Indeed; if you must use electricity to get heat you should use a heat pump which is 2-3x as efficient as resistive heating. A resistive load is 100% efficient. A heat pump moves heat from outside to inside the home so for the same electricity you can get 200-300% efficiency. (Make sure you get a scroll compressor though; the heat they put out is quite a bit warmer than the older piston-style compressors).
If you're thinking this sounds a lot like an air conditioner you are correct: Most residential heat pumps are just A/C units that can be run in reverse during the winter. They work well so long as the ambient temperature is high enough to allow the liquid refrigerant to evaporate (some low-temperature models can effectively heat a home when the outdoor air is around -10 deg C / 20 deg F).
If you're thinking this sounds a lot like an air conditioner you are correct: Most residential heat pumps are just A/C units that can be run in reverse during the winter. They work well so long as the ambient temperature is high enough to allow the liquid refrigerant to evaporate (some low-temperature models can effectively heat a home when the outdoor air is around -10 deg C / 20 deg F).