Wich is better in the long run? Standard A/C Furnace or Hybrid A/C Heat pump Furnace Either way Natural Gas?

The later type of system you're talking about is called Dual Fuel. What that means is there isn't a difference in the summer because most A/C or Heat Pump systems, in the US anyway run only on electricity. A heat pump works like a standard AC in the summer.





The difference is in the winter in heating mode. In winter the unit runs as a heat pump until the temperature outside drops to the point where the continuing to operate in heat pump is no longer economically advantageous. The system then switches to the gas furnace operation. Because below a certain temperature (it varies based on location and this temperature point - called an economic balance point - can be set for each individual system when it is installed at the home) it is no longer economically feasible to run in heat pump mode.





If by better, you mean more economical to operate, generally Dual Fuel systems are better. But they are also more costly in the beginning.





By the way the first poster doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Heat pumps definitely do have Freon (Freon is a trade name for DuPont refrigerants, there are other names). That is how they transfer heat from a warm location to a cooler location. In the winter they pick up heat from the outside and transfer it into the house. In the summer it works in the opposite. If you're interested in more details look up "refrigerant cycle" on the Internet.

Wich is better in the long run? Standard A/C Furnace or Hybrid A/C Heat pump Furnace Either way Natural Gas?
heat pumps are OK for warm climes, but won't work well in colder weather, as the heat elements will be on all the time, using more energy.
Reply:Depends on what exactly you're looking for, a regular AC will cool you down and heat you up faster, but at a greater cost of energy and a potential for leaks and future recharging the system. A heat pump doesn't actually use any freon to cool the house down, what it really does is pull heat from the cold, or vice versus, depending on what you want at the time, and it's more cost effective on the ol energy bill... The downside, it takes awhile for it to heat up or cool down, but it does give a nice uniform heat or cooling, and if you like to maintain a constant temp in your home, then you should be good to go with a heat pump.





As for prices on the systems, they should run about the same.





You can pretty much say that a heat pump is a more effecient and