Decisions Heat, west side West side
Replace the electric furnace, or put a heat pump on the ducts?
Ducted heat pump or Ductless, furnace stays or New electric furnace
Compared by the people who run this site. Updated . Rebates and prices checked November 3, 2026.
A choice between an electric furnace and a heat pump usually favors the heat pump on the West side, because ENERGY STAR says it can deliver up to three times the heat for the electricity used. Sound ducts point to a ducted unit. A working furnace can point to a ductless add-on.
The verdict, by situation
If your electric furnace is old and the ducts test tight
Put a ducted heat pump on them. ENERGY STAR says these systems move up to three times more heat energy than the electrical energy they consume.
If the furnace still runs fine and the bill is the complaint
Add a ductless unit and keep the furnace. BPA's field study of electric forced-air homes found about 5,500 kWh of savings, and occupants who made the ductless unit their main heat saved far more.
If the ducts leak badly or sit where nobody can reach them
Fix or test first, or go ductless. Read seal or replace the ducts, then ductless or ducted.
If your panel can't take the new load and a contractor can't solve it in the bid
A new electric furnace is the fallback. Income-qualified households should check HEAR, which lists panel and wiring upgrades as eligible.
Side by side
| Compare | Ducted heat pump | Ductless, furnace stays | New electric furnace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat for the electricity used | Up to three times, ENERGY STAR | COP 3.05 in zonal Puget Sound homes | 1 unit per unit, plain physics |
| Reaches back rooms | Yes, through ducts | Less well, per BPA | Yes, through ducts |
| Cooling | Yes | Main zone | None |
| Federal minimum | 14.3 SEER2, 7.5 HSPF2 split | 14.3 SEER2, 7.5 HSPF2 split | 78.0% AFUE |
| Back-up heat rule | Controls lock out above 40F | Thermostat exception applies | Not applicable |
| Heat cost, our arithmetic | No metered figure found | $11.43 per million Btu | $34.87 per million Btu |
| Duct leakage matters | Yes | Only when the furnace runs | Yes |
Sources: ENERGY STAR, 10 CFR 430.32, WAC 51-11R-40310, EIA prices. The cost rows are our division on 2024 statewide averages, not your utility's rate, with pilot homes metered in 2008-09 and no duct losses counted. The running-cost page has all of it. The 78.0% figure is a federal rating floor, and the plain-physics line ignores it.
What would change the answer
- Your ducts fail a test and repair is impractical. ENERGY STAR says about 20 to 30 percent of air can be lost in a duct system.
- The furnace has years left and you're short of cash. A ductless add-on leaves a working system in place.
- You're on Tacoma Power and want the larger rebate. The $2,000 line asks for a variable-speed unit replacing an electric forced-air furnace.
- You rarely use most of the house. Ductless in the main room may cover daily life, and BPA's occupants often added a back-room heater.
- The house sits east of the Cascades. Colder winters change the back-up picture: see the Spokane comparison.
What it costs, with dates
Three utilities print clear numbers for electric-furnace homes, so start with those. All are as of November 2026, and PSE's comes from an archived copy, so confirm with the utility. We found no official installed-price figure for a heat pump or an electric furnace. Ask for written bids that itemize equipment, duct testing and repairs, electrical work, thermostat, and permits.
Electric-furnace home rebates
| Utility | Ducted | Ductless |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma Power | $1,000; $2,000 variable speed | $1,000 listed for up to 4 units |
| Clark Public Utilities | $1,000; $1,250 variable speed | $900 |
| Snohomish PUD | $1,800 conversion; $2,500 inverter-driven | No amount on the page |
| PSE (archived copy, May 2026) | $1,500; $2,400 income-based | Same |
Tacoma Power also lists a 0% loan for 7 years, up to $20,000, with pre-approval. PSE's rebate is written for electric-resistance primary heat, so confirm with the utility that your furnace counts. The rebate-or-wait page covers timing, and the West side list covers other house types.
Who does the work
Hire a registered HVAC contractor on your utility's list, and look the firm up on the L&I verify tool. Washington's permit exemptions don't cover replacing an electric furnace or heat pump, so expect an electrical permit. Tacoma lists like-for-like heat pump or furnace replacement among over-the-counter permits. You can change the filter at least every three months and clear around the outdoor unit. Stop at a breaker check for anything electrical.
What does the 40F rule mean in practice?
It means the electric back-up can't run just because it's chilly. Washington's energy code requires controls that keep supplementary heaters off above 40F, with a thermostat exception for ductless units with an integral thermostat.
That matters here because back-up heat runs at the same one-for-one rate as the furnace you're replacing. Ask the contractor to show how the lockout is set. ENERGY STAR also advises a steady setpoint and avoiding Auto mode on these systems, so set expectations about big nightly setbacks.
Is the West side mild enough to rely on a heat pump?
Sea-Tac's normals say the cold is modest: a January low of 37.7F and no days at or below 0F in the 1991-2020 period. Bellingham's January low is 34.0F.
ENERGY STAR's cold-climate criteria measure performance at 5F, well under those normals. Back-up heat stays for the rare cold snap, and the bill for those hours is what a furnace would have charged anyway.
What people ask next
Can a heat pump reuse the ducts from my electric furnace without any changes?
Only a contractor's test and sizing can say. ENERGY STAR and DOE both point to Manual J, and DOE warns that oversizing can cost too much and hurt comfort.
What did BPA's homes do about back rooms after adding ductless?
Many used a 120-volt heater there, and BPA found the unit doesn't heat back rooms as effectively as a ducted system. The heater or another head page walks through that choice.
When is an old electric furnace worth replacing at all?
ENERGY STAR's prompt is more than 15 years old for furnaces. Age is a reason to evaluate it, and it doesn't decide the question alone.
Decide next
Ductless or ducted heat pump for this house?
- Ductless
- No ducts, or ducts in poor shape, with baseboards to cover far rooms
- Ducted
- Sound ducts already reaching every room, often from an old furnace
Should you seal your ducts or replace them?
- Seal and insulate
- Ducts that are whole but leak at joints and seams
- Replace the runs
- Torn, crushed or disconnected runs, or a new system that needs different ducts
Take a rebate now or wait for better money?
- Take what is open now
- Anyone with a failing system or a utility offer that fits
- Wait for HARP and HOMES
- A working system, income under 150% AMI, and no deadline
Where this came from
- ENERGY STAR: Air-source heat pumps, checked November 3, 2026.
- ENERGY STAR: Heat pump key product criteria, checked November 3, 2026.
- ENERGY STAR: Duct sealing, checked November 3, 2026.
- ENERGY STAR: When to replace, checked November 3, 2026.
- BPA/Ecotope: Ductless heat pumps in forced-air homes, checked November 3, 2026.
- DOE: Home heating and cooling consumer guide, checked November 3, 2026.
- Cornell LII: 10 CFR 430.32, checked November 3, 2026.
- WAC 51-11R-40310: Heat pump supplementary heat, checked November 3, 2026.
- WAC 296-46B-901: Electrical permit exemptions, checked November 3, 2026.
- EIA: State residential energy prices, checked November 3, 2026.
- NOAA: 1991-2020 annual normals, Sea-Tac, checked November 3, 2026.
- NOAA: 1991-2020 monthly normals, Sea-Tac, checked November 3, 2026.
- NOAA: 1991-2020 monthly normals, Bellingham, checked November 3, 2026.
- Washington Commerce: HEAR, checked November 3, 2026.
- Tacoma Power: Heat pump rebates, checked November 3, 2026.
- Clark Public Utilities: Heat pump program, checked November 3, 2026.
- Clark Public Utilities: Ductless heat pump program, checked November 3, 2026.
- Snohomish PUD: Heating rebates, checked November 3, 2026.
- PSE: Electric resistance to heat pump rebate (archived copy, May 2026), checked November 3, 2026.
- L&I: Verify a contractor, checked November 3, 2026.
- Tacoma: Residential permits, checked November 3, 2026.