One of the most powerful weapons you can wield to fight climate change is … an appliance. A heat pump is a fully electric device that transfers warmth from outdoor air into a building, then reverses in the summer to act like an air conditioning unit. It’s much more efficient than burning planet-warming gas in a furnace, and will save the average American household more than $550 a year on their utility bill, according to one estimate. Emphasis on average.
The tricky bit is that even though a heat pump can be more efficient at cooling than a traditional AC unit, its operating cost during the summer may surprise a household that has never had AC before. It’s important to note that a household will get the most out of a heat pump if it also opts for better insulation. If you have double-paned windows, for instance, less of that indoor heating or cooling will escape in the winter or summer.