Heat Pump Installation in Bakersfield, CA
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Kern County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Kern county asks a heat pump to work almost all year
Your heat pump will run from November through April for heat and May through September for cooling. That is 11 months a year with barely a break between seasons.
Winter nights average 37°F here, mild enough that a heat pump keeps up without much strain. Summer afternoons average 93°F, and that is where the cooling side does its real work, day after day for five straight months. A new split-system heat pump has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, and in a climate that leans on the cooling side this much, that rating matters more than it would somewhere colder.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 37°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 93°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
California tests contractors before handing out a license, and the Contractors State License Board keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it tells you the person or the qualifying individual behind the business has been through the state's process and is on file with the board.
For a heat pump installation, most cities and counties in California also require a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished. The license is what qualifies the contractor to do the work. Where a permit is required, it is what checks the specific job in your home, including the refrigerant lines and wiring the contractor leaves behind.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does both heating and cooling, so it replaces a furnace and an air conditioner with one system. Winter nights here average 37°F, which is well within the range a heat pump handles without help. A gas furnace only heats, so you still need a separate air conditioner for the 5 months a year homes here need cooling. Most homes here already heat with gas, so switching means weighing that against having one system instead of two.
- 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 the same thing in summer, then reverses in winter and moves heat into your home instead. That's the whole difference. The parts that make up each system are largely the same, which is why a heat pump can take the place of both a furnace and an air conditioner.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from outside air even when it's cold, because there is still heat in air well below freezing. Winter nights here average 37°F, which a heat pump handles without trouble. Heat pumps installed now have to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, a standard set with cold weather performance in mind.