Heat Pump Installation in Modesto, 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 Stanislaus County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work for a Modesto heat pump
Your new heat pump will run almost year round here. Heat from November through April, cooling from May through September, only one month off in between. Winter nights average 39°F, mild compared to a lot of the country, and summer afternoons average 91°F, so the system has to switch roles and keep switching for most of the year.
Any split-system heat pump installed now has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, that's the federal floor as of January 2023. With this many months of runtime, what the unit does above that floor is what you'll notice.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 39°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°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 is issued to the contractor's business, not to each job it takes on, so the same license that covers a repair call also covers a heat pump install. The board is the record of who holds it.
For this job, the license tells you the contractor is who the state says they are. It does not stand in for the permit the work still needs. In most cities and counties, putting in a new heat pump requires a permit from the local building office, and the work gets inspected once it's done. That inspection checks the installation itself, separate from what the license covers.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're comparing it to and what fuel you're using now. A heat pump handles both heating and cooling from one system, so it can replace a furnace and an air conditioner. Here, about two thirds of homes heat with gas, and a gas furnace can still put out heat faster on the coldest nights. Winter lows average 39°F in this area, which is well within the range a modern heat pump handles without trouble. The right choice comes down to your current setup and your home, and a contractor can walk through that with you.
- 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, moving heat out of your house, but it can also run in reverse and move heat into your house in winter. That reverse mode is what makes it a heating system as well as a cooling one. An air conditioner paired with a furnace needs two separate systems to cover the year. A heat pump covers both seasons with one.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from the outside air even when it's cold outside, because there's still heat in air well below freezing. Winter nights here average 39°F, which a heat pump handles without difficulty. Every split-system heat pump sold new today has to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating efficiency, so the equipment on the market is built for this kind of climate. A contractor can size the system to your house so it keeps up on the coldest nights you get.