Heat pump vs Furnace in Cabell County, West Virginia
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already heats with electricity, a heat pump is the natural fit. Winter nights here average 27°F, cold enough that you want a cold-climate model rather than a standard one, since standard heat pumps lose heating power as the temperature drops. You also get cooling from the same system, which a furnace can't give you.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line and gas heat, staying with a furnace makes sense. Natural gas runs at least 10% cheaper than a heat pump at West Virginia prices, and that gap matters over the 7 months a year this area needs heat. You will still need a separate system for cooling, since a furnace only heats.
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already heats with electricity, a heat pump is the natural fit. Winter nights here average 27°F, cold enough that you want a cold-climate model rather than a standard one, since standard heat pumps lose heating power as the temperature drops. You also get cooling from the same system, which a furnace can't give you.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line and gas heat, staying with a furnace makes sense. Natural gas runs at least 10% cheaper than a heat pump at West Virginia prices, and that gap matters over the 7 months a year this area needs heat. You will still need a separate system for cooling, since a furnace only heats.
Heat pump
- Runs on
- Electricity
- What it does
- Heats and cools
- Tax credit
- No federal tax credit since the end of 2025
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy · Internal Revenue Code
Furnace
- Runs on
- Natural gas
- What it does
- Heats only
- Tax credit
- No federal tax credit since the end of 2025
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy · Internal Revenue Code
Heat pump wins in Cabell County.
More than half the homes here already heat with electricity, and that's the setup a heat pump fits best.
If your home already has a gas line and you would rather keep heating costs low through those 27-degree nights than gain air conditioning, a furnace still makes sense.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 10% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the South Atlantic states that heat with one | 30.1% | 48% |
| Handles a 27°F night | Standard models lose heating power in the cold; cold-climate models are built for it | Yes |
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, NOAA
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already heats with electricity, a heat pump is the natural fit. Winter nights here average 27°F, cold enough that you want a cold-climate model rather than a standard one, since standard heat pumps lose heating power as the temperature drops. You also get cooling from the same system, which a furnace can't give you.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home already has a gas line and gas heat, staying with a furnace makes sense. Natural gas runs at least 10% cheaper than a heat pump at West Virginia prices, and that gap matters over the 7 months a year this area needs heat. You will still need a separate system for cooling, since a furnace only heats.
A Cabell County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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