Heat Pump Installation in San Mateo, CA
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San Mateo asks a heat pump to heat far more than it cools
Homes here need heat from November through May, seven months of the year, with winter nights averaging 43°F December through February. That's a mild low, but it's the season your heat pump spends most of its time working through. Summer afternoons average 73°F, so the cooling side of the system barely gets tested.
A new split-system heat pump has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, the federal minimum for units built since January 2023. Most homes in the county still heat with gas, so if you're switching to a heat pump, getting the heating side sized right matters more here than the cooling side ever will.
- 7 months
- November through May, your system heats
- 43°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 73°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to this particular job. The Contractors State License Board tests the contractor before issuing it and keeps a record of that contractor going forward, but installing your heat pump does not get a separate license of its own.
Since California licenses HVAC contractors, that license is what stands behind the work. On top of it, most cities and counties in the state require a permit for a heat pump installation, and an inspection once the work is done, which is a separate check from the local building office on how the installation was done at your address.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does something a furnace can't, it cools your home in summer and heats it in winter with one system. San Mateo winters average 43°F at night, mild enough that a heat pump can carry the heating load without much backup. A furnace only burns gas or uses electric resistance to make heat, so you'd still need a separate air conditioner for summer. Most homes here still heat with gas, but a heat pump is worth asking a contractor about if you want to cut that out entirely.
- 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 same job in summer, then reverses itself and moves heat into your home in winter. The outdoor unit and the refrigerant cycle work the same way in both, the heat pump just has a reversing valve that lets it run backward. That's why a heat pump can replace both your furnace and your air conditioner, while an air conditioner only ever cools.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from outside air even when that air feels cold, because there's still heat in 43°F air, just less of it than in warmer air. San Mateo's winter lows average 43°F, well within the range where a heat pump runs efficiently without needing backup heat. Heat pumps struggle more in places that see sustained nights well below freezing, which isn't the pattern here.