Questions about heat pumps, answered plainly.

Yes, if it is sized for January. Cold-climate models keep heating below 0°F at reduced output. We size each room to the equipment’s published capacity at 5°F, close to the winter design temperature for most of the towns we serve, and plan for the handful of colder hours a year, with backup heat where the numbers call for it.

No. Many owners keep it as backup, wired to integrated controls so the heat pumps run first and the old system only comes on below a set outdoor temperature. Mass Save requires those controls for its partial-home rebate. If heat pumps can carry the whole house on their own, we will say so, and the whole-home rebate may then apply.

No. That is what ductless mini-splits are for. Each indoor unit connects to the outdoor unit through a small line set that needs one three-inch opening in an exterior wall. If the house does have ducts from a furnace or central air, a ducted heat pump may be able to use them. Compare the options.

That is chosen room by room. Wall-mounted heads suit most rooms; floor consoles fit where a radiator used to sit; ceiling cassettes suit rooms with an attic above; a concealed ducted unit can serve two or three neighboring rooms with only grilles showing.

Indoor units on low are typically rated in the low 20s to low 30s dB(A); outdoor units are commonly in the 40s and 50s. Your quote lists the published rating for every unit we propose, and we place outdoor equipment away from bedroom windows and property lines.

Winter air is dry in any heated New England house. A heat pump does not remove more moisture than a boiler does in heating mode, though moving air can feel drier than radiator heat. If the house was dry before, a humidifier will help in either case.

Air source heat pumps heat and cool the rooms; they do not make domestic hot water. If your boiler also heats your water, it can stay for that job, or the water can move to a separate water heater.

A heat pump needs electricity to run, and so do the burner and circulator pump on most boilers. If you have or plan a backup generator, it has to be sized for the outdoor unit’s starting and running load. We can give you those figures for the equipment we propose.

It depends mostly on how many rooms need their own indoor unit, how the lines have to run, and whether the panel needs work. The written quote prices each room separately, before and after the rebates you appear to qualify for.

It depends on what you are replacing and what you pay for electricity. Against oil, propane or electric baseboard, heat pumps usually cost less to run. Against natural gas, the difference is smaller and can go either way. We estimate it from last winter’s bills at the assessment, rather than promising a percentage.

In Massachusetts, Mass Save pays rebates on qualified equipment installed to its rules; in New Hampshire, NHSaves does. Several conditions have to be met before work starts, so the order matters. The full rundown, including municipal light plant towns and income-based tiers.

No. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025. If you installed a heat pump during 2025 and have not filed for that year, ask your tax preparer.

In Massachusetts, the 0% HEAT Loan can cover much of the balance after rebates. It has to be approved before any work begins.

Yes, or someone who can let us into the basement, the attic and the electrical panel. We measure every room and walk the outside of the house, and it helps to hear from you which rooms give you trouble.

It depends on the number of indoor units and how the lines have to run. The quote gives you the schedule in days before you sign.

Inside, the only opening is a three-inch core behind each indoor unit. We cover floors where we work and leave the house clean at the end of each day. Outside, the lines run in a painted cover along corner boards and trim.

Yes. We pull the electrical and building permits the work requires in your town, book the inspections, and give you copies of the sign-offs.

Usually. A condo association often has to approve outdoor equipment and openings in exterior walls, so start that conversation early. In a rental, rebates follow the utility account holder, and in a multi-family each unit is usually planned as its own system.

Rinse the indoor unit filters about once a month in heavy use, and keep snow and leaves clear of the outdoor unit. Once a year, the indoor coil and blower wheel should be cleaned and the drains and refrigerant pressures checked.

We register the equipment with the manufacturer at installation and give you the registration in writing.

Call rather than write, and say at the start of the call that the system is not heating or cooling.

Every license, registration and policy is listed with its number on our About page, so you can check each one with the agency that issued it. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming you before work begins, and we will send it.

Thirty towns across the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire, from Westford to Newburyport and north to Derry and Nashua. Check your town.

Sí. Puede leer todo el sitio en español, y atendemos la evaluación en español si lo prefiere.