Anyone who's opened an eye-popping energy bill in the middle of winter or one for air conditioning in the summer has probably wondered which system costs more to operate. According to analyses, it's no comparison: heating your home requires four times more energy in the US than cooling your home.

The systems operate by either absorbing heat inside the building and transferring it outside to cool the building, or vice versa, absorbing heat from outside air and bringing it inside.

Heating and cooling systems in a building are typically designed based on several factors, including the size and layout of the building, its location, the climate in the area, the building's energy efficiency, and the desired level of indoor comfort.