Heat Pump Installation in San Jose, CA
A new system here will heat from November through May and cool from July through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Santa Clara County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
San Jose asks for ten months of work a year
Your heat pump runs from November through May to keep the house warm, then again from July through September to keep it cool. That's 10 months a year it's doing one job or the other. Winter nights average 39°F and summer afternoons average 82°F, neither one extreme, but the long season means the compressor is cycling on and off most months instead of sitting idle.
If it's a split system built on or after January 1, 2023, it has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. Those numbers are the floor, not a target. Given how many months a year this one will run, it's worth knowing where the unit you're installing lands above that floor.
- 7 months
- November through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- July through September, it cools
- 39°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to the job. It covers the business doing the work, and it is the same license whether that business is installing a heat pump, a furnace, or a water heater.
For this installation, the license is what stands behind the work. Beyond that, most cities and counties in California require a permit from the local building office for a heat pump installation, with an inspection once the work is done.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you value most. A heat pump moves heat instead of burning gas to make it, and it can also cool your home in summer, which a furnace can't do. Winters here are mild, with nighttime lows averaging 39°F, so a heat pump isn't fighting the kind of deep cold that gives some systems trouble. If you already heat with gas, a contractor can walk you through what switching would mean for your specific house.
- 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 reverse direction and move heat into your home, so one system handles both jobs. That matters here, where homes need cooling from July through September and heat the other seven months of the year.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from outside air even when that air is cold, and it keeps working through winter without switching to another heat source. Winter nights here average 39°F, well within the range a heat pump is built to handle.