dexterpexter's Journal: [Ask a Subset of /.] Comparison of Home Heating and Cooling

I am interested in the opinions of folks who have lived both in houses with natural gas heating, and in homes with heat pumps. I am particular about ambient temperatures, and have found natural gas heating perfectly comfortable. However, I notice a trend toward heat pumps in homes, and wonder how someone might compare the two. Feel free to offer your opinions about either, but please clearly distinguish if your experience is mostly limited to one or the other, because people tend to adapt to find one or the other perfectly bearable, and I am looking for a comparison (albeit subjective) by someone who has considerable experience with both.

Of particular interest, how do the maintenance of each compare? Price of heating/cooling? Efficiency? Any clear advantages of one over the other? If given the choice of one or the other, which would you prefer? Have you ever modified your existing heating to have one laid in lieu of another?

Thank-you in advance!

Efficiency....

[FortKnox]

For the record, if its a new home (hence, a new furnace/heat pump), you can get 95% efficiency with either.

Re:

[Abm0raz]

Actually, the second law of thermodynamics (and Mech. Eng. 23) tells us that the maximum heat efficiency of any heat pump is 50%. You can get a house to 95% of that, though, through proper isulation.

-Ab

It depends

[ces]

The big advantage with heat pumps is you can use them for central A/C during the warm months. The downside is they don't perform as well in places where it gets cold for long periods during the winter. The other factor to consider is the relative cost of electricity in your area vs. natural gas.

Natural gas seems to be a bit faster to heat a building up, but it isn't really noticeable if you maintain a more or less constant temprature.