What difference would a heat pump make to our emissions on a natural gas grid?

[Robert65]

I’m trying to figure out if my family’s plan to install a heat pump is actually a good move for reducing our home’s emissions, or if we’re overlooking some bigger picture issue with the electricity it will use. Our grid still relies partly on natural gas, so I’m feeling unsure if our personal switch makes a real dent.

[Olivia80]

I got a heat pump last winter. We still have gas in the mix here, so I worried we’d just swap one source for another. The first win was sealing the attic and fixing drafts; after that the heat pump could actually keep the house comfortable with less electricity. On milder days the emissions drop felt real, but during the really cold snaps the system still relied on gas for extra kick. So the big dent didn’t show up on its own.

[James_S]

I'm not sure the problem is the heat pump itself. We did the swap, but I keep thinking the bigger issue is the building and how we heat it. If the house leaks a ton, the pump runs harder and the extra electricity might still come from gas plants. I even toyed with solar or a smarter thermostat, then remembered to focus on weatherizing first. I’d expect the real dent to come from insulation and air sealing more than the pump alone.

[TylerR]

After the install we saw our gas usage drop, which helped the bills. The electric bill also dipped, but not dramatically, since the heat pump was fighting cold snaps. I didn’t measure CO2—just rough bills—but it felt like a modest improvement that depends a lot on the weather and how well the house holds heat.

[Natalie_M]

Do you have a sense of the grid's marginal emissions factor during peak heating season?