# Heat Pump Installation in Davis and Woodland, CA

> Heat pump installation in Davis and Woodland: the City's electrical load worksheet, PG&E and Valley Clean Energy rates, and a 41°F daily swing. Get an estimate.

URL: https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/davis/

Ducted heat pumps for Davis and Woodland, planned around the City of Davis service-load worksheet, PG&E delivery with Valley Clean Energy generation, and hot afternoons that cool fast.

## What brings Davis and Woodland homeowners to a heat pump

A

### A heat pump and an EV charger on one service

The City of Davis load worksheet counts a heat pump at 100% of its nameplate rating and lists EV charging alongside it, so an older service may not carry both without changes.

B

### A rental house the owner wants to electrify

Only 43.5% of Davis homes are owner-occupied. For a rental, the owner makes the equipment and rate decisions, and the occupants' schedule shapes the install day.

C

### Hot afternoons, cool evenings

Davis has a 41°F design-day temperature range, the widest of the metro's listed stations, so the system spends much of each summer day well below full capacity.

D

### A Woodland house on a hotter design day

Woodland's 1% cooling design is 100°F, three degrees above Davis, and NOAA normals count 95.5 days a year at or above 90°F there.

## Heat pump services in Davis and Woodland

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.

Variable speed heat pump

An inverter-driven heat pump that runs at the output the house needs, sized and set up for Sacramento's heat and SMUD's rebate tiers.

AC to heat pump

A heat pump in place of a failing central air conditioner, with the furnace kept as backup, removed, or replaced by the heat pump's own air handler.

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.

Older homes

Ducted heat pumps for pre-war and mid-century houses, including a first duct system where the house never had one.

On a design-condition summer day in Davis, the gap between the afternoon high and the overnight low is 41°F, the widest daily swing among the Sacramento-area stations the Energy Commission lists. Add a city electrical worksheet that counts a heat pump at its full nameplate load, PG&E delivery with Valley Clean Energy generation, and a housing market where fewer than half of homes are owner-occupied, and Davis plans differently from its neighbors.

[Tule Sacramento Heat Pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/) installs ducted heat pumps in Davis and Woodland, with the work carried out by licensed and insured contractors.

## A 41-degree daily swing

### The design numbers

The CEC’s design data for Davis lists 103°F at 0.1%, 99°F at 0.5% and 97°F at 1% for cooling, a 41°F daily range, and 30°F at 0.2% for heating. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for the Davis station count 87.7 days a year at or above 90°F and 17.7 nights at or below 32°F.

### What the swing does to equipment

Sizing comes from the design afternoon, so the load calculation looks much like Sacramento’s. The swing matters for how the system runs. After the Delta breeze arrives in the evening, the cooling load drops fast, and a single-stage unit sized for 97°F cycles on and off through the night. A [variable-speed heat pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/variable-speed-heat-pump/) slows down instead, which also helps on PG&E’s 4 to 9 p.m. summer peak. The [sizing guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing/) explains the method.

### Winter mornings

Near-freezing, damp mornings bring frequent defrost cycles. The outdoor unit sits on a raised pad where melt water drains away from the foundation, and the backup heat is set to engage only when the heat pump cannot keep up.

## The City of Davis electrical load worksheet

Davis publishes a residential service-load worksheet that names heat pumps as their own line item. It sets out how new and existing loads are added up before the City accepts the electrical side of the job.

### What the worksheet counts

- **Heat pumps** at 100% of their nameplate rating, listed separately for a first and second unit.
- **Electric space heating**, such as backup strips, at 65%.
- **EV charging**, as its own line.
- **The general-load reduction** from the electrical code’s optional calculation for dwellings.
- **The existing service size** in amps, signed by the electrical contractor.

### When the numbers come out tight

On an older 100- or 125-amp service, a heat pump with backup strips plus an EV charger can push the calculated load past what the service carries. The options then are a smaller backup heat stage, a load-management device where the inspector accepts one, or a service upgrade. A standard 100- to 200-amp upgrade typically runs $1,500 to $4,500 for Sacramento-area homes. The [electrical panel guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electrical-panel/) compares the choices.

## Owners, landlords and shared walls

Census figures show 43.5% of Davis homes as owner-occupied, 43.3% in buildings of two or more units, and 44.8% built before 1980. Those are citywide shares, not a finding about any house.

- **Owner of a rental house.** The owner approves the scope and the rate plan, and the install day is planned with the people living there.
- **Condo or townhome.** Roof access, the outdoor unit location and HOA rules are confirmed per building. Where a unit has a rooftop package system, a [package heat pump replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/package-heat-pump-replacement/) covers it.
- **Pre-1980 single-family house.** Original ducts and service get tested first. [Heat pumps for older homes](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-older-homes/) explains that sequence.

## Valley Clean Energy and PG&E

The Energy Commission’s utility layers place Davis and Woodland in PG&E’s delivery territory with Valley Clean Energy as the generation provider, and PG&E supplies gas. PG&E’s E-ELEC plan, open to homes using an electric heat pump as primary heating and cooling, lists winter prices of $0.28468 per kWh off-peak and $0.32063 at peak as bundled rates.

Against PG&E’s gas baseline of about $2.54 per therm, a heat pump needs a COP of about 3.1 to 3.5 to match a 95% furnace on winter fuel cost, a figure derived from the two tariffs.

### Checking the Valley Clean Energy portion

For a Valley Clean Energy customer, the generation portion of the bill follows its own rates, so totals are checked against a recent bill. Winter heating savings over gas are thin on these prices; the case usually rests on [replacing an aging AC](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/replace-ac-with-heat-pump/) and the furnace in one project. The [electric bill guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electric-bill-sacramento/) compares the rate plans.

## Woodland

Woodland, north of Davis on SR-113, shares the utility pairing of PG&E and Valley Clean Energy and Title 24 climate zone 12, but runs hotter. Its 1% cooling design is 100°F, with 106°F at 0.1%, and NOAA normals count 95.5 days at or above 90°F and 20.6 at or above 100°F. Its heating design is 30°F at 0.2%, the same as Davis.

Census figures show 48.1% of Woodland homes built before 1980 and 18.5% before 1960. Where an older house has original ducts, the Title 24 leakage test and the 300 cfm per ton airflow check set the duct scope. Woodland issues its own permits, and its HVAC rules are confirmed per address and project.

## Permits in Davis

The City of Davis Building Division handles permits inside city limits. Beyond the load worksheet, its HVAC submittal details are confirmed per address and project. The state steps apply everywhere: a permit for the space-conditioning appliance, duct sealing and testing on the change-out, and refrigerant charge verification by an ECC-Rater. The [permit and Title 24 guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/) covers each step.

## How a Davis install is sequenced

1. **Who decides.** Owner or landlord, single-family or shared building, and the PG&E and Valley Clean Energy bill.
2. **Load calculation and ducts.** The heating and cooling load, a duct inspection and static pressure readings.
3. **Electrical worksheet.** The service size, existing loads and any EV charger, run through the City’s form.
4. **Scope, permit and install.** An itemized scope, the permit, refrigerant recovery, new equipment, lines pressure-tested and evacuated.
5. **Verification.** Airflow, charge and the ECC-Rater visit.

For a gas furnace and AC, the starting point is a [gas furnace to heat pump conversion](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/gas-furnace-to-heat-pump-conversion/). The [Sacramento cost guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-cost-sacramento/) explains what moves the price.

Plan a heat pump in Davis or Woodland

Share the address, the panel's amp rating and whether an EV charger is on it or planned. The plan starts with the load worksheet.

## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes

- Central Davis
- Old East Davis
- North Davis
- South Davis
- West Davis
- Mace Ranch
- Woodland

### Landmarks

- UC Davis
- Davis Farmers Market
- Central Park
- Davis Arboretum

### Main routes

- I-80
- SR-113
- Russell Blvd
- Covell 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 Davis and Woodland?

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

## Davis and Woodland questions

### How much does a ducted heat pump cost in Davis or Woodland?

Sacramento-area conversions from a gas furnace and central AC to a ducted heat pump typically run about $15,000 to $24,000 before incentives, with typical jobs near $18,000 to $19,000. A standard 100- to 200-amp panel upgrade, if the load worksheet calls for one, typically adds $1,500 to $4,500. Davis and Woodland are PG&E territory, so no SMUD rebate applies, and no PG&E single-family heat pump rebate was found.

### Why does Davis ask for an electrical load calculation with a heat pump?

The City's Residential Electrical Load Calculation worksheet is how it checks that an existing service can carry new loads. It lists heat pumps at their full nameplate rating, electric space heating at 65%, and EV charging, applies the electrical code's general-load reduction, and asks the electrical contractor to sign off on the existing service size in amps.

### Can the owner of a Davis rental convert it to a heat pump?

Yes. The owner signs the scope, the permit is pulled for the property, and the work is scheduled around the people living there. The load worksheet and the Title 24 duct and refrigerant tests apply the same way as in an owner-occupied house. In a condo or townhome, roof access, shared walls and HOA rules are confirmed per building first.

### Does the Delta breeze change how a Davis heat pump is sized?

It changes how the system runs more than its size. The Energy Commission lists a 97°F cooling design at 1% for Davis with a 41°F daily range, so evenings cool quickly after a hot afternoon. The load calculation still sizes for the design afternoon. A variable-speed system then spends the cooler hours at low speed instead of cycling on and off.

### Is Woodland's summer harder on a heat pump than Davis's?

Somewhat. Woodland's 1% cooling design is 100°F against 97°F in Davis, and NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals count 95.5 days at or above 90°F and 20.6 at or above 100°F in Woodland, compared with 87.7 and 16.7 in Davis. The Woodland load calculation usually comes out a little higher for the same house.

## Related guides

- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.

## Nearby service areas

- [West Sacramento](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/west-sacramento/)Sacramento's weather on a PG&E bill
- [Land Park, Curtis Park and East Sacramento](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/land-park-east-sacramento/)A 1920s or 1930s house with ducts added later, or none
- [Elk Grove](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/elk-grove/)Picking the right permit type before the quote