Heat Pump Installation
A heat pump does not make heat. It moves heat that is already outside into your home — which is why it delivers roughly three times the heating a gas furnace gets from the same energy, with no flue, no gas valve, and nothing to combust.
A Heat Pump Heats Differently. You Should Know That Before You Buy One.
A gas furnace produces a short blast of very hot air, satisfies the thermostat, and shuts off. A heat pump supplies air at a lower temperature over a longer cycle.
The end result is better — steadier room temperature, less stratification between floor and ceiling, smaller swings between rooms. But if you walk up to a register expecting the furnace sensation and it is not there, it feels wrong.
This is the single most common source of heat pump regret, and it is entirely preventable by explaining it beforehand. So we do.
The Los Angeles advantage
Heat pumps installed in moderate climates may require no supplementary heating whatsoever. Los Angeles is precisely that climate. When a system is sized against a real load calculation here, backup heat frequently turns out to be unnecessary — which removes the single largest source of heat pump operating cost.
Versus a gas furnace
~3× the efficiency
Three Settings That Decide Your Power Bill
A heat pump left at factory defaults will heat your house and quietly overcharge you for years. These are configuration decisions, and most installers never touch them.
Defrost Timer ≥ 90 Minutes
To shed frost, a heat pump reverses into a less efficient defrost mode. The delay timer sets how long it runs before doing so. Manufacturers commonly default to 30 minutes. It belongs at 90 or longer. We check the setting and change it.
Supplementary Heat Lockout
Electric resistance strip heat is the least efficient way to heat anything. Controls must lock it out except in genuinely extreme cold. We configure that threshold rather than letting the backup stage fire whenever the thermostat gets impatient.
Capacity Within 12 kBtuh
Heating capacity must meet the calculated load and exceed it by no more than 12 kBtuh. On variable speed equipment we also verify it turns down properly — low stage at or under 80% of load — so it can run long and steady instead of cycling.
Ignore the standard thermostat advice
Every energy-saving guide tells you to set the thermostat back at night. With a heat pump that has supplementary heating, that advice can cost you money. Recovering from a deep setback pulls in the backup heating stage, and strip heat can burn more than the setback ever saved. If your system has backup heat, a steady setpoint usually wins. We will tell you which case you are in and program it with you.
Four Ways to Put a Heat Pump in a House
"Heat pump" is a category, not a product. Which one fits depends on your ductwork, your floor plan, and which rooms actually have problems.
Ducted
Uses your existing duct system with a central air handler. The most direct replacement path for a home already heated by a forced air furnace.
Best fit
Whole-home replacement where ductwork is in serviceable condition
Ductless
Wall or ceiling units fed by a small refrigerant lineset, with no ductwork at all. Eliminates duct losses entirely because there are no ducts to leak.
Best fit
Homes with no ducts, additions, converted garages, ADUs
Mini-Split
One outdoor unit paired to a single indoor head, controlled independently of the rest of the house.
Best fit
A single problem room, home office, or primary bedroom
Multi-Split
One outdoor unit serving several indoor heads, each with its own setpoint, so unoccupied rooms are not conditioned.
Best fit
Zoned comfort across multiple rooms without adding ductwork
Already looking at ductless specifically?
See our ductless mini-split page →Rebates and Tax Credits Offset the Upgrade
Heat pumps typically carry a higher up-front cost than a like-for-like furnace swap. Rebates and tax credits exist specifically to close that gap, and state and local policy is actively discouraging new natural gas appliances. We will walk you through what your project currently qualifies for before you commit to anything.
Ask what applies to your home →Is a heat pump right for your home?
The honest comparison against gas, and where the same technology applies elsewhere in the house.
Heat Pump vs. Gas Furnace: Which Is Right for a Los Angeles Home?
Which one actually makes sense in a Los Angeles climate, and what the running costs really look like.
Read the article →What Size Furnace Do I Need? Why Bigger Is Never Better
An oversized furnace costs more, wears out faster and heats less evenly. Here is why.
Read the article →Heat Pump vs. Gas Water Heaters: Which is Right for Your Home?
What you save, what you give up, and which homes each type genuinely suits.
Read the article →Heat Pump FAQs
How much more efficient is a heat pump than my gas furnace?
Roughly three times as efficient. A furnace converts fuel into heat and can never exceed the energy it burns. A heat pump moves heat that already exists in the outdoor air rather than creating it, so each unit of electricity delivers several units of heating. It also consumes no fossil fuel on site and emits no combustion products.
Will a heat pump actually keep my house warm in Los Angeles?
Yes. Los Angeles is a moderate climate, which is where heat pumps perform best. Properly sized units in climates like ours frequently require no supplementary heating at all. The correct way to confirm this is to analyze the capacity of a correctly sized heat pump against your home's calculated heating load.
Why does the air from a heat pump feel cooler than my furnace?
Because it is, and that is normal rather than a defect. Heat pumps deliver heat at a lower supply temperature over longer run cycles instead of short blasts of very hot air. The result is steadier room temperature and less stratification, but it feels different at the register. We tell customers this before installation, not after.
What is a defrost timer and why does its setting matter?
In cold conditions a heat pump periodically reverses to clear frost from the outdoor coil, which is a less efficient mode. The delay timer controls how long it runs before entering it. Many manufacturers ship a default of 30 minutes. It should be set to 90 minutes or longer, and leaving it at the factory value wastes energy year after year.
What is supplementary heat and why do you lock it out?
It is the backup stage — usually electric resistance strips, sometimes a furnace. Electric strip heat is the most inefficient way to produce heat available, and a furnace backup burns fossil fuel. Controls should prevent supplementary heat from running except in genuinely extreme outdoor conditions, and good design makes it largely unnecessary.
Should I set my thermostat back at night with a heat pump?
Generally no, if your system has supplementary heating. Recovering from a deep setback can trigger the backup heating stage, and the energy burned in strip heat can exceed everything the setback saved. This is the opposite of standard furnace advice, and it is a common reason new heat pump owners see unexpected bills.
How large should my heat pump be?
Sized from a load calculation, not from the equipment being replaced. Heating capacity must be at least equal to the load, and no more than 12 kBtuh above it. Oversizing produces short cycles, poor temperature distribution, weaker humidity control, and shortened equipment life, and it is far more common than undersizing.
Start With the Load, Not the Brochure
Before we quote equipment, we calculate what your house actually needs on the coldest day of the year. Everything else follows from that number.