Heat pump vs Furnace in Brown County, South Dakota
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling and heating from one system and you're set on staying electric. Choose a cold-climate model, not a standard one. At 6°F average overnight lows here, a standard heat pump loses much of its heating power right when you need it most, where a cold-climate model is built to keep working in that cold.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace fits a home where keeping winter bills down matters most. Nights average 6°F from December through February, and a furnace doesn't lose output when it's cold outside the way a standard heat pump does. It also costs at least 35% less to run on natural gas than a heat pump at South Dakota's prices, which adds up over nine months of heating a year.
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling and heating from one system and you're set on staying electric. Choose a cold-climate model, not a standard one. At 6°F average overnight lows here, a standard heat pump loses much of its heating power right when you need it most, where a cold-climate model is built to keep working in that cold.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace fits a home where keeping winter bills down matters most. Nights average 6°F from December through February, and a furnace doesn't lose output when it's cold outside the way a standard heat pump does. It also costs at least 35% less to run on natural gas than a heat pump at South Dakota's prices, which adds up over nine months of heating a year.
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 Brown County.
Nights average 6°F here from December through February, and gas heats your home for at least 35% less than a heat pump would.
If your home has no gas line, a cold-climate heat pump will still get you through a night at 6 degrees, and it cools your home in summer too.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 35% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in the Plains states that heat with one | 5.4% | 77.6% |
| Handles a 6°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 and heating from one system and you're set on staying electric. Choose a cold-climate model, not a standard one. At 6°F average overnight lows here, a standard heat pump loses much of its heating power right when you need it most, where a cold-climate model is built to keep working in that cold.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace fits a home where keeping winter bills down matters most. Nights average 6°F from December through February, and a furnace doesn't lose output when it's cold outside the way a standard heat pump does. It also costs at least 35% less to run on natural gas than a heat pump at South Dakota's prices, which adds up over nine months of heating a year.
A Brown County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.