Heat Pump Installation in Prattville, 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 Autauga County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year in Prattville
Winter nights average 37°F from December through February, mild enough that a heat pump can carry the heating load without much strain. Summer afternoons average 91°F, and homes here need cooling May through September. Between the two seasons, a heat pump is working ten months out of the year.
A new split system installed today has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, the federal minimum for equipment built since January 2023. Most homes in the area heat with electricity, which puts the heat pump at the center of the house's comfort rather than a backup to something else. Alabama also sees its share of power interruptions, so it is worth asking your contractor how the system comes back on once power is restored.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 37°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°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 HVAC contractors in the state. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it follows the person or company doing the work rather than getting issued fresh for your installation.
Anyone installing your heat pump should hold that state license, and it is what stands behind the work if something goes wrong. On top of that, most cities and counties in Alabama require a permit for a heat pump installation, with an inspection once the job is done. That inspection is a separate check on the work itself, done by the local building office rather than the state board.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does something a furnace can't. It cools your home in summer as well as heating it in winter, so one system covers both jobs. A furnace only makes heat, either by burning gas or running electric elements. Winter nights here average 37°F, which is mild enough that a heat pump keeps up all season without trouble. Whether a heat pump or a furnace suits your house better depends on your ductwork and what you have now, and that's worth having a contractor look at in person.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump cools the same way in summer, but it can also reverse itself and pull heat from outside air to warm your home in winter. The two machines share most of the same parts, the compressor, the coils, the refrigerant lines. What the heat pump has that the air conditioner doesn't is a reversing valve, and that's what lets it run in both directions. A heat pump can replace both your furnace and your air conditioner. An air conditioner only ever replaces the cooling side.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat out of outside air even when that air feels cold to you, because there's still usable heat in it well below freezing. Winter nights here average 37°F, comfortably within the range a heat pump handles without strain. Heat pumps built new also have to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating efficiency, and that standard is set with real cold weather in mind, not just mild days.