Chapel Hill's average January low is around 30 degrees and the average high is near 50. Winters that mild are why most new homes in Orange and Chatham counties are built with heat pumps, and why the choice gets closer when a house already has gas.
How each one heats
A gas furnace burns natural gas or propane and blows air across a heat exchanger, and the air at the vents comes out at 120 to 140 degrees. A heat pump moves heat from outdoor air into the house using the same refrigerant loop that cools it in summer, and vent air comes out closer to 90 to 100 degrees. Both keep a house at 70, though furnace air feels warmer on your hand.
Operating cost
On a typical Chapel Hill winter day, a heat pump delivers two to three units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses. That makes it far cheaper to run than electric resistance heat. Against natural gas, the comparison is closer and depends on your gas and power rates, which are printed on your last two bills.
On the few nights that drop into the teens, a standard heat pump leans on electric backup strips, which cost more to run. A dual-fuel system pairs a heat pump with a gas furnace and switches to gas below a set outdoor temperature, usually 30 to 35 degrees.
Upfront cost
Replacing a heat pump and air handler in a Chapel Hill house runs roughly $6,000 to $12,000. An AC with a new gas furnace runs $8,000 to $16,000, and a dual-fuel setup falls in between. If the house has no gas line, running one adds cost plus a monthly service charge from the gas company, which usually rules the furnace out.
Which to pick
- With no gas at the house, get a heat pump, and look at a cold-climate model if you keep the thermostat high.
- If the gas furnace is in good shape and the AC is failing, replace the AC with a heat pump and keep the furnace as backup, which is called a dual-fuel setup.
- If both are over 15 years old and you have gas service, price a dual-fuel system and a straight AC and furnace side by side.
- In an older home with no ducts, look at ductless mini-splits, which are heat pumps.
A licensed technician can run the numbers for your house. Call (980) 245-1226 and we will send one who installs both.