Heat pump installation and replacement
Heating and cooling from one machine. Worth a serious look if you're on propane or all-electric, and a free quote either way.
A heat pump is the same box as an air conditioner with a reversing valve added, so it cools in summer and heats in winter from the same equipment. Instead of burning fuel it moves heat, which is why it can deliver more energy into the house than it consumes. For a household on propane or on electric resistance heat, that difference in running cost is usually the whole argument.
Whether one makes sense for you comes down to what you're heating with now. If you have cheap natural gas and a healthy furnace, a heat pump is not an obvious win and we'll say so. If you're on propane out toward Benton City, or you have baseboard electric, or you're replacing a dead air conditioner anyway and the furnace is also near the end, the numbers often look very different. We'd rather run that comparison with you than sell you the more expensive box on principle.
The middle option is dual fuel, which pairs a heat pump with a gas furnace. The heat pump does the heating whenever it's efficient to do so, and the furnace takes over when it gets cold enough that gas becomes the cheaper source. It costs more up front than either one alone and it's the most comfortable and flexible setup we install. For a house that already has good gas heat and needs cooling replaced, it's worth pricing.
Sizing is where heat pumps differ most from air conditioners. A cooling-only system gets sized for the summer load. A heat pump has to be considered in both seasons, and the point where it can no longer keep up on its own — the balance point — determines how much auxiliary heat you'll need and how often it runs. Getting that wrong is how people end up with a heat pump and an unexpectedly large winter power bill.
Locally, the strongest case for a heat pump is off the gas grid: propane properties around Benton City and Kiona, the West Richland acreage, and older all-electric houses in east Pasco. Depending on your address you're with Benton PUD, Franklin PUD, Richland's city utility or Benton REA, and their incentive programs come and go — so we check what's current for your utility while quoting rather than promising numbers on a website.
What a heat pump installation quote should cover
The things that get skipped when somebody quotes a heat pump like an air conditioner.
Both-season sizing
Sized for heating and cooling, with the balance point worked out rather than guessed.
Dual fuel option
Heat pump plus gas furnace, switching over at the point where gas becomes cheaper.
Cold-climate models
Hold far more capacity near freezing than a standard unit. Worth the difference in most cases.
Auxiliary heat planned
Sized and staged deliberately, not left at whatever the installer's default was.
Rebates checked
Utility and federal incentives change often. If one applies we'll point it out and do the paperwork.
Commissioned in both modes
Tested heating and cooling before we call it done, not just whichever season it is.
Before we quote a heat pump
A heat pump quote takes longer than an AC quote, and it should.
- Load calculation for heating and cooling
- Balance point and auxiliary heat sizing
- Electrical service and breaker capacity checked
- Pad height and defrost drainage
- Thermostat capable of proper staging
- Both modes tested before handover
What this work looks like
Recent heat pump installation jobs from our own vans.
Heat pump installation across the Tri-Cities
Each town page has the local detail.
We also come out to Benton City, Finley, Burbank and Kiona — same pricing, no travel charge.
Other heating and cooling services
Heat pump installation — common questions
How much does a heat pump cost installed?
More than a cooling-only air conditioner, less than replacing a furnace and an air conditioner separately. Beyond that it depends on whether you go cold-climate, whether you pair it with a gas furnace as dual fuel, and whether your electrical panel needs work — so the quote is free, itemised, and comes with a running-cost comparison against what you have now.
Do heat pumps work in cold weather here?
Yes. Tri-Cities winters are cold but not severe, and a modern heat pump holds useful capacity well below freezing. Cold-climate models hold considerably more. Auxiliary heat covers the coldest handful of mornings a year rather than the whole season.
Heat pump or air conditioner — which should I get?
If you have cheap natural gas and a healthy furnace, an air conditioner is usually the sensible buy. If you're on propane, on electric resistance heat, or replacing both systems anyway, a heat pump often wins on running cost. We'll compare them with your actual bills rather than in the abstract.
What is a dual fuel system?
A heat pump paired with a gas furnace. The heat pump handles heating while it's efficient to do so, and the furnace takes over below a changeover temperature we set. It costs more up front and gives you the cheapest running cost in every kind of weather.
Are there rebates for heat pumps?
Often, though the programs change regularly. Utility incentives and federal tax credits have both applied to qualifying equipment in recent years. If one is available for what you're buying we'll flag it and hand you the paperwork — we just don't build the sales pitch around it, because the terms move.
Will a heat pump make my power bill go up?
Your gas bill goes down and your power bill goes up, and for most propane or electric-heat households the total drops. The exception is a system that's undersized or has its auxiliary heat set up badly, which is why the sizing conversation matters so much.
How long does a heat pump installation take?
A straight replacement of an existing outdoor unit and coil is normally one day. Converting a house from furnace-only to a heat pump, or doing electrical work, runs to two.
How noisy is a heat pump?
About the same as a modern air conditioner while cooling. In winter you'll hear it come through defrost every so often — a whoosh and a change in fan speed. Placement away from bedroom windows is worth thinking about at quote time.