Insulation category card with a warm house icon

Quick answer: A heat pump moves heat from the outdoor air into your home, so in mild weather it can deliver two to three times as much heat as the electricity it uses. Electric resistance heat, including heat strips, turns electricity into heat one-for-one. In Central Texas, a heat pump is usually the better main heat source, with strips as backup.

Plenty of Central Texas homes are all-electric, which means winter heat comes from a heat pump, electric resistance heat or, very often, both working as a team. Our winters are mostly mild with a few sharp cold snaps thrown in to keep everyone humble. Knowing how each type of heat works, and how they share the job, helps you stay comfortable and keep the winter electric bill from getting out of hand.

How does electric resistance heat work?

Electric resistance heat works like a toaster or space heater scaled up for the whole house. Electricity runs through a metal element, the element gets hot, and a blower pushes air across it and through your ducts. In Texas homes it shows up in a few forms:

Electric furnaces: An air handler with large electric heating elements, often paired with a central air conditioner.
Heat strips: Electric elements installed in a heat pump’s air handler to provide backup and supplemental heat.
Baseboard and wall heaters: Room-by-room heaters, more common in older homes, additions and small spaces.

Resistance heat is simple, reliable and makes heat quickly no matter how cold it is outside. It’s also 100% efficient at the point of use, meaning all the electricity becomes heat. The catch is that it can never do better than that: one unit of electricity in, one unit of heat out, every time.

How does a heat pump heat a home?

A heat pump moves heat instead of making it. In summer it works like an air conditioner, pulling heat out of your house and dumping it outside. In winter it runs in reverse, collecting heat from the outdoor air, even when it feels cold to you, and bringing it inside.

Moving heat takes less energy than creating it, so a heat pump can deliver much more heat than the electricity it uses. In mild weather it commonly delivers two to three units of heat, or more, for every unit of electricity. That’s why a heat pump can cost a lot less to run than resistance heat for the same warm house.

Heat pump heating efficiency is rated in HSPF2 (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor), and cooling efficiency in SEER2. Both are the current federal rating standards, in effect since January 1, 2023.

Does a heat pump lose efficiency in cold weather?

Yes. The colder it gets outside, the harder a heat pump has to work to collect heat, and the less heat it can deliver. On a typical Austin winter day that’s not a problem at all. Mild winters are exactly where heat pumps shine.

During a hard freeze, a standard heat pump’s output can fall below what the house needs. Many newer variable-speed and cold-climate heat pumps keep delivering useful heat at much lower temperatures than older models, which makes them worth a look if you want more muscle during cold snaps.

What do heat strips do on a heat pump system?

Heat strips are the heat pump’s backup. Most heat pumps in Central Texas are installed with electric resistance strips in the indoor air handler, and they have three jobs:

Supplemental heat: When it’s very cold and the heat pump can’t keep up on its own, the strips kick in to add heat.
Defrost: In cold, damp weather, frost can build up on the outdoor coil. The heat pump periodically runs a defrost cycle, and the strips keep the vents from blowing cold air while it does.
Emergency heat: If the heat pump itself stops working, the thermostat’s “emergency heat” or “EM heat” setting runs the strips alone to keep the house warm until it’s repaired.

Heat strips are a good safety net, but they use far more electricity than the heat pump. If your strips run often on mild days, or your winter bill jumps without a cold snap to blame, the heat pump may need service or the thermostat may need to be set up differently.

How should you prepare for a Central Texas cold snap?

Make sure the backup heat works and the house holds heat well before the cold arrives. Central Texas winters are usually mild, but the occasional arctic blast, like the February 2021 winter storm, is a reminder that serious cold does happen here. During those events, heat pumps lean more on their strips, demand across the grid climbs and indoor comfort depends on how well the home and system are set up. A few steps help:

Make sure the heat strips are sized right for your home and working properly.
Have the heat pump serviced before winter so the defrost controls and backup heat work when they’re needed.
Skip big thermostat setbacks during extreme cold. Climbing back from a deep setback can bring on the strips and use more energy than you saved.
Improve attic insulation and air sealing, which help the house hold heat and ease the load on the system. In Austin, current code calls for R-49 attic insulation.

Which costs more, a heat pump or resistance heat?

Resistance heat usually costs less to install, and a heat pump usually costs less to run. Actual costs depend on your home, your equipment and your electric rates, but here’s how they generally compare:

Operating costs: For the same amount of heat, a heat pump usually uses much less electricity than resistance heat, especially in mild weather. Over a Central Texas winter, that difference adds up.
Upfront costs: Resistance heat (an electric furnace or baseboard heaters) usually costs less to install. A heat pump costs more than an air conditioner alone, but if you’re already replacing your central AC, the added cost of choosing a heat pump instead is often modest compared with the whole project.
Maintenance: Resistance heat has few moving parts and needs little upkeep. A heat pump works year-round for both heating and cooling, so regular maintenance matters.
Year-round role: A heat pump is also your air conditioner, so you’re buying one system that covers both seasons.

When does each type of heat make sense?

A heat pump is usually the better main heat source when:

You’re replacing a central air conditioner and electric furnace and want lower heating costs.
Your home is all-electric and doesn’t have gas service.
You want one efficient system for both heating and cooling.
You’re adding a mini-split to an addition, garage conversion or bonus room.

Electric resistance heat can make sense when:

It’s serving as backup heat strips for a heat pump.
The space is small or only used now and then, like a bathroom or workshop, where a small heater is practical.
An existing electric furnace works fine and the air conditioner isn’t due for replacement yet. When the AC does come due, that’s a good moment to consider a heat pump.

The bottom line

In most Central Texas homes, heat pumps and resistance heat aren’t rivals; they’re teammates. The heat pump handles the vast majority of winter heating efficiently, and the heat strips stand by for defrost cycles, hard freezes and emergencies. If your home relies on resistance heat alone, switching to a heat pump when your cooling system is due for replacement can be one of the more effective ways to cut winter energy use. An HVAC professional can help you choose the right heat pump, size the backup heat and set up the controls so the two cooperate instead of competing.

If you’re thinking about moving from resistance heat to a heat pump, you can build your system online to compare heat pump options for your home and see an estimate before anyone visits.

About Gold Eagle Services: This guide comes from the team at Gold Eagle Services, a family-run Austin HVAC, indoor air quality and mold remediation company founded in 2017. We’re licensed (TACLA119235 and RCO1783), insured and bonded, and we serve homes across the greater Austin area.

Need help with this in your home? Learn about our heat pump and furnace services, or call 512-489-4653 to schedule a visit.

Heat Pumps vs. Electric Resistance Heat for Central Texas Homes