Heat Pump or Propane Furnace for Your Lake of the Ozarks Home

Out past the gas lines around the Lake of the Ozarks, most homes end up choosing between two main ways to stay warm: a propane furnace or an electric heat pump. Some have one, some have both, and plenty of folks building, buying or replacing a system aren't sure which makes more sense.

There's no single right answer for every house. A year round home in Camdenton, a weekend place in Sunrise Beach and a rental near Lake Ozark can all point in different directions. Here's how the two compare in the ways that matter most around here.

How Each One Heats

A propane furnace burns fuel to heat a metal heat exchanger, and a blower moves air across it and out through your ducts. The air coming out of the vents feels hot, and the furnace puts out the same strong heat whether it's 40 degrees outside or 5.

A heat pump doesn't burn anything. It uses refrigerant and a compressor to pull heat out of the outdoor air and move it inside. In summer, it reverses and cools your home just like an air conditioner. Because it's moving heat instead of making it, a heat pump can deliver much more heat energy than the electricity it uses, which is why it's so efficient.

Comfort

This is where people notice the biggest difference. Furnace air feels hot coming out of the vent. Heat pump air is warm, but not as hot, so if you hold your hand to a register it may feel lukewarm by comparison. The house still gets to the temperature you set. The heat pump just runs longer, gentler cycles to get there.

Some people love the steady, even feel of a heat pump. Others really miss that blast of hot air on a cold morning. If you've lived with one or the other for years, it's worth thinking about which you prefer.

If your heat pump seems to be blowing truly cold air, that's a different issue. Our post on a heat pump blowing cold air covers the usual causes.

Performance in an Ozarks Cold Snap

Most of our winter days fall in a range where heat pumps work very efficiently. As temperatures drop into the teens and below, a heat pump has less heat to pull from the outside air and has to work harder. Many older or standard heat pumps rely on backup electric heat strips during those stretches, and that's when electric bills jump.

Newer cold climate heat pumps are built to keep heating well into very low temperatures with far less help from backup heat. A propane furnace, on the other hand, doesn't care what the thermometer says. It delivers the same output on the coldest night of the year as it does on a mild one.

Running Costs

We won't throw out numbers here, because the real answer depends on electric rates, propane prices, the size and age of the home, insulation and how you use it. Propane prices also move around from season to season, and your tank arrangement, owned or leased, plays a part too.

In general terms:

• A heat pump is usually the cheaper option to run during mild and moderately cold weather.
• A propane furnace can hold its own during long, bitter cold stretches, especially compared with an older heat pump leaning on heat strips.
• A heat pump also handles your air conditioning, so you're getting heating and cooling from one outdoor unit.

The Best of Both: Dual Fuel

A lot of homes at the lake end up with a dual fuel system. That pairs a heat pump with a propane furnace instead of electric heat strips as the backup. The heat pump handles most of the winter efficiently, and when it gets cold enough that the furnace makes more sense, the system switches over automatically.

If you already have a propane furnace and need a new air conditioner, adding a heat pump instead of a standard AC is often worth talking through.

Power Outages

People sometimes assume a propane furnace will keep running when the power goes out. It won't. A modern furnace still needs electricity for the blower, controls and ignition. A heat pump needs power too.

If outages are common where you live, a properly installed generator is what keeps either system going. Never run a generator in a garage or basement, and keep it well away from windows and doors.

Lake Homes That Sit Empty

For weekend and seasonal homes, a few extra things come into play:

• Fuel supply. With propane, you need enough in the tank to carry the house through long stretches when nobody's checking. Running out while you're gone means no heat, and possibly frozen pipes.
• Remote control. A heat pump or furnace paired with a smart thermostat lets you keep an eye on the temperature from home and warm the place up before you arrive.
• Safety. Propane and gas appliances need working carbon monoxide detectors and regular inspections, which matters even more in a house that sits closed up.

Other Things to Weigh

• Existing ductwork. Both systems use ducts. If the home doesn't have them, ductless mini splits are another heat pump option worth considering.
• Your propane setup. If you already have a tank and gas lines, a furnace is a natural fit. If you'd like to get rid of the tank, a heat pump makes that possible.
• Age of current equipment. If your AC and furnace are both near the end, replacing them together as a matched system is often the smarter move.

Getting the Right Fit

The right choice comes down to your house, how you use it and what matters most to you. A good recommendation starts with looking at the home itself: its size, insulation, ductwork, current equipment and how many months a year someone lives there.

24 Hour Heating and Cooling installs propane, gas and electric furnaces, heat pumps and ductless mini splits, so we can lay out the options honestly. We offer free estimates on new systems, and your new equipment carries the manufacturer's warranty. You can learn more about heating installation or, if your current system is near the end, system replacement.

This decision is one piece of a bigger winter picture. For filters, safety, bills and more, see our winter heating guide for Lake of the Ozarks homeowners.

Ready to talk it over? Call us at (573) 693-8863, where a real person answers 24/7, or send us a message to set up a free estimate on a new system anywhere around the lake, Jefferson City or Centertown.