnace — to keep up during the coldest stretches. The system has to be sized and configured for the climate, not just for the mild part of the season.
A heat pump isn't automatically the right answer or the wrong one. It's a different tool with different strengths. Whether it makes sense depends on your home, your insulation and ductwork, your electricity and gas rates, and how you weigh upfront cost against operating cost. The right call starts with the numbers, not the marketing.
This article is general education, not a diagnosis of your home. For a proper assessment of your specific situation, talk to us.