# Heat Pump Guides for Sacramento Homes > Heat pump guides for Sacramento homes: costs, SMUD and California rebates, sizing for 104°F afternoons, ducts, panels, permits, Title 24 and running costs. URL: https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/ Sacramento asks a heat pump to do two very different jobs: heat through damp tule-fog mornings near 40°F and cool through design afternoons of 98 to 104°F. These guides from Tule Sacramento Heat Pump cover the decisions in between, grouped under the service each one supports: what a job costs and what SMUD still pays, how a system is sized, what the ducts, panel and permit need, and how to compare quotes. ## Start here - Learn [What should you know before putting a heat pump in a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/sacramento-heat-pump-guide/)How a ducted heat pump heats and cools, why Sacramento sizes for the afternoon, what tule fog does to the outdoor coil, how your electric utility changes the math, and what ducts, panels, permits and rebates add to the job. - Cost Guide [How much does heat pump installation cost in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-cost-sacramento/)Typical Sacramento-area ranges for ducted heat pump jobs, the public figures inside a price, permit fees by jurisdiction, the parts only a site visit can price, and which incentives are still open. - Learn [What happens during a heat pump installation, step by step?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-process/)The order a ducted heat pump job follows from the first look at the house to the final inspection, what each step depends on, and where Title 24 testing and the permit fit in. - Learn [How do you compare heat pump quotes in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/how-to-compare-heat-pump-quotes/)A line-by-line checklist for putting bids side by side, the questions that expose a missing scope, what the SMUD rebate wording should say, and how to use SMUD's published median as a sanity check. ## Guides for [furnace to heat pump conversion](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/gas-furnace-to-heat-pump-conversion/) - Learn [Is California banning gas furnaces in existing Sacramento homes?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-gas-furnace-ban/)Which rules exist, which apply only to new construction, what the City of Sacramento has and has not adopted, how SB 222 treats HOAs, and why timing is usually set by the furnace and the electric rate rather than a deadline. - Learn [What heat pump rebates are still available in California for Sacramento-area homes?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-heat-pump-rebates/)A program-by-program status check for the incentives that used to stack on a heat pump, what each electric utility in the region offers, the income-qualified help that remains, and how to budget when no rebate applies. - Cost Guide [How much does it cost to convert a gas furnace to a heat pump in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/gas-furnace-to-heat-pump-conversion-cost/)What a furnace-and-AC to heat pump conversion typically costs around Sacramento, which parts of the job carry a public figure, what the gas side adds, and how SMUD's gas-to-electric rebate changes the net. - Learn [How much will a heat pump add to your electric bill in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electric-bill-sacramento/)How heating moves from the gas bill to the electric bill, what a therm of heat costs under each local rate plan, how summer peaks and fixed charges work, and the settings that keep a heat pump's bill from creeping up. - Learn [When does a heat pump need an electrical panel upgrade?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electrical-panel/)What a heat pump adds to a home's electrical load, how a service-load calculation decides whether the panel can carry it, what an upgrade typically costs, and where SMUD's panel and circuit rebates fit. - Decision Guide [Is a heat pump or a gas furnace better for a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-sacramento/)How the two compare on Sacramento's winter mornings, what each costs to run under SMUD, Roseville Electric and PG&E rates, how they differ in comfort, safety and upkeep, and which households should keep gas for now. - Learn [How does the SMUD heat pump rebate work?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/smud-heat-pump-rebates/)What SMUD pays on a ducted heat pump, which homes and systems qualify, the permit and Title 24 steps the claim depends on, the Go Electric panel and circuit add-ons, and who files the paperwork. ## Guides for [heat pump replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-replacement/) - Learn [What does a heat pump permit in Sacramento involve, and what does Title 24 check?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/)The permit office for each part of the region, what the City of Sacramento's standard change-out permit allows, every Title 24 test a change-out carries, and how SB 222 reshapes permits from 2027. - Learn [Where should a heat pump's outdoor unit go, and how do you keep it quiet?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-placement-noise/)How location affects airflow, drainage, service access and sound, what the City of Sacramento and Roseville permits allow when a unit moves, and the installation details that decide how loud a heat pump is. - Learn [What does the switch to R-454B refrigerant mean for a heat pump?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-refrigerant-r454b/)Why new heat pumps use A2L refrigerants such as R-454B and R-32, what that changes about coils, line sets and indoor safeguards, and how to think about repairing or replacing an older R-410A system. - Cost Guide [What does it cost to replace a heat pump in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-replacement-cost-sacramento/)SMUD's own median for replacing an older heat pump or electric heat with a new heat pump, why individual jobs land far from it, the parts of a replacement price with a public figure, and the one rebate still open. - Learn [How is a heat pump sized for a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing/)How a load calculation turns your house, your town's design temperatures and your ducts into a capacity, why the old condenser's tonnage is a poor guide, and what Title 24 and the City permit allow. - Learn [How long do heat pumps last in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-lifespan/)What wears a heat pump out, why a system that heats and cools all year builds hours faster, which installation details protect it, and how to decide between another repair and a replacement. ## Guides for [ac to heat pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/replace-ac-with-heat-pump/) - Learn [How does a heat pump hold up in Sacramento's hot weather?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-hot-weather/)What happens inside a heat pump on a 100-degree afternoon, how the design temperature for your town sets its size, why attic ducts and outdoor-unit placement matter, and how to run it around summer peak pricing. - Decision Guide [Should you replace a central air conditioner with a heat pump or another AC?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-air-conditioner/)A heat pump is an air conditioner that can also heat. Here is what that one difference changes in the Sacramento area: price, rebates, winter bills, Title 24 testing, the furnace you already have and how long the outdoor unit works each year. - Decision Guide [Should a Sacramento home replace its swamp cooler with a heat pump?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-swamp-cooler/)Evaporative coolers suit the valley's dry summers, up to a point. This guide compares them with a ducted heat pump on cooling limits, smoke days, winter heating, running cost and the duct and roof work a switch can involve. ## Guides for [dual fuel heat pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/dual-fuel-heat-pump/) - Learn [What is heat pump aux heat, and when should it run in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-aux-heat-defrost/)How backup heat strips, defrost cycles and thermostat controls work together, why the valley floor rarely needs strips for capacity, what they cost to run on each utility's rates, and when a furnace makes the better backup. ## Guides for [air handler replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-air-handler-replacement/) - Learn [Can a ducted heat pump help keep wildfire smoke out of a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-wildfire-smoke/)Why a heat pump recirculates rather than ventilates, how filter rating and filter size trade off against the airflow a heat pump needs, which settings help on smoke days, and what an air handler replacement can fix. ## Guides for [heat pump ductwork](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-ductwork/) - Decision Guide [Should a Sacramento home get a ducted or a ductless heat pump?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/ducted-vs-ductless-heat-pump/)How the two systems get heat into each room, what the existing ducts decide, what SMUD's rebate-program data shows about cost, and where a ductless system is the better fit. ## Guides for [variable speed heat pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/variable-speed-heat-pump/) - Learn [What do SEER2 and HSPF2 ratings mean for a Sacramento heat pump?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/seer2-hspf2-ratings/)How the cooling and heating efficiency ratings are built, how to turn HSPF2 into a COP you can compare with your utility's break-even figure, and why installation quality decides whether a system reaches its rating.