[legion]

Do you know if your emergency heat is natural gas or electric? I've seen heat pumps that use both.

When I lived in Atlanta it got down below freezing for about two weeks straight. Those with heat pumps with electric emergency heat were struggling (they'd have to wear coats indoors) and getting electric bills over $1,000. I had two regular natural gas furnaces and while natural gas was expensive (4x what I pay for it in Illinois), my gas bill was only $300 for the month and the house never felt any different inside.

When it comes time to replace and assuming you have natural gas at your home (I hear not all houses in the south do), I'd highly recommend natural gas emergency heat.