# Heat Pump Installation in Citrus Heights, CA

> Heat pump installation in Citrus Heights: replacing electric furnaces and older heat pumps, sizing for a 26°F design and SMUD rebates. Get an estimate.

URL: https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/citrus-heights/

Ducted heat pumps for Citrus Heights houses that already heat with electricity, and for the gas homes beside them, sized for the valley's coldest listed design temperature.

## What brings Citrus Heights homeowners to a heat pump

A

### A house that already heats with electricity

47.0% of Citrus Heights households heat with electricity. Where that heat is a ducted electric furnace or an older heat pump, a new heat pump replaces it and the AC in one system.

B

### An electric furnace at the end of its life

Title 24 does not allow electric resistance as the primary heat in a replacement heating system unless an exception applies, so a worn-out electric furnace is normally replaced by a heat pump.

C

### Cold, foggy mornings at a 26°F design

The CEC lists Citrus Heights at 26°F for heating at the 0.2% level, the coldest valley value in its tables. Heating capacity at that temperature and the backup heat stage get checked during sizing.

D

### A 1960s or 1970s house with original ducts

61.9% of the city's homes were built before 1980. The Title 24 duct test on the change-out shows whether the old ducts can be sealed or need sections replaced.

## Heat pump services in Citrus Heights

Heat pump replacement

An aging heat pump swapped for a matched, correctly sized system, with the ducts tested and the charge verified under Title 24.

Furnace to heat pump conversion

One ducted heat pump in place of the gas furnace and the central AC, sized from a load calculation and tested to Title 24.

Air handler replacement

A new indoor fan and coil cabinet matched to the outdoor unit, with the drain, filter, backup heat and duct test done to Title 24.

Heat pump ductwork

Duct testing, sealing, resizing or full replacement so a heat pump gets the airflow it needs and passes the Title 24 test.

Package unit replacement

A rooftop or ground-mounted package unit replaced with a package heat pump, with the curb, duct connections and Title 24 testing handled in one scope.

If a Citrus Heights house already heats with electricity, the question isn’t whether to go electric. It is how much less electricity the same heat could take. [Tule Sacramento Heat Pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/) replaces electric furnaces, older heat pumps and gas systems with ducted heat pumps throughout Citrus Heights, from Sunrise Ranch and Birdcage to the Arcade Creek and Rusch Park areas. Licensed and insured contractors do the installation.

## Already electric: what a heat pump changes

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey puts the share of Citrus Heights households heating with electricity at 47.0%, the highest among the cities this site covers, against 50.5% on gas. The survey doesn’t say what kind of electric heat, so the starting point is checked house by house.

### From an electric furnace or strip heat

An electric furnace turns each kWh into one kWh of heat. A heat pump moves heat from outdoors instead, so on most winter days it delivers more heat than the electricity it uses. That gap is the bill difference, and it replaces the air conditioner at the same time. This is a [heat pump replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-replacement/) scope with a new air handler.

### From an older heat pump

Where the house already has a heat pump, the job is a like-for-like change of the outdoor unit and the [air handler or coil](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-air-handler-replacement/), with the ducts tested. A package unit on the roof or a slab is a [package heat pump replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/package-heat-pump-replacement/).

### From wall or baseboard heaters

No ducts means a ducted heat pump needs a duct system first, which turns the job into a larger project. Ductless mini splits are a separate trade and are not offered here.

## What Title 24 allows when electric heat is replaced

The CEC’s compliance manual for alterations says replacement space heating may not use electric resistance as the primary heat unless one of its exceptions applies. In practice, an electric furnace that wears out is replaced by a heat pump, with resistance strips kept only as backup.

The same rules apply to every change-out here:

- **Duct sealing and testing** by an ECC-Rater, to 10% or less total leakage, or every accessible leak sealed.
- **Refrigerant charge verification**, required for heat pumps in every climate zone, with at least 300 cfm of airflow per ton.
- **A digital setback thermostat** whenever a refrigerant component is replaced.

The [permit and Title 24 guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/) covers the paperwork.

## Sizing for a 26°F design morning

### What the design table shows

The CEC’s design data lists Citrus Heights at 98°F for cooling at the 1% level and 104°F at 0.1%, the same as Sacramento Airport. On the heating side it lists 26°F at 0.2%, the coldest value among the valley stations in its east-county table, where Sacramento Airport sits at 31°F.

### What that means for the equipment

Cold-climate equipment isn’t required on the valley floor, where nights at 20°F or below are close to absent in NOAA’s normals. What the colder design changes is the check on heating capacity at 26°F and the size of the backup heat. The winter issue is damp mornings near freezing, which bring frequent defrost cycles. The [aux heat and defrost guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-aux-heat-defrost/) explains how staging keeps the strips from running more than they need to.

## 1960s and 1970s houses: ducts and service size

### Original ducts

The ACS counts 61.9% of Citrus Heights homes as built before 1980 and 7.3% in 2000 or later. In a house of that era, the original ducts and the electrical service are the two places scope changes. Ducts that fail the leakage test get sealed at every accessible joint and boot, and crushed runs or small returns point toward [duct repair or replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-ductwork/).

### The electrical service

On the electrical side, a heat pump replacing an electric furnace can lower the peak draw if its backup strips are smaller than the old furnace’s elements, but the panel and breaker sizes are still checked against the new equipment’s nameplate. SMUD treats services of 125 amps or smaller as a separate class for its optional low-use rate, a reminder that small panels exist in its territory.

Plan a Citrus Heights heat pump

Tell us how the house heats now, electric furnace, older heat pump or gas, and the street. The scope starts from there.

## Permits through the City’s online portal

Citrus Heights runs its own building department, separate from Sacramento County. The City states that all building permits must be submitted and processed online through its Citizen Access Portal, and its permit requirements list replacement of a furnace or central air conditioner and replacement of mechanical equipment. The permit fee is set by the City and appears as its own line in the quote.

## SMUD rebates for an electric-to-electric change

Citrus Heights is SMUD territory, with gas from PG&E. Replacing an electric system with a qualifying two-stage or variable-stage heat pump earns SMUD’s $1,000 electric-to-electric rebate. A gas-to-electric conversion qualifies for up to $3,000. Both require qualifying equipment installed by a participating contractor in the SMUD Contractor Network, permits and a passing Title 24 verification.

Rebate-qualified installations are available on request. The [SMUD rebate guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/smud-heat-pump-rebates/) lists the conditions, and the [replacement cost guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-replacement-cost-sacramento/) and [electric bill guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electric-bill-sacramento/) show what the change does to cost on SMUD’s rates.

### What SMUD’s rates mean for electric heat

Outside summer, SMUD charges $0.1285 a kWh off-peak and $0.1776 in the weekday 5 to 8 p.m. peak. Resistance heat pays that price for every unit of heat it delivers. A heat pump that averages a COP of 2 over a winter needs half the kWh for the same heat, and one averaging 3 needs a third, before any change in thermostat habits. Those are illustrations of the arithmetic, not a promised saving; the real figure depends on the house and the equipment.

## A Citrus Heights project from start to finish

1. **Phone or form.** The heat type, the equipment’s location and age, and the address.
2. **On-site assessment.** Load calculation room by room, duct leakage and static pressure, the electrical service, and a spot for the outdoor unit with drainage for defrost water.
3. **Written scope.** Equipment, backup heat size, any duct work and the permit, filed online with the City.
4. **Installation day.** Old refrigerant recovered, equipment replaced, lines brazed and evacuated, the system charged to the manufacturer’s specification.
5. **Close-out.** Airflow, charge and strip heat staging confirmed, then the ECC-Rater test and the City’s final.

## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes

- Sunrise Ranch
- Birdcage
- Arcade Creek
- Rusch Park

### Landmarks

- Sunrise Mall
- Rusch Park
- Citrus Heights City Hall

### Main routes

- I-80
- Sunrise Blvd
- Greenback Ln
- Auburn Blvd

1. 1. Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Arden-Arcade
2. 2. Citrus Heights
3. 3. Davis and Woodland
4. 4. El Dorado Hills
5. 5. Elk Grove
6. 6. Folsom
7. 7. Land Park, Curtis Park and East Sacramento
8. 8. Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis and Granite Bay
9. 9. Roseville
10. 10. West Sacramento

Planning a heat pump in Citrus Heights?

Call with your current system, the rooms that bother you and your ZIP code.

## Citrus Heights questions

### What does replacing an electric furnace with a heat pump cost in Citrus Heights?

SMUD's published median for electric-to-heat-pump upgrade projects is about $17,000 for split systems and about $19,000 for package units, before rebates, and individual projects range widely. Qualifying equipment earns SMUD's $1,000 electric-to-electric rebate. A gas furnace and AC conversion is a different scope, typically about $15,000 to $24,000 before rebates in the Sacramento area.

### Can an electric furnace in Citrus Heights be replaced with another electric furnace?

Generally not as the main heat. Title 24 says replacement space heating may not use electric resistance as the primary heat source unless one of its exceptions applies, and the alteration paperwork filed with the permit has to show compliance. A heat pump meets the rule, keeps the existing ducts in play and replaces the air conditioner at the same time.

### Why does Citrus Heights have a colder heating design than Sacramento?

The California Energy Commission's design table lists Citrus Heights at 26°F at the 0.2% level, against 31°F at Sacramento Airport. Design values come from each station's long-term records. For a heat pump it means checking heating capacity at 26°F and sizing the backup heat for those few mornings, while the cooling load at 98°F still usually sets the size.

### Can a Citrus Heights heat pump permit be pulled at the counter?

No. The City of Citrus Heights requires all building permits to be submitted and processed online through its Citizen Access Portal, and its permit requirements list replacement of a furnace, central air conditioner or other mechanical equipment as work that needs one. The ECC-Rater verification and the City's inspection follow the installation.

### What happens to the electric heat strips when a heat pump replaces an electric furnace?

The new air handler gets its own backup heat, sized to the load calculation instead of carried over from the old furnace. In a properly set up system the strips run during defrost and on the coldest mornings, when the heat pump alone can't keep up, rather than as the main heat. The thermostat's staging and lockout settings decide how often they come on.

## Related guides

- 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 [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.
- 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.
- 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 [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.

## Nearby service areas

- [Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Arden-Arcade](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/carmichael-fair-oaks/)A County parcel with a Sacramento mailing address
- [Roseville](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/roseville/)No SMUD rebate on a Roseville Electric address
- [Folsom](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/folsom/)A SMUD address a few miles from PG&E territory