Heat Pump Installation in Gainesville, GA
A new system here will heat from October through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Hall County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A Gainesville heat pump runs almost every month of the year
Homes here need heat or cooling all 12 months, heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. Winter nights average 34°F from December through February, and summer afternoons average 87°F, so the heat pump switches jobs but rarely gets a break.
Most households here heat with electricity already, so the heat pump carries the main load, not a backup one. A new split-system heat pump has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, the federal minimum since January 2023. Hall County has logged 8 winter storms and 78 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and a heat pump that loses power needs to come back on by itself once it's restored.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job, so it follows the company and not this particular installation. Georgia licenses HVAC contractors through the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, and that license is what stands behind a contractor working anywhere in the state, including here in Hall County.
For a heat pump installation, that license covers who is allowed to do the work. Most cities and counties also require a permit for a heat pump replacement and an inspection once it is done, and that inspection is what checks the refrigerant lines and wiring on this particular job, separate from the license itself.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're weighing. A heat pump handles both heating and cooling, so it takes the place of a furnace and an air conditioner in one system. Gainesville only sees winter nights average 34°F, which isn't the kind of extreme cold that pushes a heat pump past its limits. Where a furnace still has an edge is raw heat output in very cold climates, but that matters less somewhere that only needs heat from October through April.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump cools the same way but can also reverse itself and pump heat into the house instead. Mechanically they share the same refrigerant cycle and outdoor unit design, the heat pump just adds a reversing valve that lets it switch direction. That's why a home with a heat pump doesn't need a separate furnace to get through the winter.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, a heat pump keeps working in cold weather, though it puts out less heat as the outdoor temperature drops. Gainesville's winter nights average 34°F, which is cold but not the deep freeze that tends to strain a heat pump's output. Heat pumps made since January 2023 also have to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2, so newer units are held to a baseline for heating performance.