dipped to -20º F. Lots of people who have heat pumps today also have an oil furnace as well, on the theory that a heat pump can’t make heat when the temperature drops below zero.knows it has to explode that myth if state residents are going to switch to heat pumps as their sole source of heat. Last heating season, it replaced oil furnaces in 19 homes — 10 mobile homes and 9 conventional wood frame homes — with heat pumps. The results from homeowners were overwhelmingly positive.
They said they have not one negative thing to say about their experience. From November through April — the most heating-intensive months of the year — they paid a total of $1,000 for electricity. By way of comparison, heating a home with an oil furnace for a full year would have cost more than $3,000 even at last winter’s much lower heating oil prices.
She added that builders are generally concerned about making their homes attractive to buyers, and the higher up-front cost of heat pumps can be a deterrent, despite evidence that heat pumps save money in the long term. “We all conceptually know that there is an eventual return on investment, but are we willing to sacrifice going with tried-and-true products?” Merz asked. “I don’t think we’ve reached any sort of tipping point in the market.