I Need to Be Honest With You About Heat Pumps and Backup Heat
I’ve been installing heat pumps in Massachusetts for years now. I’ve written blog posts about them. I’ve convinced skeptical homeowners that yes, they absolutely work in New England winters. I’ve helped hundreds of families transition off oil and propane.
But this winter changed something for me.
What Happened This Year
We had multiple customers, good people who trusted our advice, go without heat for weeks. Not days. Weeks.
Their heat pumps didn’t fail because of the cold ( I still will vouch that heat pump DO work in the coldest of conditions). They failed because a circuit board died, or a compressor went out, or some other component that should be a routine fix turned into a nightmare. The problem wasn’t the technology. It was the wait for parts.
One customer had a young baby and was running space heaters for 10 days in February while we waited on a backordered control board. Another had a renter that he had to put up in a hotel for weeks while we waited for a reprogramed part from the manufacturer. These weren’t edge cases. This happened multiple times.
And here’s what kept me up at night: if they’d had a furnace or boiler as backup, this would’ve been an inconvenience. Instead, it was a crisis.
The Heat Pump Parts Problem Is Real
Here’s what’s going on: heat pump adoption has exploded in Massachusetts, which is great. But the supply chain hasn’t caught up, and the transition from 410A to A2K systems complicated it. When a part fails, especially on newer, more complex models, you’re often looking at:
- Backordered components that used to ship next-day
- Manufacturers consolidating parts across fewer distribution centers
- Increased lead times because everyone’s installing these systems now
- Limited cross-compatibility between brands (you can’t just swap in a universal part like you could with older furnaces)
Ten years ago, if your furnace died, a HVAC technician could usually get you up and running within 24-48 hours. Today, with some heat pump components, we’re seeing 5-10 day lead times. Sometimes longer. That’s unacceptable when it’s 15 degrees outside.
What I’m Recommending Now
I’m not saying don’t get a heat pump. Heat pumps are still the most efficient way to heat and cool your home in Massachusetts. The technology works. The economics work. That hasn’t changed.
But I can no longer, in good conscience, recommend a whole-home heat pump as your only heat source unless you have reliable backup heat. Honestly the extra couple thousand dollars is NOT worth it.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
If you have existing ductwork and a working furnace: Keep it. Install the heat pump as your primary system and set the furnace as backup. Yes, you’ll maintain two systems. But you’ll have redundancy when it matters most.
If you’re doing ductless mini-splits: Keep at least one other heat source operational, whether that’s your old boiler serving radiators in the bedrooms, a monitor heater, even electric baseboards in critical rooms. Something that doesn’t depend on the same system.
If you’re building new or doing a full gut renovation: Design in backup from the start. Electric resistance heat is cheap to install and will sit there unused 99% of the time. But that 1% when you need it? Priceless.
The Uncomfortable Truth
This recommendation will cost me business. It makes the projects more expensive. It complicates the install. And it goes against the “all-electric future” narrative that I genuinely believe in long-term.
But I watched a family with a young child go two weeks without reliable heat this winter, and I can’t unsee that.
The heat pump advocates are right about efficiency. The Mass Save incentives are generous. The technology has come incredibly far. But we’re in a transition period where the infrastructure, parts availability, technician training, supply chains, hasn’t fully caught up with demand.
Until that changes, backup heat isn’t optional. It’s essential.
What You Should Do
If you already have a heat pump as your only heat source, don’t panic. The vast majority run flawlessly for years. But consider:
- Do you have space heaters that actually work if you needed them?
- Is there someone you could stay with if your system went down in winter?
- Would you be comfortable waiting 1-2 weeks for a repair in January?
If the answer to all three is no, let’s talk about adding backup heat while it’s warm out and you’re not in crisis mode.
If you’re planning a heat pump installation, let’s design backup into the system from day one. It might cost an extra $2,000-$5,000 depending on what we’re doing, but that’s a lot cheaper than emergency hotel bills or the anxiety of wondering if parts will arrive before the next cold snap.
I Still Believe in Heat Pumps
This isn’t me turning against heat pump technology. I’ve seen the electric bills. I know what these systems can do. I’ve watched homeowners go from dreading their oil deliveries to actually being comfortable in their homes year-round.
But I’m also watching what happens when things go wrong, and right now, the safety net isn’t there yet.
So let’s install heat pumps. Let’s get you off fossil fuels. Let’s take advantage of the heat pump rebates while they exist. But let’s also be smart and keep a backup plan in place until the industry catches up.
Your family’s comfort and safety matter more than anyone’s vision of the all-electric future, including mine
