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.
