Similar climate here, although days it gets below -10f / -23c are uncommon. Most winter days in a climate like this you could heat with a modern/high tech heat

Similar climate here, although days it gets below -10f / -23c are uncommon. Most winter days in a climate like this you could heat with a modern/high tech heat pump, but: - It's probably going to be more expensive than heating with natural gas if you're in the northern US - at least as things are today. - A modern/high tech heat pump capable of heating when the outdoor temp is < 10f / -12c is likely going to be quite a bit more expensive than a standard AC unit - making it even more difficult to justify financially - A natural gas furnace can keep you warm (and keep your pipes from freezing/bursting) even if there's a power outage. It doesn't take much of a generator to run a furnace/blower fan.. but good luck staying warm with ONLY a heat pump in those circumstances. The one thing that can really help improve the financials of getting a heat pump is if you intend to install solar power at some point in the future. Depending on your power company, you may be able to generate enough credit in summer with excess generation to pay for heat the entire winter. I'd still go with a heat pump AND gas furnace for backup though.