Heat Pump Installation in Birmingham, AL
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Jefferson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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A heat pump here works ten months a year
Winter nights in Jefferson County average 35°F. Summer afternoons average 90°F. Neither one is extreme, and a heat pump is built to handle both, pulling heat from the outside air in winter and pushing it back out in summer.
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September, ten months of work out of the year. A split-system heat pump installed now has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, and with the system running this much of the year, correct sizing and a clean installation matter.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors tests and licenses the contractor, not the job itself. So the license on file tells you this contractor passed the state's exam and is on record with the board. It does not mean the board reviewed this particular installation.
For a heat pump installation in Jefferson County, that license is what stands behind the person doing the work. Beyond that, most cities and counties in this area require a permit for a heat pump installation and an inspection once it's done, and that inspection is what checks the work itself, separate from the contractor's license.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does two jobs a furnace can't. It heats your home in winter and cools it in summer, using one system instead of two. Winter nights here average 35°F, which is well within the range a heat pump handles without help. A furnace only heats, so you'd still need a separate air conditioner to get through the 5 months a year homes here need cooling.
- 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 can also run in reverse to heat your home, pulling warmth from the outside air and moving it inside. Both use the same kind of outdoor unit and refrigerant cycle. The difference is the reversing valve that lets a heat pump switch directions, which is what lets it replace a furnace as well as an air conditioner.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from outdoor air even when that air feels cold, and it keeps working well below freezing. Winter nights here average 35°F, which is mild enough that a properly sized heat pump covers the heating load on its own. It's only in much colder climates, well below what this area sees, that a heat pump needs backup heat to keep up.