Heat Pump Installation in Vallejo, CA
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from June through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Solano County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A heat pump in Vallejo works most of the year
Winter nights here average 40°F from December through February, mild enough that a heat pump isn't straining to keep up. Summer afternoons average 88°F, and the same unit handles that end of the year too. Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from June through September, so a heat pump is doing one job or the other 10 months of the year.
Any split-system heat pump installed new has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. Neither the cold nor the heat here pushes past what those minimums are built for, so the work is steady rather than extreme, and the equipment is sized for that.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license is issued by the Contractors State License Board, and it covers the contractor as a business, not the specific job at your house. It tells you the state tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, not that this particular installation will be checked.
That check comes from the local building office instead. In most cities and counties, installing a heat pump needs a permit before the work starts and an inspection once it is done, and that inspection is what confirms the unit was put in correctly.
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, so you get both from one system. A gas furnace only heats, and it makes heat by burning fuel rather than moving it. Which one fits your house depends on your ductwork and your current setup, so a contractor should look at the specifics before you decide.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump cools the same way, but it can also run in reverse and pull heat into your home during winter. Mechanically the two share most of the same parts, the compressor, the coils, the refrigerant loop. The heat pump just has a reversing valve that lets it switch directions, which is what lets it replace a furnace instead of working alongside one.
- 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 well below freezing. Newer heat pumps are held to a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating efficiency, a standard set with cold-weather performance in mind. Homes here need heat from November through April, and a heat pump is built to carry that whole stretch.