Heat pump vs. gas furnace in La Marque, TX
A heat pump earns back its extra cost in La Marque within a sensible timeframe. Swap a failed furnace and AC for a heat pump rather than buying like-for-like, and the extra cost here runs $1,000 after a $2,000 federal tax credit. La Marque's residents would see roughly $329 a year back in running costs, putting the payback around 3 years. That's a real payback, built from La Marque's own climate and utility rates, not a national guess.
The climate behind La Marque's payback figure
La Marque barely has a winter to speak of — 630 heating degree days a year against a 65°F base — and summers are severe enough that cooling can dominate the annual bill, at 3937 cooling degree days. The 99% winter design temperature here — the cold snap equipment must be sized for, not the seasonal average — is 34.3°F, against a record low of 22.1°F. That puts the seasonal coefficient of performance at 3.22 for the recommended standard unit. A standard ducted system is enough here; La Marque's design temperature doesn't justify the cold-climate premium. Source: NOAA station EAGLE POINT, 8.8 miles from La Marque — the closest one on record.
What it actually costs to run, year to year
Modelled on a typical 2000-square-foot house, the heat pump draws about 495 kWh a year to keep it warm, plus cooling, for a combined electric bill near $622 a year. The gas furnace it replaces burns roughly 7 Mcf a year at 19.42 per Mcf here, for a running cost near $951 a year (electricity here runs 16.15¢/kWh). Looked at as a full purchase rather than an incremental one, payback here is roughly 33.4 years, leaving the 15-year total $3,940 ahead.
Electric resistance heat in La Marque, compared
Plenty of homes in La Marque heat with electricity alone, no gas line involved. Against electric-resistance heat — baseboard or an electric furnace, both 100% efficient but still just resistance — the case for switching gets stronger here. The saving here runs about $460 a year, which recovers the extra $5,500 spent going electric in roughly 12 years.
How La Marque compares nationally
Ranked against the other 3206 cities covered, La Marque comes in at 3019 for heating severity — 1 would be the coldest place in the dataset — and 1904 by population, where 1 is largest. That's the mildest third of cities covered, where utility rates carry more of the answer than climate does.
Next step for 20,194 people in La Marque
About 20,194 people live in La Marque, Texas, and every number on this page is what a contractor would actually work from when quoting a system here — the point isn't to replace that quote, it's to tell you whether to bother asking for one. Here, it's worth getting quotes before your current system fails, not after.
Get quotes from local HVAC contractors before deciding.
Reading further on this page's numbers
Nothing above is a black box: the methodology guide shows the full arithmetic behind La Marque's 3.22 seasonal COP and payback figure. See what La Marque's figure looks like without the $2,000 federal credit in the guide to how that credit moves the payback window.