Should we switch completely to a heat pump for winter and drop the gas furnace?

[JonathanG]

I’m trying to figure out if my household can realistically stop using our gas furnace entirely and switch to just our heat pump during winter. We had a few very cold nights last week where the auxiliary heat kicked in constantly, and our electricity bill was shocking. I’m worried the system isn’t designed for our climate’s deep cold snaps, but I also hate the idea of burning fossil fuels just for backup heat.

[Thomas68]

We swapped to a heat pump only last winter and learned the hard way that deep cold snaps still push the electric backup hard. On nights near zero, the auxiliary heat ran almost nonstop and our bill jumped more than usual. We stuck with it for a while hoping it would get better, but comfort and cost fought each other. It did better during milder cold spells, but the really cold, windy nights were rough.

[Kevin_W]

In our place the system still can’t keep up on the coldest nights even with good sealing; the backup heat kicks in and the upstairs stays chilly until it catches up. The meter climbs and you notice it in the payment.

[Emily.B]

Could drafts, insulation, or a poorly sealed envelope be letting a lot of cold air in? I keep wondering if that’s the real bottleneck rather than the heater itself?

[EdwardKW]

We did a quick energy audit, tightened up weatherstripping, and programmed setback nights; it helped a bit, but it still felt like we were fighting the cold load rather than relying on one heat source. We’ve been weighing more insulation or a more capable system, but nothing decisive yet.