I have always lived in a very moderate climate.
I have enjoyed winters and summers that don’t vary too much, and I can plan months ahead for events that require a decent outdoor climate.
When I moved to this area for a job, I was not ready for the sweltering summers and icy winters. When I moved into my home, I noticed that the heat pump outside only let cool air in. Then, I found the furnace. I had never lived in an area that required an air conditioner and furnace before. It seemed inconvenient. I really enjoyed the efficiency of having one heat pump that took care of both the heating and the cooling. I called up a local HVAC provider to see about replacing the air conditioner and furnace with a heat pump. When the HVAC technician arrived, he gave me an estimate on the cost of replacing the a/c and furnace with a heat pump (pretty steep, if you ask me) and he also warned me against the idea. When I asked the HVAC technician why that wouldn’t be a good idea, he explained to me that heat pumps are a great option for moderate climates, but here it would not be very efficient. He said if I was really dead set on a heat pump that I might consider hybrid heating (using a heat pump in conjunction with a furnace to provide more energy efficient heating in the winters). I do love energy efficiency, but I decided against hybrid heating at the time just because I really didn’t have a ton of money to throw around as I had just moved. I later did switch to hybrid heating and it really is a much more efficient way of heating, but I have pretty well grown accustomed to the air conditioner and furnace (and heat pump) system now.