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Gas to heat pump: will it keep a Denver house warm?

Yes. In an average Denver winter, 95% of the hours you need heat are warmer than 15°F, which a cold-climate heat pump handles easily. Your gas furnace covers the rest.

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Two Bosch heat pumps on risers beside a house at dusk, patches of snow on the ground

Two Bosch heat pumps beside a house at dusk, with snow on the ground.

74 hours
below 5°F in an average Denver winter
78%
of our ducted heat pump jobs this year add a new gas furnace as backup
$14.8k–$18.2k
heat pump + new gas furnace, out of pocket; $21k–$28k before rebates

Most hours of a Denver winter are mild enough for a heat pump

  1. 4Below -10°F, 4 hours, furnace
  2. 70-10 to 5°F, 70 hours, furnace
  3. 1615 to 15°F, 161 hours, furnace
  4. 64615 to 25°F, 646 hours, furnace
  5. 1,08525 to 35°F, 1,085 hours, heat pump
  6. 1,36035 to 45°F, 1,360 hours, heat pump
  7. 84745 to 55°F, 847 hours, heat pump
  8. 60755 to 65°F, 607 hours, heat pump
25°F
Hours in an average winter at each outdoor temperature.
Furnace takes over below
Heat pump3,899 h82% of the hours
Gas furnace881 h18% of the hours

The furnace runs below 25°F, about 37 days' worth of hours spread across the winter, and the heat pump does the rest.

Try switchover settings with your rates →
Average temperature by month
  1. 52°Oct
  2. 41°Nov
  3. 33°Dec
  4. 30°Jan
  5. 32°Feb
  6. 41°Mar
  7. 48°Apr

Heat pumps we’ve installed through Denver winters

  • A two-fan Mitsubishi heat pump below a brick wall with tall line set covers, snow falling
  • A hand lifting a pleated filter out of an open gas furnace, with the controls and burners showing
  • A compact Mitsubishi heat pump mounted on brackets on blue-gray siding, snow patches in the yard
  • A Bosch gas furnace with purple-taped pipes in a basement utility room next to a washer
  • A Mitsubishi multi-zone heat pump on a stand in deep snow next to a brick wall
  • Two Bosch heat pumps on risers beside stone veneer, with patches of snow
  • A Carrier heat pump on a stand beside gray siding, a light dusting of snow on the ground

What our customers pick when they replace gas heat

  1. 202216%78%
  2. 202365%25%
  3. 202449%19%31%
  4. 202582%10%
  5. 202676%21%
Heat pump + gas furnaceHeat pump, no new furnaceFurnace + AC

Keeping your gas furnace as backup

  1. You set the switchover

    Below the outdoor temperature you pick, the furnace takes over. Change it whenever gas or electric rates move.

  2. Warm air during defrost

    When the heat pump melts frost off its outdoor coil, the furnace keeps the vents blowing warm.

  3. A backup if something breaks

    If the heat pump needs a repair in January, the furnace keeps the house warm.

Bosch gas furnace with a Bosch indoor coil cabinet above it, white PVC vent pipe and an insulated refrigerant line
Two Mitsubishi outdoor units on a raised stand against a log wall, icicles hanging from the stand above deep snow
Two Mitsubishi heat pumps on a tall stand, with icicles hanging over deep snow.

What switching to a heat pump costs

  1. Heat pump + new gas furnace

    New heat pump outside, new furnace inside.

    $14.8k–$18.2kout of pocket, $21k–$28k full price

  2. Heat pump on the furnace you have

    The furnace stays as backup.

    $10.5k–$14kout of pocket

  3. All-electric heat pump

    Electric air handler, no furnace.

    $15.3k–$19kout of pocket, $21k–$28k full price

Out of pocket is for Xcel gas customers in the Denver metro; Xcel electric-only homes get less. See current amounts.

Monthly bills depend on your gas and electric rates. Compare running costs.

Bosch furnace in a basement with white PVC vent pipes crossing overhead and the coil cabinet above it

Send us three photos and we’ll tell you if your furnace can stay.

  1. 1The furnace and its label
  2. 2The outdoor AC and its label
  3. 3The thermostat
1. Your details2. Photos or quote
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Winter hours from NOAA records at Denver International Airport. Prices are typical ranges from recent estimates in the Denver area.