Heat pump vs Furnace in Ingham County, Michigan
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling and heating from one system and you are set on staying off gas. Look for a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward 19°F, which is a normal winter night here. Expect to run it alongside a backup heat source for the coldest stretches, and know that at Michigan gas prices, it will cost more to run than a furnace.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace is the right call for most homes in Ingham County, and it is what most of your neighbors already have. It keeps its full output no matter how cold the night gets, which matters when winters here run about 8 months and nights average 19°F from December through February. Heating with gas also costs at least 50% less here than heating with a heat pump. The tradeoff is that a furnace only heats, so you would need a separate system for cooling.
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling and heating from one system and you are set on staying off gas. Look for a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward 19°F, which is a normal winter night here. Expect to run it alongside a backup heat source for the coldest stretches, and know that at Michigan gas prices, it will cost more to run than a furnace.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace is the right call for most homes in Ingham County, and it is what most of your neighbors already have. It keeps its full output no matter how cold the night gets, which matters when winters here run about 8 months and nights average 19°F from December through February. Heating with gas also costs at least 50% less here than heating with a heat pump. The tradeoff is that a furnace only heats, so you would need a separate system for cooling.
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
Furnace wins in Ingham County.
Winter nights here average 19°F, and gas heat costs at least 50% less than a heat pump at Michigan prices, so the furnace wins.
If your home has no gas line, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat it through those 19°F nights and cool it come summer.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 50% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the Great Lakes states that heat with one | 3.4% | 78.8% |
| Handles a 19°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
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling and heating from one system and you are set on staying off gas. Look for a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward 19°F, which is a normal winter night here. Expect to run it alongside a backup heat source for the coldest stretches, and know that at Michigan gas prices, it will cost more to run than a furnace.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace is the right call for most homes in Ingham County, and it is what most of your neighbors already have. It keeps its full output no matter how cold the night gets, which matters when winters here run about 8 months and nights average 19°F from December through February. Heating with gas also costs at least 50% less here than heating with a heat pump. The tradeoff is that a furnace only heats, so you would need a separate system for cooling.
A Ingham County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.