Heat pump vs Furnace in Lincoln County, Montana
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling as well as heat and you're set on staying off gas. Only a cold-climate model should go in here, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward what Lincoln County sees on a winter night. Even then, expect to pay more to run it than a furnace, since gas heat costs at least 40% less at Montana prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace fits most homes in Lincoln County, where nights average 19°F from December through February and heat is needed about 10 months of the year. It costs less to run than a heat pump here, and it holds its output no matter how cold it gets outside. If you also want central air, you would need a separate air conditioner alongside it, since a furnace only heats.
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling as well as heat and you're set on staying off gas. Only a cold-climate model should go in here, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward what Lincoln County sees on a winter night. Even then, expect to pay more to run it than a furnace, since gas heat costs at least 40% less at Montana prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace fits most homes in Lincoln County, where nights average 19°F from December through February and heat is needed about 10 months of the year. It costs less to run than a heat pump here, and it holds its output no matter how cold it gets outside. If you also want central air, you would need a separate air conditioner alongside it, 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 Lincoln County.
Winter nights here average 19°F, and gas heat costs at least 40% less than a heat pump at Montana prices.
If your home has no gas line to it, 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 40% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the Mountain West that heat with one | 9.1% | 69.6% |
| 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 as well as heat and you're set on staying off gas. Only a cold-climate model should go in here, since standard heat pumps lose heating power once temperatures drop toward what Lincoln County sees on a winter night. Even then, expect to pay more to run it than a furnace, since gas heat costs at least 40% less at Montana prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace fits most homes in Lincoln County, where nights average 19°F from December through February and heat is needed about 10 months of the year. It costs less to run than a heat pump here, and it holds its output no matter how cold it gets outside. If you also want central air, you would need a separate air conditioner alongside it, since a furnace only heats.
A Lincoln County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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