Is switching to a heat pump actually worth it in colder states?

I live in Minnesota and my gas furnace is from 1998, so I've been looking into heat pumps. Some people say they work fine down to 5 degrees now, but others tell me I'll need a backup system anyway. Has anyone here made the switch in a place with real winters and did you actually see savings on your energy bills?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairwhite1d ago

Actually, gibson.oliver, I gotta push back on that "efficiency drops way off once you get below 20" thing a bit. Modern cold climate heat pumps like the Mitsubishi Hyper Heat or Gree Flexx are rated to put out 100% of their rated capacity down to like -5 or even -13 degrees in some models. So they don't just "work" at 5 degrees, they actually still put out full heat. The efficiency does go down as it gets colder, but it's not some huge drop off where you need emergency backup at 20 degrees. More like below zero is where you might need the furnace to kick in. You could set the dual fuel switchover at 15 or 20 degrees and still save a ton on gas the rest of the winter. Have you looked at the specific efficiency numbers for the models sold in your area?

gibson.oliver2d ago

You said "people say they work fine down to 5 degrees" and that's kind of true but also not. I'm in Wisconsin and looked into this a lot. The newer cold climate heat pumps do work at 5 degrees, but their efficiency drops way off once you get below 20 or so. So you'll still need backup heat for the really cold days, like when it hits 15 below here. Your 1998 furnace might be way less efficient than a new one, so you might save more by just swapping it for a high efficiency gas unit instead. A heat pump can work as a hybrid system where the furnace kicks on when it's really cold, but you have to figure out if the extra upfront cost actually pays off with your local electric and gas rates.