Updating your home heating and cooling system can feel overwhelming, especially when contractors start telling you what "must" be replaced. For homeowners looking to swap out an aging gas furnace for a heat pump, conflicting advice can make the decision even harder and more expensive.
The scoop
This was one Reddit user's experience when they were hoping to install a heat pump for both heating and cooling. Their house, a 2,100-square-foot home in southwestern Connecticut with updated ductwork and decent insulation, currently has a 1990s gas furnace nearing the end of its life.
As they've gotten quotes, contractors insisted they replace their gas furnace as a backup, saying heat pumps won't do enough during cold temperatures. As a result, this would double the cost of their new system.
Now turning to Reddit, they asked: "Are these contractors just trying to get me to buy more?"
The idea that a heat pump alone won't handle negative-degree temperatures is common, but many homeowners in colder climates report otherwise.
If you're thinking about making the switch, TCD's HVAC Explorer can help you understand your options and potentially save up to 50% on energy bills with a heat pump or new HVAC system, including $0-down subscription options.
How it's helping
One of the biggest benefits of relying on a heat pump without a backup furnace is cost savings. You avoid paying for unnecessary equipment, installation, and maintenance of a secondary system. At the same time, you simplify your home heating and cooling into one efficient system.
From an environmental perspective, heat pumps use electricity more efficiently than traditional gas or oil furnaces, helping reduce your household carbon footprint.
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Using TCD's HVAC Explorer, you can connect with trusted partners like Palmetto, which makes upgrading affordable and convenient. Palmetto can help you save up to 50% on heating and cooling costs, get a new HVAC system with subscription payments as low as $99/month, enjoy 12 years of free maintenance, and potentially reduce your overall lifetime spend on your system.
Pairing a heat pump upgrade with solar panels can drive even greater energy savings. You can check out TCD's Solar Explorer to start exploring options for your home.
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Definitely 😎 What everyone's saying
Other homeowners on Reddit strongly suggested that a backup furnace isn't always necessary. "I am in CT and have not had to use any backup heat this winter with my cold climate heat pumps. And, if you have ductwork, you can just install electric backup strips for those cold days if you are worried," one commenter shared.
"We have no backup in our home in NH and a family home in Maine has an unused propane fireplace for power failures … When it got down to -13F it got chilly, as did everyone's place, but the HPs still worked," another Redditor explained about their experience without a backup.
The consensus from these experiences is that heat pumps, especially cold-climate models, can handle extremely low temperatures, and additional backup systems are often minimal or unnecessary. And, as a whole, they are reliable systems that improve comfort while reducing the long-term costs and complexity of your home's energy use.
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