Yes. A heat pump is 3x to 4x as effective as straight electrical heating in San Diego’s climate. As the outside temperature approaches 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it gets less efficient than straight electrical heating. You need to look at the unit’s energy efficiency ratio (how much energy it uses to move a specific number of BTU of heat) and compare the cost of electricity with the cost of what ever fuel you are going to use to heat the house. Because of how heat pumps work, the energy used to move the heat energy from outside to inside also contributes to heating your house (This is why heat pumps will almost always beat straight electrical radiative heating).

Also look at Ground Source, or Geothermal heat pumps..