A heat pump install is a home-specific system design, not just an equipment swap
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A heat pump install is more than swapping equipment. It is a home-specific system design: load calculation (Manual J), refrigerant line routing, air handler placement, electrical capacity check, and on ducted systems sometimes ductwork retrofit. Skip any of those and you end up with an oversized system, bad airflow, or rebate paperwork that won’t pass review.
California climate zone matters for sizing. Bay Area homes fall across three CEC climate zones: CZ3 (Bay marine, coastal SF, Berkeley, Oakland), CZ4 (South Bay, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino), and CZ12 (inland, Walnut Creek, Concord, Livermore, Pleasanton). CZ3 design temps run ~81°F cooling / 38°F heating along the immediate coast and ~86–88°F at the inland edge of the same zone (Union City, Fremont); CZ4 around 90°F / 36°F; CZ12 around 100°F / 30°F. We use the right design temperatures for your specific address, not a single Bay Area average that would over-size coastal CZ3 and under-size CZ12.
| CEC climate zone | Example cities | Cooling design temp | Heating design temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| CZ3 (Bay marine) | Coastal SF, Berkeley, Oakland; inland edge: Union City, Fremont | ~81°F on the immediate coast; ~86 to 88°F at the inland edge | ~38°F |
| CZ4 (South Bay) | San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino | ~90°F | ~36°F |
| CZ12 (inland) | Walnut Creek, Concord, Livermore, Pleasanton | ~100°F | ~30°F |
Air District equipment rules matter when replacing a furnace. We check the emissions requirements for the equipment and installation date before specifying a system. An all-electric heat pump has no combustion emissions, but the project still needs the applicable mechanical permits and Title 24 documentation.
What’s included:
- Full-home load calculation (Manual J)
- Equipment sizing and brand selection
- Rebate eligibility check across BayREN, MCE Heat Pump HVAC, PG&E thermostat and ENERGY STAR programs, EBCE / Ava in Alameda County, and manufacturer instant rebates. Programs and amounts vary; we confirm what’s currently paying and handle the paperwork.
- Permit and inspection coordination
- Removal and disposal of old equipment
- Refrigerant line set inspection (flush and reuse where viable, replace if damaged), indoor air handler, outdoor condenser
- Electrical scope (existing circuit retained when sized appropriately, sub-panel only when actually needed)
- Commissioning and system balancing
- 10-year manufacturer parts warranty + labor warranty (2 years standard, extended to 10 years with our maintenance plan)
- Performance logs established for baseline
Maintenance plan: 2 visits a year at $290 a visit, each visit includes a new filter, a full diagnostic, and a system cleaning. Keeping the plan active extends labor coverage to the full 10 years; without it, labor coverage is 2 years.
Bay Area heat pump considerations:
Heat pumps work efficiently in our climate because winter design temperature is around 32 to 35 degrees in inland cities and rarely below freezing. Modern variable-speed units (Daikin, Mitsubishi, Bosch IDS) deliver full rated capacity in those conditions. Our climate does not require cold-climate-rated equipment, which means standard high-efficiency models are typically the best price-to-performance answer.
Refrigerant lines and R-454B:
We design new installs around R-454B, the current low-GWP refrigerant standard replacing R-410A. R-454B is a mildly flammable A2L refrigerant, and we are HC(A3) & HFO(A2L) certified (Mainstream Engineering) to handle it safely. Existing line sets can sometimes be flushed and reused; sometimes they cannot. We pressure-test and inspect line sets on every retrofit and tell you whether reuse is safe before any work begins.
Electrical and panel:
About a third of older Bay Area homes need electrical work to support a heat pump conversion. Sub-panel pricing depends on existing capacity and routing. We include an electrical review in the free on-site replacement assessment; the panel work is coordinated with a licensed electrician under the same project. The written installation estimate shows equipment, labor, ductwork, and electrical line by line. For Bay Area market context, see our guide to what heat pumps actually cost in the Bay Area in 2026.
What makes us different
Daikin factory training. We are factory-trained on Daikin (Houston, 2025) and Mitsubishi Electric. Goodman lists us in its official dealer locator. We compare equipment options after checking your home's heating and cooling loads.
Check incentives before approval. We help check programs for your address and proposed equipment. Funding, contractor eligibility, application deadlines, and approval must be confirmed before a rebate is included in your written estimate.
Honest sizing. Oversized heat pumps are the number-one installer mistake: short-cycling, bad humidity control, shorter equipment life. We size to the load, not to the sales commission.
What to expect
Every job, repair or install, follows the same rhythm. No upsells dressed as "package tiers." No "today only" pricing. If the answer is "wait six months and re-evaluate," that is what we will say.
- Assess the installation
An on-site installation assessment is usually free. We review the existing equipment, space, ductwork, and electrical capacity for the proposed system.
- Review the written quote
The itemized quote identifies the equipment and installation scope, based on the home measurements and load calculation. Confirm any incentive eligibility before approving the project.
- Plan and install
After approval, we confirm equipment availability, schedule the work, and arrange required permits. Changes to the agreed scope need your approval.
- Commission the system
We check operation and explain the controls and maintenance. Installation coverage is 10 years for manufacturer parts and 2 years for labor, extended to 10 years with our active maintenance plan, subject to the written terms.
Rebates and incentives: what we actually quote
For 2026 the active stack is BayREN heat-pump cycles when funding is open, MCE Heat Pump HVAC rebates for MCE customers, PG&E smart-thermostat and ENERGY STAR rebates, EBCE / Ava Community Energy for Alameda County customers, and manufacturer instant rebates when promotions are active. Eligibility, amounts, and program funding vary; we confirm what is currently paying when we write your estimate.
Closed for 2026: federal Section 25C (expired December 31, 2025 under OBBBA) and Tech Clean California (closed November 14, 2025). We do not quote either. The honest answer to "how much will I get back?" is: let us check before we quote you a number.
Recent installs near you
Three completed heat pump projects with real install photos, the equipment list, and the detail that mattered on each job. See all case studies.
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Two Carrier 19 SEER heat pumps, two zones, both old AC units out and new condensers running the same day
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Goodman 1.5-ton heat pump sized to the load calculation, not the biggest unit that fits
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Cooper&Hunter PEAK heat pump replacing a failed gas furnace, adding whole-house cooling
The diagnostic is ninety-nine dollars and we credit it toward the repair. If the answer is ‘your system is fine, here are the logs, call us next year,’ that is what the estimate will say.
Heat Pump Installation & Service: common questions
Is a heat pump right for my Bay Area home?
How long does installation take?
What rebates am I eligible for?
Do I need electrical panel upgrades?
Daikin, Mitsubishi, Carrier: which do you recommend?
How does a heat pump handle cold Bay Area nights?
Cities where we do this work
Tier-1 service area for heat pump installation & service: Danville · San Ramon · Alamo · Blackhawk · Pleasanton · Dublin · Walnut Creek · Lafayette · Alameda · Piedmont · Pleasant Hill · Atherton · Hillsborough · Los Altos Hills · Burlingame · Millbrae .
Also across the Bay Area: Livermore · Concord · Orinda · Moraga · Martinez · San Jose · Santa Clara · Cupertino · Los Gatos · Saratoga · Sunnyvale · Mountain View · Palo Alto · Los Altos · Menlo Park · Oakland · Berkeley · Richmond · El Cerrito · Albany · Fremont · Hayward · Union City · Newark · San Leandro · Castro Valley · Milpitas · Woodside · Portola Valley · Daly City · South San Francisco · San Bruno · Pacifica · San Mateo · Foster City · Belmont · San Carlos · Redwood City · East Palo Alto · Half Moon Bay . See full service area.
Schedule heat pump installation & service
Repairs start with a $99 on-site diagnosis, credited toward the repair. Replacing a system? The on-site assessment visit is free. Written findings and estimates follow the visit.
Bay Area · 7am–7pm · 7 days · no overtime charges