10 Best Heat Pumps 2024 in the United States

If you are looking for an economical means of heating your home in the winter and cooling it in the summer, a heat pump is a good choice. In the winter, instead of creating heat, as with an electric or oil heater, it takes the ambient heat from the outside--even if it is below freezing outdoors!--and brings the heat into your home. For the summer, you can reverse the operation, letting it take heat from your house and distribute it outside, making your home cooler. And when being used to cool the house, it also can be used to remove excess water vapor from the air in your house, serving as a dehumidifier.

But, even though it runs more cheaply than electric or gas heat, the initial cost of the device is not cheap. A typical heat pump will cost from $900 to $1,500 or more. There are ductless heat pumps, that use a fan to distribute the heat through your house. And there are also ducted heat pumps, which drive the heated air to each room in your house through ducts, much like central air conditioning. Installing ductwork is clearly another additional cost to consider. So, these are all things to consider before making a purchase.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a heat pump. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of heat pump,

• See useful tips about that particular type of heat pump,

• Read reviews of different heat pumps, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of a heat pump, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

Hot air normally dissipates by going to a colder region. Instead of going from a hot region to a cold region, the heat pump uses a compressor to make the heat go in from a cold region to a hot region. It takes the heat from the outside, pumps it through a refrigerant, such as freon, in the heat exchanger coil, and sends it to a condenser. The condenser will heat up, and a fan will distribute the heat into the house. This process can also be reversed, by taking the heat from the room and distributing it to the (hotter) outdoors.

Schematic of how a heat pump works--by TheEngineeringMindset.com 

These are two of the main versions  of heat pumps available:

• Split Ductless: This is the most common type of heat pump. They have a compressor that you install outside the house and an indoor heat exchanger coil. This model is best for small houses, which can suffice with a fan blowing out the heated air. An example is the Senville SENL-24CD Split Air Conditioner and Heat Pump.

• Ducted Air-Source Heat Pumps: This also has a unit that sits outside the house that extracts heat from the air, sends it into the interior unit, distributed through the home through a system of ducts and pipes. This has a more complicated installation, especially if you have to change the duct work in the house for it.

• Installation: Most heat pumps must be installed professionally, so as to obtain the 10-year warranty. So don’t try installing it yourself. On the other hand, if you buy a heat pump from Goodman, the condenser already has freon coolant (most heat pumps use R-410A coolant, which doesn’t damage the ozone layer). So the person who installs it for you will not have to provide coolant as well.

• Adequate for cooling a large home: Someone who purchased the Air-Con 24,000 BTU Heat Pump said that it was adequate in heating his 1100 square foot home.

• Government incentives: If you live in an area where a heat pump is more efficient than fossil fuels, there are government incentives that will cover part of the installation costs. That makes it even more worthwhile.

• Cost: In deciding whether a heat pump is cost-effective for you, consider that areas with natural gas readily available, such as in urban areas, natural gas typically ends up cheaper. However, heat pumps are best in suburban and rural areas, as an alternative to gas heat. Also, if you live in an area where the temperature doesn’t go very much below freezing (0 ℃), then a heat pump will heat your home efficiently. If the outside temperature drops below -20 ℃ (= -4 ℉), then a heat pump is no longer as effective. If you live in an area with harsh winters, you’ll need an alternative means of heating the house, when the temperature drops too low.

• Specifications on heat pumps: There are a number of important specs that tell you the efficiency of your heat pump:

  • The coefficient of Performance: You’ll see a spec with heat pumps (as well as air conditioners and refrigerators) abbreviated “COP”. This stands for “coefficient of performance”, and is the ratio of how much heating (or cooling) the device provides, divided by the work required. The higher the COP, the more efficient and economical the pump--you can find some with a COP between 3.1-4.1.

  • SEER and HSPF: There are other specs, such as SEER ( = Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), which tells you how well the heat pump cools, and HSPF (= Heating Season Performance Factor) which tells you how well the pump heats your house. The minimum SEER rating is 13. If you live in a warm climate, you want the SEER to be higher than that. (The Air-Con Heat Pump has a SEER of 20.5.) The minimum HSPF rating is 7.7. If you live in a cold climate, you want your HSPF higher than that (the maximum that you’ll find is 12.5 HSPF).

Goodman--was founded in 1982 by Harold V. Goodman of Houston, Texas. They are makers of HVAC (= Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) solutions. They make air conditioners, heat pumps, and gas furnaces.

Senville--is located in Montreal, Quebec. They make air conditioners and heat pumps of several varieties: mini-split, multi-zone, portable air conditioners, and more.

Pioneer--is a manufacturer of ductless, ducted, and multi-zone air conditioners and heat pumps. They also make air purifiers and air curtains (= a device that blows air downwards to prevent unconditioned air from escaping).

Trane--was founded in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1885 by James Trane. His first product was a low-pressure heating system. Trane was one of the first to install central air conditioning solutions for entire buildings. They also make air handlers, furnaces, heat pumps, thermostats, and much more.