Heat Pump Services
Efficient heating and cooling in one system. Heat pumps are ideal for the Pacific Northwest climate, providing comfortable temperatures year-round while reducing energy costs.
We install Bosch heat pumps in ducted configurations. Every installation comes with our 2-year labor warranty, and we handle all permits. If you've been researching whether a heat pump makes sense for your home, we can assess your situation and give you a straight answer.
Heat pumps have become the preferred choice for many homeowners throughout Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, and the surrounding areas. They provide both heating and cooling from a single system, which often makes more sense than maintaining separate furnace and AC equipment. After 20+ years installing heating and cooling systems locally, we've watched heat pumps go from a niche option to the default recommendation in many situations. Check our project gallery to see examples of our work.
Why Heat Pumps Make Sense in Seattle
Seattle has a mild winter climate. Our coldest days tend to sit in the low-30s rather than deep freezes. That matters because heat pumps extract heat from outside air, and they perform best in milder conditions. A modern heat pump can heat your house reliably all winter without a backup furnace. Even on cold nights, cold-climate models maintain efficiency where an old gas or electric furnace drops into expensive, constant cycling. Our climate essentially favors heat pumps over most other regions in the country.
The real tipping point for many Seattle homeowners is cooling. A furnace doesn't provide cooling. A heat pump does both with the same unit. Given the last several years of summer heat waves, the conversation usually goes like this: you need a new system anyway, adding AC to a furnace system is expensive, but a heat pump gives you AC for only slightly more than replacing the furnace alone.
Heat Pumps in Older, Less Efficient Homes
A common worry we hear is: "My house is drafty and poorly insulated, won't a heat pump struggle?" Here's the reality.
A heat pump doesn't rely on high-temperature blasts of heat like a furnace. It runs steadier, longer, and at lower temperatures, keeping the house more even. In a leaky house, that steadiness often feels more comfortable because you don't get the cold-hot swings typical of furnace cycling. Even if you don't fix all insulation issues right away, the system still usually costs less to run than an electric furnace or baseboard heating.
If the house is extremely inefficient, we may size the heat pump slightly larger or include electric strip heat as backup for the coldest nights. But it still works, and it still saves money compared to the alternatives.
Current Seattle & Washington Energy Rules
When replacing a furnace today, the regulations matter. New gas furnaces are still allowed, but many installations are becoming more expensive because of venting requirements, carbon fees, and future restrictions on gas expansion. Electric resistance heating isn't allowed as a primary system in most remodel situations. Heat pumps are considered the code-compliant "default" for replacement electric systems.
For many homeowners, this means if you're replacing equipment anyway, a heat pump is often the easiest path through permitting and inspection. We stay current on all local codes and can guide you through the process.
Heat Pump Installation & Replacement
Proper heat pump installation is critical to performance. These systems require careful sizing, correct refrigerant charging, and optimal airflow to deliver the efficiency they're capable of. We start with a Manual J load calculation to determine the right size, then select equipment matched to your home's specific needs. Every installation includes proper refrigerant charging, ductwork assessment, system commissioning, and comes with our 2-year labor warranty.
We often replace aging furnace and AC combinations with heat pump systems. The upfront investment typically pays for itself through energy savings, especially with current utility rebates and incentives available in our area.
Heat Pump Repair & Maintenance
Heat pumps work year-round, which means they need regular attention to perform their best. When problems arise, accurate diagnosis is essential since heat pumps are more complex than traditional furnaces or AC units. We commonly address refrigerant leaks, defrost cycle problems, reversing valve failures, compressor issues, and thermostat malfunctions.
Because heat pumps run more hours per year than separate heating and cooling systems, regular maintenance is even more important. Our maintenance service keeps your system running efficiently and catches problems before they become expensive repairs. Learn more about our HVAC maintenance plans.
Bosch Heat Pumps
Bosch heat pumps represent the best of German engineering applied to home comfort. We've installed many Bosch systems throughout the Eastside, and they consistently deliver exceptional performance and efficiency.
What sets Bosch apart is their inverter-driven compressors that modulate output for precise comfort, rather than the on-off cycling of standard equipment. They're among the quietest in the industry, with SEER ratings up to 20+ and HSPF ratings that excel in Pacific Northwest winter conditions. Bosch systems integrate seamlessly with their air handlers and furnaces if you're doing a complete system upgrade.
Bosch systems are particularly good at maintaining consistent temperatures without the temperature swings common in single-stage equipment. The variable-speed operation also means lower energy consumption and quieter running most of the time.
Ducted Heat Pump Systems
For homes with existing ductwork, ducted heat pumps provide whole-home comfort through your current air distribution system. This makes them an excellent replacement option when upgrading from a traditional furnace and AC setup. You get whole-home heating and cooling from a single system, with minimal installation disruption since we use your existing ducts. We can include backup heating for those rare extreme cold snaps if needed.
We assess your existing ductwork as part of every heat pump installation. Proper airflow is essential for heat pump efficiency, and sometimes duct modifications or sealing is needed to get the best performance from your new system.
Energy Efficient Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are inherently efficient because they move heat rather than create it. The best modern heat pumps can deliver 3-4 units of heating energy for every unit of electricity they consume. That's 300-400% efficiency compared to 95% for the best gas furnaces. This efficiency translates directly to lower utility bills and reduced environmental impact.
Compared to gas, operating cost varies with gas prices, but a heat pump often ends up cheaper across the year due to high efficiency and rising gas surcharges. Current incentives make now an excellent time to consider a heat pump. Puget Sound Energy and other local utilities offer substantial rebates, and federal tax credits can further offset your investment.
Are You a Good Candidate for a Heat Pump?
You're a strong candidate if your furnace is more than 20 years old, your ductwork is already installed, you want both cooling and heating in one unit, you expect to stay in the home 5+ years and care about long-term savings, or you're updating other energy systems and want to align with new energy standards.
Want to maximize your heat pump's efficiency? Consider pairing your installation with energy efficient upgrades like improved insulation and professional duct cleaning.
Why Hire Us
About 80% of our business comes from referrals. People hire us, they're happy with the work, and they tell their neighbors. That doesn't happen if you cut corners or push equipment people don't need. We've been doing this for over 20 years across Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, and the surrounding areas, and we plan to keep doing it. That means standing behind our work and treating every install like our reputation depends on it, because it does.
Call us at (425) 406-0263 for a same-day estimate, or contact us online to schedule a consultation.
