This article is part of our “Chart of the Week” series.
Summer is officially here — and more Americans than ever are cooling their homes with heat pumps.
A decade ago, two conventional air-conditioning systems were sold for every one heat pump. Now, heat pumps are on the verge of outselling standard ACs.
In 2025, sales of the appliances were basically tied — and heat pumps even beat air conditioners in September, a first. Through April of this year, the already-slim gap has narrowed further. Compared with the same period last year, heat pump sales are up by about 1%, while AC sales are down by nearly 8%, according to data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, a trade group.
Heat pumps are essentially reversible ACs: The same unit both heats and cools a space. They’ve long been popular in more moderate climates, like the U.S. South, but in recent years their cold-weather performance has improved, and they’ve caught on in more frigid regions, too. Heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces for four years now.
It’s a big deal that more buildings are being outfitted with heat pumps. Heating is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the country, and heat pumps, which are two to four times more efficient than fossil-fueled systems, offer a much cleaner way to keep a space warm. The fact that they also cool homes is a climate benefit in its own right, as extreme heat makes air-conditioning a necessity rather than a luxury.
Many states, municipalities, and utilities have incentivized the adoption of the energy-efficient, zero-emissions technology.
All of this goes to explain why the gap is closing between conventional ACs and heat pumps — and why, soon, the efficient two-way tech will overtake the old-school systems.
