Most heat pumps last 12 to 15 years, and well-maintained ones often reach 20. What shortens a heat pump’s life, how to make it last, and when replacing beats repairing.
Home heating & cooling calculators
Run the numbers before you call the installer.
Free calculators for heat pumps, air conditioners and heating bills. Put in your home and your local prices, and see what a new system costs to buy and to run.
Calculators
All calculators →$ / yearHeat pump savings & paybackYour yearly heating bill with a heat pump versus gas, propane, oil or electric heat, and years to pay back.BTU / hrBTU calculatorHow many BTUs you need to cool or heat a room, and the AC size to buy.tonsHeat pump size calculatorRough heat pump size in tons for your whole house and climate.$ / MMBtuHeating fuel cost comparisonThe real cost of heat from gas, propane, oil, pellets, electric and heat pumps at your prices.kWh / yearSEER2 savings calculatorWhat a higher-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump saves on cooling each year.$ / monthSpace heater cost calculatorWhat it costs to run a space heater per hour, day and month.
Latest guides
All guides →SEER2 and HSPF2 replaced SEER and HSPF in 2023. What each rating measures, how to convert old ratings, the current federal minimums, and which numbers are worth paying for.
The federal 25C heat pump tax credit ended on December 31, 2025. What that means for 2026 installs, and the utility, state and manufacturer incentives you can still claim.
A heat pump water heater costs about $1,200 to $3,500 for the unit and uses a third to a quarter of the electricity of a standard electric tank. When it pays off, what to check before buying, and how it compares with gas.
Modern cold-climate heat pumps keep heating well below 0°F. How performance changes with temperature, what the cold-climate rating means, and how to size and back one up for a northern winter.
Why a heat pump blows cold air or stops heating, what is normal (defrost, cool-feeling air), what you can check yourself, and when to call a technician. Includes emergency heat vs auxiliary heat.
A single-zone ductless mini split costs about $2,500 to $6,000 installed; a whole-house multi-zone system $6,500 to $20,000. How that compares with central air, and which to choose.
A heat pump is an air conditioner that can also heat. Cooling performance and efficiency are the same; the heat pump costs a little more and can replace your furnace. Here is how to decide.