Heat Pump Installation in Astoria, OR
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Ten months of heating a year, and mild summers
In Astoria, a heat pump works most of the year, not just a few weeks in winter and summer. Homes here need heat from September through June, and winter nights average 35°F. That is not brutal cold, but it means the system runs on and off for ten months straight.
Summer asks almost nothing of it. Afternoons average 70°F, so cooling barely factors into the job a new system has to do here. A split-system heat pump installed now has to meet federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2, and in this climate the heating side of that rating matters far more than the cooling side.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 70°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
Oregon requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Contractors Board licenses the contractor, not the job. It tests the contractor and keeps a record of who holds that license, but the license itself belongs to the business, not to your installation. Work under $1,000 is exempt from that requirement, but a heat pump installation runs well past that figure, so this job falls under it.
The license is what stands behind the contractor doing the work. In most cities and counties, the installation will also need a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is finished. That inspection is what checks the job itself, the wiring, the refrigerant lines, the way the unit was set, was done right.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does both heating and cooling, where a furnace only heats. Homes here need heat from September through June, so most of the year the heat pump is doing the same job a furnace would. Modern heat pumps are built to keep working well below Astoria's 35°F winter nights, so cold weather is not a reason to rule one out here.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only moves heat out of your house. A heat pump does that too, but it can also run in reverse and move heat into your house, which is what heats your home in winter. Mechanically they share most of the same parts. The difference is the heat pump has a reversing valve that lets it switch directions.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. Heat pumps pull heat from outside air even when it is cold, since air still holds usable heat well below freezing. Astoria's winter nights average 35°F, which is well within the range a heat pump is designed to handle. As outdoor temperatures drop further, a heat pump has to work harder to pull the same heat, which is why sizing the unit correctly for the house matters.