Heat Pump Installation, Repair & Service

Yes. Middle Tennessee’s mild winters are well suited to heat pumps, and most systems include backup electric heat strips for the coldest days.

An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump cools in the summer and reverses to heat your home in the winter, all with one outdoor unit.

Heat pumps need maintenance twice a year – spring and fall – because they work year-round. In spring before cooling season, we check refrigerant levels, clean the outdoor coil, test the cooling operation, and prepare the system for summer. In fall before heating season, we do another refrigerant check, test the heating operation and defrost cycle, clean coils again, and make sure the reversing valve is working properly. We also change filters, check electrical connections, lubricate moving parts, and calibrate the thermostat at both visits. It’s more maintenance than a furnace or AC alone, but you’re getting both heating and cooling from one system, so it makes sense. Our maintenance plan covers both visits and gives you priority scheduling.

This is one of those things that sounds like magic but is actually pretty cool science. Even when it’s cold outside, there’s still heat energy in the air – even at 0°F. A heat pump uses refrigerant and a compressor to extract that heat from outdoor air and concentrate it, then releases it inside your home. It’s essentially an air conditioner running in reverse. During summer, it extracts heat from inside and dumps it outside (cooling). In winter, it extracts heat from outside and brings it in (heating). Because it’s moving existing heat rather than creating it by burning fuel, it’s incredibly efficient. You get 2-3 times more heat energy out than the electrical energy you put in. The catch is that as outdoor temperatures drop, there’s less available heat to extract, which is why efficiency decreases in extreme cold.

A mini-split is a ductless heat pump system—no ductwork required. It has an outdoor unit connected to one or more indoor units (wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted or floor-mounted) that blow conditioned air directly into the room. They’re great for room additions, homes without ductwork, or creating zones with different temperatures. Each indoor unit can often be controlled independently, so you can keep bedrooms cool while the living room stays warmer. The downside is that the indoor units are visible on your walls, and if you want to heat or cool multiple rooms, you need multiple indoor units. They’re very efficient and perfect for certain situations, but for whole-home comfort in a house that already has ductwork, a traditional ducted heat pump usually makes more sense.

This depends heavily on local electricity and gas prices, but in general, heat pumps are cheaper to operate in mild weather, and the gap narrows in very cold weather. In Tennessee, where we have relatively mild winters with occasional cold snaps, heat pumps usually come out ahead over a full heating season. The heat pump’s efficiency advantage is biggest when outdoor temperatures are above freezing. As temperatures drop, the heat pump works harder and might need auxiliary heat, which increases costs. A lot of our customers like dual-fuel systems – using the heat pump when it’s economical and switching to gas when it’s not. We can calculate the break-even temperature for your specific situation based on current utility rates.

Yes, we offer financing services. Please call 615-784-4424 to find out more.