Heat Pump Installation in Stockton, 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 San Joaquin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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Stockton asks a heat pump to work almost year round
Winter lows here average 40°F, mild enough that a heat pump does not have to fight the cold the way one does further north. Summer afternoons are the harder stretch, averaging 91°F from May through September. Between the two, homes in Stockton need heat or cooling 11 months of the year, so the system gets little rest.
Any split-system heat pump installed new has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. In a place where summer is the bigger load, the cooling side of that rating is the one doing most of the work.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 40°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.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to this specific job. The Contractors State License Board tests and records the contractor once, and that record follows them from job to job rather than being renewed or checked project by project.
For a heat pump installation in San Joaquin County, the license is what stands behind the person doing the work, but the job itself gets a separate check. Most cities and counties here require a permit for a heat pump installation and an inspection once it is in, and that inspection is done by the local building office, separate from anything the state license covers.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're set up for. A heat pump moves heat instead of burning fuel to make it, so it heats and cools from one system and costs less to run than electric resistance heat. A gas furnace can push out hotter air and keeps working the same way no matter how cold it gets outside. Winter lows here average 40°F, which is well within the range a heat pump handles on its own, so the choice usually comes down to whether you want one system for both jobs or you already have gas heat you're happy with.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump does the same cooling job in summer, but it can also run in reverse and pull heat from the outside air into your home in winter. Mechanically they share most of the same parts, the compressor, the coils, the refrigerant lines. The heat pump just has a reversing valve that lets it switch directions.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat out of outdoor air even when that air feels cold, and it keeps working down to well below freezing. Winter nights here average 40°F, which is mild enough that a heat pump covers the heating load on its own most nights. As the outdoor temperature drops further, a heat pump has to work harder to pull the same amount of heat, which is why some homes pair one with backup heat for the coldest stretches.