Heat Pump vs Gas Furnace in Oklahoma: The Question That Actually Decides It
People ask me which is better, a heat pump or a gas furnace. I answer with a question of my own: what are you heating with, natural gas, propane, or nothing but electricity. That single fact decides more than any brochure comparing efficiency numbers. I’m Dave Hartzell, 47 years in HVAC, started at 18, running Hartzell’s Heat & Air out of Kingfisher for 15+ years, a Trane dealer for 10, Trane TCS SELECT. I install heat pumps, gas furnaces, and systems that run both. I don’t have a favorite to sell, just a house in front of me and a fuel bill behind it.
4.8 stars, 300+ Google reviews, a lot of them from people who called with this exact question.
Why This Isn’t Really a Furnace vs Heat Pump Question
A gas furnace makes heat, burning fuel to produce the same amount whether it’s 40 degrees outside or 4. A heat pump doesn’t make heat, it moves heat, pulling warmth out of outside air even when that air feels cold. There’s less heat to move as the air gets colder, so its capacity and efficiency both fall off some. Neither is a flaw, they’re two different jobs, and which fits your house depends on the fuel you already burn and how cold it gets.
Where Geothermal Fits Into This
There’s a third option. A geothermal heat pump moves heat the same way, pulling it from the ground instead of the air, which holds a steadier temperature. That’s a bigger conversation with a loop involved, and I sell it statewide across Oklahoma, IGSHPA accredited. The rest of this page covers the air source heat pump, the kind that sits outside and looks like an AC, since that’s what people weigh against a furnace.
If You’re on Natural Gas
If you’ve already got a gas line to the house, that’s not nothing. A gas furnace is a known, efficient way to make heat, and ripping out a working one just to go all electric is rarely the move I’d recommend. It gets interesting on the AC side: when your air conditioner is due anyway, replacing it with a heat pump and keeping the gas furnace as backup gives you dual fuel without starting from zero, heat pump running the mild months, furnace on the coldest mornings. I’d rather see your furnace’s condition than guess over the phone.
If You’re on Propane
Propane is trucked in and priced differently than piped natural gas, and rates move enough by season and supplier that I won’t print a number here that stays accurate. What I will say: a lot of propane households lean on a heat pump as the primary heat source, holding the propane furnace in reserve for the handful of nights it actually earns its keep. That flips the usual order, propane goes from everyday fuel to backup, and for a lot of my customers that’s the whole reason the switch pays off. It depends on your contract and your house.
If You’re All Electric
If you’re already all electric, heating with straight resistance heat or an electric furnace, a heat pump is close to the whole conversation. Straight resistance heat gives you exactly one unit of heat back for every unit of electricity, no more. A heat pump takes that same electricity and moves multiple units of heat instead, transferring heat rather than creating it, keeping that advantage even in cold weather, just a smaller one. Electric backup still has a place on the coldest mornings, but as the everyday system a heat pump wins almost every time.
Dual Fuel: Both Systems, One Thermostat
Dual fuel isn’t a compromise, it’s the right answer for a lot of houses. You get a heat pump and a furnace, gas or propane, wired to the same control board, and the system picks which one runs based on outdoor temperature. Above a set point the heat pump runs because it’s more efficient there, below it the furnace takes over. I set that switchover point in the field for your house and your fuel, not off a generic chart, because it depends on what you’re actually paying for each fuel.
How Cold Does It Actually Get Here
Heat pump ratings come from the AHRI 210/240 test conditions: 47 degrees outdoor for high temperature heating, 17 for low, 95 for cooling. The ENERGY STAR county table puts the 99 percent heating design temperature at 13 degrees in Kingfisher, Canadian, Oklahoma, Garfield, Logan and Major, 15 in Blaine, 2 to 4 degrees below that 17 degree point. Read it honestly: about one percent of a year’s hours run colder, which is what backup heat and dual fuel are for. The same table puts the 1 percent cooling design temperature at 99 to 101, hotter than the 95 degree point.
SEER2 and HSPF2, What the Ratings Actually Cover
SEER2 measures cooling season efficiency, HSPF2 measures heating season efficiency on a heat pump. For equipment made on or after January 1, 2023, the national floor for a split system heat pump, Oklahoma included, is 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. Single package units are a different class. Oklahoma sits in the Department of Energy’s Southeast region, which adds a SEER2 floor for air conditioners installed here and, unlike the Southwest, sets no EER2 minimum. That add-on covers air conditioners, not heat pumps, so a heat pump answers to the national floor. What matters is the rating on the matched system you buy.
What the Manufacturer Warranty Actually Covers
Trane’s limited warranty comes in two versions, base and registered. The difference is a form. It has to be registered online within 60 days of the commencement date, when install and startup finish. Miss that window and the base terms apply automatically, no penalty, just a shorter clock. How long each runs depends on the model family, so I hand you the certificate for your equipment. Either way it buys the part, not the labor to install it. I register every system I install.
What It Costs to Find Out What You Have
A standard residential service call is $210 total: $99 dispatch plus $111 diagnostic. The $111 diagnostic is not credited or refunded. If a written residential repair estimate is accepted within 10 days, the $99 dispatch fee may be returned as the applicable repair credit. After hours emergency is $309 flat, non refundable. A standalone AC tune-up runs $229. A full replacement is different, the new-system estimate is free, I need to see the house. If cost is the barrier, I work with five financing partners: Synchrony, Wells Fargo, Wisetack, Klarna, JB Financing, covering repairs and add-ons too. My maintenance plans start at One Visit Spring or Fall 360, $199 a year. Full Year 360 at $499 adds a 10 percent repair discount up to $300 and waives the emergency dispatch fee twice a plan year, the $111 diagnostic still applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a heat pump heat a house in Oklahoma without a furnace backing it up?
Yes, plenty of my customers run heat pump only, especially on all electric houses. Sized correctly, it handles the coldest mornings too, depending on the house and what you’re comfortable with.
What decides when a dual fuel system switches from the heat pump to the furnace?
Outdoor temperature, at a balance point I set on the control board for your house and fuel costs. Above it the heat pump runs, below it the furnace takes over, not a fixed number across every house.
I’m on propane, is a heat pump actually going to help me?
For a lot of propane households, yes, the heat pump becomes the everyday heat source and propane becomes the backup fuel instead of the main one. Pricing is local and moves with the season, so I’ll walk through your actual numbers.
Does a heat pump stop working when it gets below freezing?
No. It keeps working, just moving less heat a little less efficiently as it gets colder, which is physics, not a malfunction. About one percent of our hours run colder than the design temperature, which is what backup heat is for.
Is a heat pump the same thing as geothermal?
No. Both move heat instead of making it, but an air source heat pump pulls it from outside air, a geothermal one pulls it from the ground through a loop. The ground holds a steadier temperature, a bigger conversation, and I sell it statewide.
Do I have to tear out my furnace to add a heat pump?
No, that’s exactly what dual fuel is. You keep the furnace, add a heat pump, and wire both to the same thermostat, with the furnace handling only the coldest stretches. It’s a common upgrade when an AC is already due.
How much does it cost to run a heat pump versus a furnace?
Depends on what you pay for electricity versus gas or propane, and those rates move too much to print here. What doesn’t move is the physics: a heat pump multiplies the electricity you put in, a furnace burns fuel directly. I’ll run that comparison with your real numbers.
Not sure which one fits your house? Call 405-375-4822 and I’ll walk through your fuel, your ductwork and your budget before you spend a dollar. Or book a free estimate at hartzellsheatair.com.