# Know whether a heat pump or a new furnace saves you more

> It weighs your real bills, your winters and today's rebates, then tells you which system pays off first.

Give Perplexity your home, climate and energy bills and get a side-by-side of a heat pump, a gas furnace and a hybrid, with costs over 15 years and current rebates.

- Page: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/heat-pump-or-furnace-with-your-numbers/
- Category: Upgrade your everyday
- Made for: Everyone
- Works in: Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude
- Time: About 10 minutes
- Effort: Just copy and paste
- Note: The changelog's example uses Nemotron 3.5 Super VL, a Pro and Max model. The prompt works on any Perplexity plan.
- Published: 2026-10-28

## Should I get a heat pump or a new gas furnace?

Give an AI with live web search your home size, climate and bills, and ask for a 15-year cost comparison with sources. Perplexity fits best when you want current rebates and prices with links you can check. ChatGPT or Claude work well too when you want to talk through the tradeoffs, as long as web search is on. If you live somewhere with very cold winters, ask it to include a hybrid setup, and always check the numbers against real installer quotes.

## The prompt

Fill in the parts in [square brackets], or leave them and the AI will ask you for them.

```text
I'm deciding between a heat pump, a new gas furnace, or a hybrid of both for my home. Here's my situation: home size [HOME SIZE, e.g. 1,800 sq ft, two floors], climate [MY CLIMATE, e.g. cold winters, lows near 0F], current system [CURRENT SYSTEM, e.g. 18-year-old gas furnace], and what I pay [MY ENERGY BILLS, e.g. $180 a month gas in winter]. Using current prices and sources, compare the three options in a table: upfront cost, likely yearly running cost, rebates or tax credits I may qualify for today, how well each handles my coldest days, and total cost over 15 years. Show the assumptions behind every number so I can check them. Then give me a plain verdict on which fits me best and why, plus five questions to ask each installer before I sign. If something depends on details you don't have, ask me instead of guessing.
```

## Step by step

1. Open Perplexity and start a new search
2. Paste the prompt and fill in your home and bill details
3. Read the comparison table and the sources it cites
4. Take the questions it gives you to your installer quotes

## What you'll get

A cost table for all three systems over 15 years with sources, a plain verdict for your home, and five questions for installers.

## Good to know

**Should I get a heat pump or a new gas furnace?** Give an AI with live web search your home size, climate and bills, and ask for a 15-year cost comparison with sources. Perplexity fits best when you want current rebates and prices with links you can check. ChatGPT or Claude work well too when you want to talk through the tradeoffs, as long as web search is on. If you live somewhere with very cold winters, ask it to include a hybrid setup, and always check the numbers against real installer quotes.

**Which AI tools does this work in?** It works in Perplexity, ChatGPT and Claude. On this page, ChatGPT and Claude open with your prompt already typed in. The changelog's example uses Nemotron 3.5 Super VL, a Pro and Max model. The prompt works on any Perplexity plan.

**How long does it take?** About 10 minutes. It's rated "Just copy and paste". There are 4 steps, listed above.

**What do I need before I start?** Just your details for 4 blanks: home size, my climate, current system and my energy bills. You can skip any, and your AI will ask for them.

**What will I get back?** A cost table for all three systems over 15 years with sources, a plain verdict for your home, and five questions for installers.

Idea spotted on the official docs, shared by Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/changelog/ultrafast-computer-models-decisions-api-and-connector-controls. The prompt is The Solo Creators' own version.

## Go further

Ready-made skills in the Solo Creators AI Studio (https://thesolocreators.com/studio/) that fit this: TLDR (Your AI stops writing walls of text: every reply leads with the next action, numbered and skimmable); Second Brain (Give your AI a memory it reads across every project, so it finally knows your business).

From AI Use Cases and Prompts by The Solo Creators: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/. Free to use; please link back to the page when you share it.