Heat Pump Installation in Athens, GA
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Clarke County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year for a heat pump here
Athens asks for heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. That is ten months where the heat pump is the only thing keeping the house comfortable. Winter nights average 35°F, mild as heating loads go, and summer afternoons average 88°F, so the system spends real time working both ends of the year.
Any split-system heat pump installed new has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. That is the floor set by federal law, not a special feature, so a unit quoted at those numbers is meeting the minimum allowed.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Georgia licenses HVAC contractors through the State Construction Industry Licensing Board. That license covers the contractor, not the job itself. It tells you the person or company taking on your heat pump installation is on record with the state as licensed to do this work.
In most cities and counties in Georgia, installing a heat pump also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. The permit and inspection are what check this particular installation. The license is what qualifies the contractor to do it.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does what a furnace and an air conditioner do together, so it heats your home in winter and cools it in summer with one system. A furnace only heats. Winter nights here average 35°F, which is mild enough that a heat pump can carry the heating load without much strain. Whether it's the better choice for your house depends on your ductwork and how the home is set up, and a contractor can walk you through that.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only moves heat out of your home. A heat pump does that too, but it can also run in reverse and move heat into your home, which is what heats the house in winter. Both use the same basic refrigerant cycle and both need outdoor and indoor coils. The difference is the reversing valve that lets a heat pump switch directions.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, a heat pump keeps working in cold weather, though it pulls less heat from the outside air as the temperature drops. Winter nights here average 35°F, which is well within the range a heat pump handles without trouble. Homes in this area only need heat from November through March, so the coldest stretches are short. In much colder climates some homes pair a heat pump with a backup heat source, but that's not something every home here needs.