Heat Pump Installation in Fresno, CA
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Fresno County will get in touch.
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A Fresno heat pump works almost the whole year
Fresno homes need heat or cooling every month of the year. Heat runs October through May, cooling runs June through September, and there is barely a break between the two. A heat pump here does not get an off season to rest in.
Winter nights average 32°F, which is mild enough that a heat pump can carry the heating load on its own without much help from backup heat. Summer afternoons average 86°F, so the same system has to switch over and cool the house for four straight months. Any split-system heat pump installed new has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, and in a climate that leans on both sides of that system, those numbers matter for most of the year, not just a few weeks of it.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 86°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
California licenses HVAC contractors through the Contractors State License Board. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the one that qualifies them to install a heat pump is the same one that qualifies them for any other HVAC work they take on.
For this job, the CSLB license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Alongside it, most cities and counties require a permit for a heat pump installation, with an inspection once the work is finished. The inspection checks what was actually done on site, separate from whatever the contractor's license already covers.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're after. A heat pump handles both heating and cooling from one system, so you're not paying for two pieces of equipment. A gas furnace burns fuel to make heat and tends to put out warmer air at the vents on the coldest nights. Here, winter lows average around 32°F, which is well within the range a heat pump handles fine. If your home already has gas heat, a contractor can walk through whether switching makes sense for your setup.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump does the same job in summer but can also run in reverse to heat your home in winter. Both use a compressor and refrigerant to move heat, the difference is the heat pump has a valve that switches the direction of that flow. That's what lets one outdoor unit cover you from October through May and June through September alike.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from the outside air even when it's cold out, it just has to work harder as the temperature drops. Winter nights here average around 32°F, which a modern heat pump is built to handle without trouble. Newer units sold since January 2023 have to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating efficiency, so cold weather performance has improved over older models.