Residential Heating: Furnaces, Heat Pumps & Electric Heaters

Heat pumps move existing heat into the home instead of creating it, so they deliver more heating energy than the electricity they use and tend to win on efficiency in mild and moderate climates. Gas furnaces generate heat independently of the outdoor temperature, which makes them the more dependable choice where winters regularly drop below freezing. The deciding factors are your typical winter temperatures, local gas and electricity prices, and whether you already have a gas line and ductwork. If your climate falls in between, a hybrid setup that combines both technologies is worth comparing.

A dual fuel system pairs an electric heat pump with a gas furnace and switches automatically between them based on outdoor conditions. The heat pump handles heating in milder weather, where it is the most efficient option, and the furnace takes over in severe cold, when a heat pump has to work much harder. It suits homes in mixed climates that see both mild shoulder seasons and hard freezes, and it keeps one set of matched components for both heating and cooling. Browse the full range of dual fuel systems to compare capacities and efficiency ratings.

AFUE shows the percentage of fuel a furnace turns into usable heat, so a 96% AFUE furnace sends about 96 cents of every fuel dollar into your home. Standard-efficiency models start at 80% AFUE, while high-efficiency condensing furnaces reach 90% and above, usually with two-stage heating and a variable-speed blower for steadier temperatures. A higher rating costs more upfront, so the payoff depends on how many months you heat and what you pay for gas. Compare single-stage, two-stage, and variable-speed models in our gas furnaces collection.

Yes, a heat pump heats as well as it cools by reversing the direction of refrigerant flow, and it keeps heating as outdoor temperatures drop, although its output declines in deep cold. Standard models are a good fit for mild and moderate winters, while cold-climate models are built to hold their heating output at much lower outdoor temperatures. Look at the HSPF2 rating, which measures heating efficiency over a season, and pair the system with an air handler or furnace that suits your ductwork. The heat pump systems collection covers 1.5 to 5 ton systems, including cold-climate models.

Furnaces and heat pumps are sized from a load calculation that accounts for square footage, insulation, windows, ceiling height, and climate, not from square footage alone. Furnace capacity is shown in BTU per hour, heat pump capacity in tons where one ton is 12,000 BTU per hour, and electric heaters in watts, where 1 kW produces about 3,412 BTU per hour. For a single room, a common starting point for electric heaters is roughly 10 watts per square foot. An oversized furnace short-cycles and wastes fuel, while an undersized one runs constantly and still leaves cold spots, so if you are unsure, request a quote and a specialist will help confirm the size.

Yes. A mini split heat pump heats and cools through wall-mounted indoor units connected to an outdoor unit, so it needs no ductwork, which suits room additions, garages, and older homes. Multi-zone systems let you set different temperatures room by room, and inverter-driven compressors adjust their output to demand instead of cycling on and off, which improves comfort and efficiency. They can serve as the main heat source in mild climates or as efficient supplemental heat elsewhere. See the full range of mini split heat pump systems for single and multi-zone options.

Yes, an electric duct heater installs inside the ductwork and warms the air as it passes through, which is a common way to add heat to an air handler or a ducted system. Capacities run from about 5 kW to 20 kW and higher in single-phase and three-phase versions, so you need to match the voltage, phase, kW rating, and duct size to your system and make sure the electrical service can carry the load. Installation and wiring should be handled by a qualified electrician or HVAC technician. Browse the available duct heaters to compare models and electrical requirements.

Furnaces, heat pump systems, and air handlers are heavy, so they ship by freight rather than as small parcels. Most in-stock equipment on this page ships in 1-3 business days, and select Goodman systems list free LTL freight with a lift gate. Some items, such as certain electric duct heaters, have a longer handling time, and portable heaters ship separately. Because freight delivery needs an appointment, inspect the packaging before you sign and check each product page for shipping details and return terms, since some items are final sale.