Category: Opinion

Heat pumps are surging in popularity and being hailed as a critical part of the global mission to reach net-zero carbon emissions. But to achieve carbon emission goals, heat pump adoption by consumers has to be rapid, and, as we’ll show in this article, most consumers misunderstand what heat pumps are and what they do, which is slowing adoption. 

We conducted a survey of 110 consumers aged 35 – 65 and with incomes between $50K and $250K and found that, because of the name “heat pump,” a large fraction think heat pumps only provide heat, while many others think they’re a different type of completely unrelated device. 

This misunderstanding on what heat pumps are — as a result of their unclear name —  is likely a key limiting factor that is slowing their adoption. Why? Because purchase decisions on “hidden” utilitarian appliances like furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps are primarily driven by (1) cost and (2) ease. People want to (1) save money on these purchases and (2) have them last a long time, be safe, and in general not give them problems.

We don’t want these hidden utilitarian appliances to be exotic. We want them to be familiar. We want them to be safe. We want them to be low risk. So, the more familiar heat pumps are to consumers, the more likely they are to be adopted.

As a result, an unfamiliar name doesn’t help, it hurts adoption.

The good news is that heat pumps are familiar. They are literally air conditioners that work in both directions. Traditional air conditioners only cool but heat pumps are air conditioners that can also be run “backwards” to heat your space.

So, associating heat pumps with the familiarity and trust we all have with air conditioners can help their adoption. There is nothing controversial about air conditioners. There is nothing unfamiliar about air conditioners. There is nothing risky about air conditioners. We’ve all used and loved air conditioners all our lives, at home, at work, and even in the car. 

So, we are proposing that heat pump manufacturers, HVAC installers, governments, and climate organizations start referring to heat pumps as two way air conditioners or 2-way A/Cs for short. It’s a more descriptive, clear, and compelling name than “heat pumps.” 

To help test and validate this assertion, we surveyed over 110 consumers and asked the following:

1. Have you heard of “heat pumps” before?
2. What do you think heat pumps do?
3. What do you think a “two way air conditioner” does?
4. It turns out there are devices that work just like air conditioners to cool your home, except they can also run in reverse to heat your home. Which name do you find more compelling if you were looking to buy such a device: “heat pump” or “two way air conditioner”?
5. Tell us more about your answer in the previous question. Why did you find that one more compelling? What do you think of when you hear either name?

As you’ll see below, the survey results clearly support our case for why heat pumps would indeed benefit from a rebrand.

Key Takeaway: The Name “Heat Pumps” Is Misleading to Consumers

There was one overarching takeaway from our analysis of the survey results: most people do not understand what heat pumps do, and the name is the key reason why. 

When asked what they think heat pumps do with an open ended response (not multiple choice) we found that only 13% of respondents answered correctly indicating that heat pumps can both heat and cool a building.

49% described heat pumps as a heating-only device. Here are a sample of some of the responses:

• “Heat the house”
• “Heats air like an air conditioner cools air”
• “Something that pumps heat into a room or something.”
• “They heat a house”

From these responses, it’s clear the name is at fault. “Heat pump” does not imply heating and cooling to the average consumer, it implies only heating.

Furthermore, of the remaining 38% of respondents, we noticed a trend indicating the word “pump” also contributes to the confusion about what heat pumps do.

Specifically, many people described heat pumps as a component part of an HVAC system, furnace, water heater, or some other system. For example:

• “A part of your heating and cooling unit”
• “They power your furnace”
• “They are in the furnace and convert oil to heat”
• “For the water heater”

This is not surprising. The word “pump” sounds like a part — not a standalone system. 

Other respondents described heat pumps as some sort of complex or completely unrelated device, including:

• “Thermodynamics, extract heat from a vacuum”
• “It pumps blood around the body at all the time”
• “Shoes with heat warmers” 

By analyzing these responses we can see that most people either a) think heat pumps only do heating or b) have no idea what heat pumps do and are just looking at the name and guessing (despite 73% of respondents saying they had heard of heat pumps before). Using a name that accurately describes what a heat pump does is critical to more people understanding what they are. 

3X More People Understood What a “Two Way Air Conditioner” Does

In contrast to the responses about what a heat pump does, when asked what they think a “two way air conditioner” does, 46% of respondents described it as a device that can provide both heating and cooling.

With this simple name change – using a term that most people are familiar with – over three times as many respondents correctly answered that this device handles both heating and cooling.

Furthermore, even respondents that said they didn’t know what a two way air conditioner does guessed correctly. For example:

• “I don’t know. Heats and cools”
• “Maybe heat & cool air?”
• “I have no idea. Heats and cools?”

These answers indicate that more people are likely to intuitively understand what a two way air conditioner does, even if they haven’t heard of it before. The same was not true of our respondents when asked what a heat pump does.

Nearly Two Thirds of Respondents Said They Find the Name “Two Way Air Conditioner” More Compelling

When asked which name they find more compelling, 65% of survey respondents (nearly twice as many) answered “two way air conditioner.”

Their reasons why included:

• “because the name indicates that it has more than one function and when I hear the name heat pump, I just think of a unit that only works for heat”
• “Easier to understand”
• “If I hear “heat pump”, I only think of it heating. When I hear “two way air conditioner” I think of it doing both heating and cooling. I do think something more like “2 in 1 conditioner” would be a little easier to understand.”
• “It’s specifically informs without detail of its function”
• “it’s easier to understand for layman”
• “I’m more interested in AC and two way sounds different from what son the market”
• “I feel like it describes it better. the other one just sounds like some kind of plain heater”

Among this sample of reasons we see three key themes that support everything we’ve discussed above:

1. The name is easier to understand (less complicated sounding)
2. The name implies heating and cooling (instead of just heating)
3. The phrase “air conditioner” is extremely familiar and has more positive associations attached to it

The Name “Two Way Air Conditioner” Has Implied Cost Savings (To Most Consumers, “Heat Pumps” Does Not)

Heat pumps have a clear cost advantage over traditional air conditioning units and furnaces because they accomplish what both of those systems do in one unit. But since the name “heat pump” doesn’t come across as a device that does both heating and cooling to most people, as demonstrated above, the potential cost savings isn’t communicated well through the name.

In contrast, because more consumers understand that a “two way air conditioner” does both heating and cooling, the name itself implies built-in cost savings. 

Several survey respondents explicitly noted this despite none of the questions in the survey mentioning cost:

• “I like the idea of a dual system to save money”
• “I would hope there would be a savings with combining the two.”

As we mentioned above, large utilitarian purchases such as furnaces and heat pumps are primarily driven by cost and ease. And the name two way air conditioner seems to communicate this cost advantage more effectively.

Calling Heat Pumps “Two Way Air Conditioners” Makes More Sense

If we want to increase adoption rates of heat pumps – this ingenious 2 in 1 invention that provides cost savings, environmental benefits, and literally operates at 300% efficiency (more than 3X that of gas furnaces) – we should start calling them something that people understand and are familiar with.

Almost everyone knows what air conditioning is and has positive associations with it. Even mainstream news outlets use “reverse air conditioners” in their articles to describe heat pumps. And as we found in our survey, over 3X as many people understood what a “two way air conditioner” does compared to a “heat pump.” 

For all of these reasons, we are proposing that heat pump manufacturers, HVAC installers, governments, and climate organizations start referring to heat pumps as two way air conditioners or 2-way A/Cs for short.

If you agree, share this article to spread the word. Particularly if you’re compelled by the relevance of heat pumps for curbing climate change, the faster we begin rebranding heat pumps, the better off we will be.

Learn More About Heat Pumps

Interested to learn more about heat pumps? Here are some of our foundational articles on these devices for further reading:

• Heat Pump Prices
• Heat Pump vs Air Conditioner: Why They’re More Similar Than You Think
• Heat Pump vs. Furnace: Cost, Differences, and Recommendations
• 5 Stats That Show Heat Pumps Work In Cold Climates

Texas has a lower than average electricity cost and a higher than average natural gas cost, making it a great place to heat and cool your home with a heat pump (which uses only electricity and no gas) instead of a natural gas furnace plus air conditioner combination. Texas homeowners can save money upfront (by only having to buy one unit for both heating and cooling instead of both a furnace and an A/C) and potentially save money every month by reduced utility bills (since electricity is relatively cheap in Texas and gas relatively expensive). In addition, milder winters in Texas than other colder states make it a great option since heat pumps work more efficiently in milder winters. Finally there are currently both federal and local rebates on heat pump system purchases, making this a great time to install a heat pump system as your HVAC system in Texas.

In this article, we’ll explain:

• What a heat pump is and how it works
• Benefits of heat pumps
• Benefits of heat pumps specifically in Texas
• Why heat pumps work even in extreme cold
• Rebates on heat pumps

How Does a Heat Pump Work?

The simplest way to explain heat pumps is to look at them as an air conditioning unit that can also work in reverse. In a standard air conditioning unit, hot air is sucked in from outside via a liquid refrigerant that absorbs the heat and moisture, leaving colder and dryer air remaining inside. Ever go outside in the summer and wonder why it’s hotter by your AC unit? That’s because heat is being filtered out from the inside. Heat pumps can do that – they are literally air conditioners in the summer. But they can also reverse this process in the winter. Instead of hot air being sucked in from the inside and kicked out, heat’s now absorbed from the home’s exterior and pumped into the interior. In a heat pump, the same refrigerant is used to attract and move the warm air; where that warm air goes depends on whether your heat pump is in AC or heating mode. The end result is a system that can keep your home comfortable in both hot and cold climates. Here’s a video that explains how a heat pump works in a little more detail.

What are the Benefits of Heat Pumps?

Since a heat pump can cool your home in the summer and warm it in the winter, it is more cost-efficient. The heat pump’s single cost is often lower than the dual costs of separate AC units and gas furnace systems. If you live in a state like Texas, where electricity is cheaper than the national average and natural gas is more expensive, a heat pump can also lower your monthly energy bills. Instead of constantly burning natural gas to generate heat as a gas furnace does, a heat pump uses electricity to move the refrigerant that attracts and delivers warm air into your home. By running on cheaper electricity instead of more expensive natural gas, a heat pump overall requires less money to operate. In short, a heat pump is a system that costs less money upfront and produces cheaper monthly bills.

Ditching your gas heater also means ditching a major source of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is often fatal. Natural gas isn’t just dirty and inefficient; it’s downright dangerous. Lastly, heat pumps reduce carbon emissions and help the planet breathe a little easier. So when we look at some of the primary benefits of choosing a heat pump, we see that cost-efficiency happens on multiple levels, both on a monthly short-term basis and in long-term costs. We also see a safer, cleaner home environment by eliminating natural gas and an eco-friendly investment that helps detoxify our homes, communities, and planet. But let’s get back to you, Texans. Why do heat pumps make even more sense for Texas homes?

How do Heat Pumps Save Texans Money?

Chances are you heat your home using a natural gas furnace, so when we talk here about a heat pump as an alternative to traditional heating systems, we’re drawing specific comparisons between heat pumps and gas furnaces. While every state has access to both electricity and natural gas, different parts of the country carry different rates and expenses for each. Compared to the rest of the country, Texas has lower electricity rates. The actual cost of electricity is about $.0.09/kWh, meaning that Texans enjoy a considerably cheaper electric bill than many other states. For homes that have solar, those prices go even lower since solar panels can produce a home’s energy without needing to purchase electricity from a power company. Gas, on the other hand, is more expensive in Texas. The state ranks 34th out of 50 for gas prices, meaning Texans pay more on average for natural gas than most of the country. Now let’s apply this to your home’s heating system.

Where a furnace requires natural gas to run and heat your home, a heat pump HVAC system forgoes the need for gas and runs purely off electricity: this is true for both the heating and cooling systems. Since the two systems rely on different utilities to perform, it’s easy to draw a cost comparison between them — one simply needs to look at the cost of electricity versus gas. Texas, in particular, has lower electricity prices than the national average and higher gas prices than the national average. So, a gas furnace in a Texas home will naturally bring in a higher operating cost than an all-electric heat pump. Since a heat pump can work all year round without ever needing gas, the savings are consistent and lead to a more cost-efficient home overall.

Can Heat Pumps Work in Extreme Cold?

While Texas is notorious for its long, hot summers, the state also experiences some extremely cold winter months. While there’s often speculation about heat pumps and weather, it’s a complete myth that these systems aren’t equipped for extreme cold. Heat pumps can provide heat for your home even when the temperature drops well below freezing. How? The refrigerant in heat pumps works to both cool and heat your home by sucking in the heat from one place and dumping it elsewhere. In the summer, the refrigerant grabs heat from the inside and kicks it out, making your home cool. In the winter, the refrigerant takes heat from the outside air and brings it into your house. But how can a heat pump suck in hot air from outside when it’s 20 degrees in December?

Science tells us that heat always moves from hot to cold. So if something is colder than that 20-degree air, all the heat will move to that colder thing like a magnet. Remember that heat pump refrigerant we talked about? That liquid is always really, really cold: -55 degrees, in fact. So even on the coldest winter days, that refrigerant is colder, meaning that it will always be able to attract all the heat from the outside air and bring it inside. The result is a consistent and reliable system, even in Texas’ coldest winter weeks. And remember, it’s heating your house at a significantly lower cost than your gas furnace!

Rebates are Available for Homeowners Who Switch

In the face of more renewable electricity efforts, government leaders are urging more homes to invest in systems that can run on electricity year-round. This encouragement comes in the form of state and federal rebates available for Texan homeowners that switch to a more energy-efficient heat pump. Under the Energy Efficient Home Improvement credit, qualified homeowners can receive a federal tax credit covering 30% of the entire system cost, allowing those homes to purchase and install heat pumps at a significantly lower price. For homes that switch to full electric heating and also invest in a renewable electricity system like solar, there’s an additional 30% that’s offered via the Residential Clean Energy credit. Both rebates are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, and the funding is distributed via tax credits that homeowners can claim when they file for the year.

These tax credits help lower what you owe the government when you file. They also work with various IRA programs that can offer additional refunds for energy-efficient investments. HEERA (The High-Efficiency Electric Homes Rebate) and HOMES (Homeowner Managing Energy Savings) offer another $8,000-$14,000 to homeowners that switch to a new heat pump, granting the household income isn’t higher than 80% of the Texan median. While folks can’t stack HEERA and HOMES on the same heat pump installation, upgrading your HVAC system alongside another renewable investment like solar means the house becomes more eligible for stacked rebate programs and funding.

Beyond the federal funding available, Texas has additional state rebates for homeowners that invest in a heat pump. Since state legislation passed new renewable energy standards that utility companies must meet annually, many local companies have offered additional rebates and incentives for switching to a greener heating system. When you take advantage of the federal and state incentives available, you should also call your local power company — odds are, they have additional programs you can qualify for.

Modern heat pumps absolutely work well in cold temperatures. In fact, most ducted heat pumps on the market today that replace central heating and air conditioning units work great down to sub-zero temperatures that are colder than it ever gets in the vast majority of cities in the United States, even major cities in Alaska, Minnesota, and Maine. 

The myth that heat pumps don’t work well at cold temperatures is outdated and, frankly, wrong. 

To convince you of this, we’ve collected the four most important stats that show you heat pumps can be a great heat source in cold climates.

-55.3 F: The Boiling Point of Heat Pump Refrigerants

The easiest way to understand why heat pumps work well in cold climates is to understand how heat pumps work. They work almost identically to air conditioners: a fluid, called a “refrigerant” is cycled through pipes inside and outside your home and it picks up heat from one side and dumps it off on the other. 

The only difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner is that heat pumps work in both directions: they can grab heat out from your room and dump it outside (cooling mode, just like an A/C) or grab heat from outside and dump it into your room (heating mode, like a reverse A/C). 

This mechanism is why people falsely think heat pumps don’t work well in cold temperatures. If it’s really cold outside, how can the refrigerant grab heat from the cold outside air and bring it into your home? 

Because heat pump refrigerants can get extremely cold – way colder than the outside air in almost any place where people live. And because heat always moves from warm to cold, as long as the refrigerant is colder than the outside air, it’ll suck heat out of the outside air.

Now, for some detail: most heat pumps “capture” this heat from the outside not by just getting a little bit hotter but by boiling from a liquid to a gas. The hot, gaseous refrigerant can later be turned back into a liquid by adjusting the pressure in the pipes, which releases this heat (which eventually makes its way to your home, heating it).  The most common heat pump refrigerant is called R-410A and its natural boiling point is -55.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Now the actual boiling point will depend on the amount of pressure it’s under, but the point is, it picks up heat by boiling from a liquid to a gas, and it does that an extremely low temperature. So, if the ambient temperature outside is higher than -55.3 F, say -10 F, this refrigerant can still capture heat from it, which it can later dump off into your home, heating it up. 

This, fundamentally, is why heat pumps can work in cold temperatures. Their refrigerants stay ridiculously cold, so even what we consider cold outdoor temperatures are hotter than the refrigerant, so the refrigerant can capture heat from them. 

-10 F: What Many Modern Heat Pumps Are Rated Down To

Now just because the refrigerant boils at such a low temperature, it doesn’t mean heat pumps work perfectly down to -55 F. There are other factors that affect performance. But if you’re looking for a heat pump to run in cold climates, you simply have to look at their specs to see what temperatures they can handle. 

In our research we found that many on-the-market heat pumps today are rated for use down to -10 F. Negative ten degrees Fahrenheit is, as we’ll explain in the next section, far colder than almost all populous cities in the U.S. ever get down to. 

Here are some examples: 

• The Mr. Cool Universal series keeps 100% heating efficiency down to -5 F and retains 78% heating efficiency even at -22 F.
• Carrier, another popular heat pump and air conditioner manufacturer boasts operation of many of its heat pumps down to -15F.
• The website Carbon Switch likes the Mitsubishi H2i series, which is rated down to -13 F and the Fujitsu AOU series which works well down to -10F. 

That’s three options we found quickly. There are likely many more.

Now: Are heat pumps that heat well down to -10F or even -22F good enough for you? 

Let’s explore that in our next stat. 

0 F: A Temperature That Very Few U.S. Cities Get Below

The vast majority of cities in the U.S. rarely get below zero degrees F, much less -10 F, which means that the heat pumps above, and many others like them, can work at or near full efficiency year round in most cities. 

For example, here are the average low temperatures of the most populous “cold” cities in the U.S. 

	Population	December Low	January Low	February Low
Minneapolis, MN	425,336	12F	8F	13F
Anchorage, AK	288,121	13F	11F	14F
Portland, ME	68,313	20F	13F	16F

In fact, even if you look at the lowest temperatures recorded in Anchorage, Alaska by year for the past decade, it’s only -15F, right in the range of what the Mr. Cool and Carrier heat pumps can operate down to. Again, that is the coldest temperature recorded in the past decade in Anchorage Alaska! And the Mr. Cool heat pump above works just fine at that temperature. 

Minneapolis has gotten colder, reaching -28F in January 2018. But that is one day in the past decade and even the Mr. Cool heat pump listed above will retain decent efficiency down to the negative twenties Fahrenheit. 

If you then look at high-population cities in the U.S. that are often considered to have “cold” winters, like New York City, Chicago or Detroit, you see that they don’t get anywhere near cold enough to challenge today’s heat pumps: 

	Population	December Low	January Low	February Low
New York City	8,500,000	32F	26F	29F
Chicago, IL	2,700,000	23F	18F	20F
Detroit, MI	632,464	24F	17F	18F

And the coldest temperature ever recorded in New York City? -15F in 1934, right in the range of what Mr. Cool and Carrier heat pumps above can comfortably heat in. 

The point is, the vast majority of residents of the U.S. do not live in a city that ever gets cold enough to challenge modern day heat pumps. Basically, unless you live in the northern rural territories of Alaska, modern heat pumps should work just fine by themselves, even without a gas furnace as backup. 

Zero: The number of failed Heat Pumps in Maine During a Recent -19F Cold Spell

In this great article about heat pumps from Main Public, a heat pump installer who has installed around 1500 heat pumps said they got zero calls about any failures from any customers during a 2023 cold spell where temperatures reached -19 F. 

In fact, in his personal heat pump at home, he measured the temperature of air coming out of the great pump at 106 F even when the temperature outside was -19F. This is exactly what we are talking about in our first stat above: even in sub-zero temperatures, there is “heat” in the air that the refrigerants of heat pumps can capture and pump into your home.

The best quote from the article comes from Michael Stoddard of Efficiency Maine who says: 

“In certain homes where we’ve been watching very closely the effects of switching the entire home to heat pumps and removing the old central heating system, we checked in with each of those homeowners individually to see how it was going,” Stoddard says. “And they all reported that the heat pumps continued to work, and kept them comfortable in the home.”

Home builders, managers, and HVAC folks are also saying on social media that heat pumps they’ve installed have worked great in subzero temperatures:

Temps went to -46F with wind chill for over 24 hours. Our dozens of heat pump-only residents stayed cozy and a major natural gas system couldn’t keep up- that building for down to the 50s with residents evacuating for heating shelters. Heat pumps work great in extreme cold.

— DavidHolman (@DavesHolman) February 7, 2023

60%: The Percentage of Households in Norway With Heat Pumps Installed

Speaking of cold places, the countries with the highest per capita installed heat pumps are in Scandinavia or northern Europe, according to multiple sources. You can see it in this great graph by The Eco Experts: 

In terms of heat pumps installed per household, according to, again, multiple sources, an amazing 60% of households have heat pumps installed, followed by 43% in Sweden and 41% in Finland. 

Why do these cold Scandinavian countries have so many heat pumps installed? Because they save people money. And it’s residents of cold areas that spend a lot of money heating their home. So they’re the ones who care to find the most efficient, cost-effective heating source. For example, a story on Reasons to Be Cheerful profiles Oslo resident Kern Lindberg, who reduced her home’s energy usage from 35,000 kWh per year to 8,500 kWh per year by replacing the home’s oil boiler system with a heat pump. 

That amount of savings is not surprising considering the high heating costs of oil based boilers. This handy table from the folks at Carbon Switch shows their analysis on how much the typical U.S. household could save annually switching from a traditional heating source to a heat pump (based on U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory data): 

You can see that fuel oil boilers are one of the most expensive optoins (so can create one of the largest savings if you switch from it to a heat pump). 

So the reason heat pumps installed per capita is so high in cold countries like Norway and Finland is because cold climates are where people care about heating costs. They spend a lot of money on heating from these traditional fuel based methods (furnaces, boilers), so if they can switch to a heat pump that’s more efficient, they’ll do it. 

But overall, if cold Scandinavian countries are switching most of their heating to heat pumps, it tells you all you need to know about whether heat pumps can work in cold climates. They can. 

And if you live in a cold place and spend a lot on heating costs, they can probably save you money too.