Heat pump vs Furnace in Black Hawk County, Iowa
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want air conditioning and heat from one system, and you are set on staying off gas. Get a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward what this area sees on a winter night. Even then, expect to pay more to heat your home than a furnace would cost you at Iowa gas prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace is the right call for most homes here, especially with winter nights averaging 13°F. Natural gas costs at least 30% less than a heat pump to heat with at local prices, and it holds that output no matter how cold it gets outside. You will need a separate air conditioner for summer, since a furnace only heats.
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want air conditioning and heat from one system, and you are set on staying off gas. Get a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward what this area sees on a winter night. Even then, expect to pay more to heat your home than a furnace would cost you at Iowa gas prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace is the right call for most homes here, especially with winter nights averaging 13°F. Natural gas costs at least 30% less than a heat pump to heat with at local prices, and it holds that output no matter how cold it gets outside. You will need a separate air conditioner for summer, 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
Furnace wins in Black Hawk County.
Winter nights here average 13°F, and gas heat costs at least 30% less than a heat pump at Iowa prices, so the furnace wins.
If your home has no gas line to it, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat it through those 13°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 30% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the Plains states that heat with one | 5.4% | 77.6% |
| 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
A heat pump makes sense if you want air conditioning and heat from one system, and you are set on staying off gas. Get a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward what this area sees on a winter night. Even then, expect to pay more to heat your home than a furnace would cost you at Iowa gas prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace is the right call for most homes here, especially with winter nights averaging 13°F. Natural gas costs at least 30% less than a heat pump to heat with at local prices, and it holds that output no matter how cold it gets outside. You will need a separate air conditioner for summer, since a furnace only heats.
A Black Hawk County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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