It is the latter. Heat pumps are much better for the environment compared to the other sources of heating. Depending on where you live, you still need to heat

It is the latter. Heat pumps are much better for the environment compared to the other sources of heating. Depending on where you live, you still need to heat your place and if so, heat pumps are better than other traditional methods like natural gas, wood, oil, or electricity. Similar to air conditioning, if you want to minimize your impact on the climate, you could set your temperature lower in the winter and put on a few more layers and/or set the temperature higher in the summer to minimize your usage of heat pump/air conditioner. This puts less pressure on the grid and demand for electricity generation.