Many environmental groups, special interest (utility companies & manufacturers to name a few) and “gullible individuals” in the US are promoting the use of HEAT PUMPS, and calling for the ban of fossil fuels for home heating. There is a slight problem though. You cannot heat your whole house with a heat pump! Here is why:

Heat pumps are an excellent option for heating and cooling your home, offering incredible efficiency (100% to 300% more economical than electric heating) and they can be powered by solar!

However, they often require a backup furnace or electric heater, as their heat output is not sufficient at low outside temperatures.

Even the most advanced & expensive residential heat pumps do not have enough heating capacity, to heat a typical home in the northern states! A typical 2000 square foot home with average insulation (13R Walls, 30R Ceilings/Attic, and Double Pane Windows) will need around 80,000 BTUs heating system.

A top of the line Lennox SL25XPV-060 (5 Ton) heat pump will only produce 38,000 BTU of heat at 5°F. That is less than 50% of the heat that you need.

Therefore, if you want 100% heat pump heat – only 3 solutions exist: Beef up insulation, install 2 or more heat pumps or move to Florida! 😀

MYTH: A Heat Pump can heat your entire home in Cold Climate. This premise is false. Heat pumps just don’t have enough heating capacity (heat output) to satisfy the demand in cold climates, when outside temperatures are in single digits or below 0°F.

You would need 2-3 heat pumps to heat your home on cold days. This would cost you around $45,000-90,000 to “go green with a heat pump”. Something that could be done with a $6,000-8,000 Furnace or Boiler.

Most homeowners & HVAC contractors opt for “backup heat” options instead of installing 2 or even 3 heat pumps. The obvious choice is a high-efficiency furnace. However you would still be using the dreaded “fossil fuel”.

There are of course cheaper (and better) solutions. Let’s analyze the best 20+ SEER Heat Pumps that you can buy in 2023-2024, and see how you can achieve the “no fossil fuel” heating.

TLDR: The best solution is to install 6-8 zone Ductless Mini Split heat pumps with “hyper heating” capability. These would cost less than 2 central heat pumps, be much more efficient and provide enough heating for a typical 2000 sq.ft. home in a cold climate.

Best Air Source Heat Pumps: Heating Capacity, Power & Cost

Below is the list of best 3-Ton heat pump models – all are 20 SEER or higher. We are not comparing 5-ton systems, because most homes in Cold Climates will not need more than 3 tons of cooling. Also larger 5-ton systems actually have lower “per ton” heating capacity than 3-ton units.

* Cost is for Outdoor (Condenser) Unit & Indoor Air Handler(s) Only. No thermostats, furnaces or other parts included.

Heat pumps table above shows you the best models available in the US market in the 3-ton rated capacity (36,000 BTUs), as well as heat output for each model at 17°F and 5°F, as well as power consumption.

As you can see, the colder it gets, the less heat is produced.

NOTE: Top 2 models are both Ductless Mini-Split heat pumps, and as you can see they have the best heating capacity.

All other models are “central-ducted” systems. Therefore, the heating capacity is calculated BEFORE heat loss in the ductwork. Typical heat loss from the ductwork is 15-40%.

The “best” central heat pump (Lennox SL25XPV-036) would have actual heat output of 26,560 BTUs with conservative 20% duct heat loss (33,200 BTUs * 0.8).

A typical 2000 sq.ft. house in Michigan with average insulation levels (13R walls, 30R ceiling, 0.32 U-factor double pane windows) will need 71,710 BTUs/h of heating BEFORE duct losses.

Than means that you would need THREE Lennox SL25XPV-036 heat pumps to have enough heat output for your home!

Solution 1 – Insulation

The simplest and best solution is to improve insulation. Going from 13R Walls / 30R Ceilings to 30R/60R closed-cell spray foam insulation with triple graze windows, and other weather-sealing measures, will reduce your heat losses by 55-65%, reducing heating requirement to 28-32K BTU, which matches the heat output of a High Efficiency 3-4 Ton Heat Pump.

However, installing spray foam in an existing home, would require complete gutting of the house.

Something most homeowners would not go for. And modest insulation upgrades will not yield 60% reduction in heat loss.

Solution 2 – Install 2 or more heat pumps

You can install enough heating capacity to meet the demand, by putting in more than one heat pump. Besides logistics with air ducts, it is going to be pretty expensive.

In fact, two SL25XPV-060 units will cost about $53,000 just for the heat pump equipment (Condenser & Air Handler only). Adding accessories, will cost another $2000-5000). And this is before you factor in installation labor costs.

Of course you don’t need Lennox. There are cheaper (albeit not as good) options such as Goodman / Daikin. Still your cost will be above $40,000 all in.

Solution 3 – Install Ductless (mini split) heat pumps!

You will still need 2 systems in most cases – however, ductless systems offer much higher heating capacity, and no ducts – so you eliminate duct heat losses. Finally they offer great flexibility in terms of zoning control. Each room/area will have its own zone, that can be controlled via APP / Smart Thermostat or remote controller.

Ductless systems are actually cheaper than most whole house heat pumps, even before factoring in new ductwork. With ductwork, the difference can be as much as $25,000 in favor of a ductless system!

TOP 10 Heat Pumps for 2024 (Ductless, Central Ducted & Geothermal)

High-efficiency heat pump models are typically variable-speed or two-stage systems that provide greater energy savings and comfort compared to standard single-stage models.

For a 36,000 BTU (3-ton) capacity, you’ll find that the top manufacturers often have a series that includes a model at this capacity, but the specific model number can sometimes be a bit elusive without current catalogs or direct contact with the manufacturer, or an authorized dealer.

1: Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi ductless 4-zone H2i (hyper heat) mini split system can heat your home in outside temperatures as low as -13°F. Offers wide selection of indoor units (air handlers) in any combination of styles: Wall Mounted, Floor Mounted, Ceiling Cassette, Concealed Duct.

– Model: MXZ-SM36NAMHZ2
– SEER2: Up to 23
– HSPF2: Up to 12
– Type: Ductless
– Zones: Up to 4
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 42,000 BTUs/h
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 42,000 BTUs/h
– Heating Operating Range: Mitsubishi’s Hyper-Heating INVERTER® technology allows for heating operation down to -13°F. Provides 100% of rated heating capacity at 5°F.
– Details / Specs

2: Fujitsu

Fujitsu ductless 4-zone XLHT / H-series (hyper heat) mini split system, that can heat your home in outside temperatures as low as -15°F. Offers wide selection of indoor units (air handlers) in any combination of styles: Wall Mounted, Floor Mounted, Ceiling Cassette, Concealed Duct.

– Model: AOU36RLXFZH
– SEER2: Up to 20.5
– HSPF2: Up to 9.5
– Type: Ductless
– Zones: Up to 4
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 42,000 BTUs/h
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 36,400 BTUs/h
– Heating Operating Range: Fujitsu’s XLTH (H-series) technology allows for heating operation down to -15°F. Provides 100% of rated heating capacity at 5°F.
– Details / Specs

3: Daikin (Also GOODMAN)

– Model: DZ20VC (DZ20VC0361B)
– SEER: Up to 21
– HSPF: Up to 10
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 35,400 BTUs/h
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 22,100 BTUs/h
– Heating Operating Range: Daikin heat pumps usually operate effectively down to 5°F and can provide heating in lower temperatures, but capacity will decrease. Confirm with Daikin for exact low-temperature performance data.
– Details / Specs

4: Bosch

– Model: (BOVA-36HDN1-M18M)
– SEER: Up to 18
– HSPF: Up to 9.3
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 37,900 BTUs/h (at 1350 CFM)
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 23,000 BTUs/h (at 1350 CFM)
– Heating Operating Range: Bosch heat pumps maintain operation down to -4°F. Confirm with Bosch for details.
– Details / Specs

5: WaterFurnace

– Model: 7 Series 700A11
– EER: Up to 41.0 (closed loop)
– COP: Up to 5.3 (closed loop)
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity: 54,300 BTUs/h (at 60°F entering water temperature)
– Heating Capacity @ 30°F EWT: 37,100 BTUs/h (at 30°F EWT – entering water temperature)
– Heating Operating Range: Geothermal systems are less affected by outdoor temperatures, but performance should be confirmed with WaterFurnace.
– Details / Specs

6: ClimateMaster

– Model: Tranquility Digital Series
– EER: Up to 30 (closed loop)
– COP: Up to 5.0 (closed loop)
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity: 39,500 BTUs/h (at 60°F entering water temperature)
– Heating Capacity @ 30°F EWT: 27,100 BTUs/h (at 30°F EWT – entering water temperature)
– Heating Operating Range: As with other geothermal units, the heating range is consistent given the stable ground temperatures. Specific performance data should be confirmed with ClimateMaster.
– Details / Specs

7: Carrier

– Model: Infinity 24 Heat Pump (25VNA436)
– SEER: Up to 20.5
– HSPF: Up to 13
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 35,800 BTUs/h
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 25,200 BTUs/h
– Heating Operating Range: Can heat down to 17°F effectively, with diminished capacity at lower temperatures. Some models can operate in colder temperatures, but specifics should be confirmed with Carrier.
– Details / Specs

8: Trane (also American Standard)

– Model: XV20i (4TWV0036A1000B)
– SEER: Up to 20
– HSPF: Up to 10
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 34,800 BTUs/h*
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 19,800 BTUs/h*
– Heating Operating Range: Typically down to around 5°F but confirm with Trane for specific low-temperature performance.
– Details / Specs

9: Lennox (also Armstrong)

– Model: SL25XPV (SL25XPV-036)
– SEER2: Up to 22.2
– HSPF2: Up to 11.2
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 35,800 BTUs/h*
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 27,400 BTUs/h*

– Heating Operating Range: Lennox heat pumps can typically operate in low temperatures, often down to 0°F, but the exact operational range should be confirmed with Lennox.
– Details / Specs

10: Bosch BOVA/B 20 (NOT AHRI Listed Yet)

– Model: (BOVB20-36)
– SEER: Up to 20.5
– HSPF: Up to 10.5
– Type: Central Ducted
– Max Heating Capacity (47°F): 34,200 BTUs/h (at 1350 CFM)
– Heating Capacity at 5°F: 23,500 BTUs/h (at 1350 CFM)
– Heating Operating Range: Bosch heat pumps maintain operation down to -4°F. Confirm with Bosch for details.

– Details / Specs

For the most current data, including possible SEER2, HSPF2, EER, and COP ratings for new models or ones that have been updated since my last training data, it’s recommended to visit the manufacturers’ websites or consult with their certified installers. Manufacturers are continually innovating and releasing more efficient products, and these ratings can change from year to year.

It is essential to note that SEER2 and HSPF2 are newer metrics for measuring the efficiency of heat pumps and air conditioners, providing a more realistic representation of energy consumption under varying conditions throughout the cooling and heating seasons.

These ratings were not widely used as of my last update, and for the most current ratings and heating operating ranges, you should consult directly with the manufacturers or their authorized dealers.