Heat Pump Installation in Austin, TX
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Travis County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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A heat pump in Travis County works almost every month of the year
Winter nights here average 40°F, mild enough that a heat pump can carry the heating load without much help from backup heat. Summer afternoons average 95°F, and that's the harder side of the job. The unit cools for 7 months, April through October, then switches over and heats for the other 5. There's barely a break between seasons, so the system runs nearly year-round.
A new split-system heat pump has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. With Austin summers pushing the cooling side hard, the rating on the unit you install matters more here than it would somewhere with a shorter cooling season.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 95°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation tests contractors before it issues that license, and it keeps a record of who holds one. The license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it is the same license whether the work is a repair or a full heat pump installation.
For a heat pump installation, the license tells you the contractor was tested and is on the state's books. The part it does not cover is the finished work at your house, and that is where the local building office comes in. Most cities and counties in Texas require a permit for a heat pump installation and an inspection once it is done, which is a separate check on the work itself.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're comparing it to, but for most homes in Austin, a heat pump makes sense because winters here are mild. Your winter nights average 40°F, and a heat pump handles that easily without backup heat kicking in very often. A furnace only heats, so you'd still need a separate air conditioner for the 7 months a year you're cooling. A heat pump does both from one system, which is worth considering given how few months here actually need real heat.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools your home. A heat pump does the same thing in summer, but it can also reverse itself and pump heat into your home in winter. Both use a compressor and refrigerant, and both move heat rather than create it, so the parts and how they run in cooling mode are nearly identical. The difference is the reversing valve that lets a heat pump switch directions.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, and in Austin it works well because your winters aren't extreme. Nights average 40°F from December through February, which is well within the range a heat pump handles without help. Heat pumps lose some efficiency as the temperature drops, and most have backup electric heat strips for the rare colder morning, but you won't be relying on that backup often here.