Heat pump vs Furnace in Androscoggin County, Maine
When a heat pump makes sense
If you don't have natural gas line to your home, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat through a 13°F night and cool your home in summer, which a furnace can't do. Standard heat pumps lose heating power in that kind of cold, so the cold-climate version matters here, not the standard one. Expect to pay more to run it than a gas furnace, since electricity costs more than natural gas at Maine prices.
When a furnace makes sense
If natural gas is already run to your home, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat through winters this cold, costing at least 25% less than a heat pump at Maine prices. With nine months of heating a year and nights averaging 13°F from December through February, that difference adds up. A furnace only heats, so you'd still need a separate way to cool your home in summer.
When a heat pump makes sense
If you don't have natural gas line to your home, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat through a 13°F night and cool your home in summer, which a furnace can't do. Standard heat pumps lose heating power in that kind of cold, so the cold-climate version matters here, not the standard one. Expect to pay more to run it than a gas furnace, since electricity costs more than natural gas at Maine prices.
When a furnace makes sense
If natural gas is already run to your home, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat through winters this cold, costing at least 25% less than a heat pump at Maine prices. With nine months of heating a year and nights averaging 13°F from December through February, that difference adds up. A furnace only heats, so you'd still need a separate way to cool your home in summer.
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 Androscoggin County.
Nights here average 13°F all winter, and gas heat runs at least 25% cheaper than a heat pump at Maine prices.
If your home has no gas line, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat it through a Maine winter and cool it in summer too.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 25% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in New England that heat with one | 1.7% | 54.8% |
| Handles a 13°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 you don't have natural gas line to your home, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat through a 13°F night and cool your home in summer, which a furnace can't do. Standard heat pumps lose heating power in that kind of cold, so the cold-climate version matters here, not the standard one. Expect to pay more to run it than a gas furnace, since electricity costs more than natural gas at Maine prices.
When a furnace makes sense
If natural gas is already run to your home, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat through winters this cold, costing at least 25% less than a heat pump at Maine prices. With nine months of heating a year and nights averaging 13°F from December through February, that difference adds up. A furnace only heats, so you'd still need a separate way to cool your home in summer.
A Androscoggin County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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