Heat Pump Cost Estimator for Sacramento
This heat pump cost calculator asks five questions about your house and gives a typical Sacramento-area range before rebates, the SMUD rebate that may apply, and what is and is not in the number. No contact details needed; the result updates as you go.
Estimate your project
What heats the house now and what happens to the ducts choose the range. The panel answer adds a separate line, and your utility and compressor type decide the rebate. None of them stretch or shrink the range itself.
Typical Sacramento-area range, before rebates
$15,000 to $24,000
Replacing a gas furnace and central air conditioner with a ducted heat pump in a single-family home. About half of recent local projects land in this range, with typical jobs near $18,000 to $19,000.
New ducts, a panel upgrade, a larger system or a hard-to-reach attic push a job above this range.
Separate add-on
| Panel upgrade, only if the electrical check finds the service too smallA standard upgrade at the same location. Relocating the panel, an underground service or meter work can push it past $5,000. | $1,500 to $4,500 |
|---|
Rebate
SMUD rebate that may apply: $3,000
SMUD lists $3,000 for a variable-stage heat pump that replaces gas heat. It is not subtracted from the range above.
- Qualifying equipment installed by a participating contractor in the SMUD Contractor Network, who submits the rebate.
- An active SMUD account at a home individually metered by SMUD.
- A two-stage or variable-stage compressor rated at least 15.2 SEER2 (single-stage does not qualify), with a Wi-Fi, 7-day programmable connected thermostat.
- A permit, inspections and a passed Title 24 verification (CF3R); any new ductwork insulated to at least R-8.
- Subject to SMUD funding. SMUD sets the amount and confirms it; nothing here guarantees it.
SMUD also offers Go Electric rebates for panel, subpanel and circuit work on gas-to-electric projects. SMUD confirms the amount for your project.
What the figure covers
- Removing the furnace and air conditioner, and installing the outdoor heat pump, indoor air handler and line set
- Testing and sealing the existing ducts
- The permit and Title 24 verification
Not included
- The panel upgrade, shown as its own line
- Rebates, which are not subtracted
- Wall, ceiling or attic repairs beyond the installation itself
What moves the price
These items have no reliable published price on their own, so they are listed without numbers.
- Air handler: where it sits (attic, garage or closet), the size of any electric backup heat, a matched AHRI rating with the outdoor unit, and A2L refrigerant detection requirements.
- Line set: run length and access through the attic, walls or slab, whether the old lines suit the new unit and its A2L refrigerant, and whether they are flushed or replaced.
- Electrical circuit: distance from the panel, open breaker space, wire size for the unit, and the disconnect.
- Thermostat: a communicating or conventional control, a new wire run, and staging for backup heat. The SMUD rebate requires a Wi-Fi, 7-day programmable connected thermostat.
- Title 24 verification: the number of tests on the compliance form (refrigerant charge and airflow, duct leakage, fan watt draw) and any retests.
- Capacity: a larger system costs more, though less than in proportion to its size. A load calculation sets the size, not the old unit.
- Duct sealing: the leakage the rater measures, attic access, the number of runs, and mastic or aerosol sealing.
Permit
A permit is required for any heat pump installation, and replacing the equipment triggers duct sealing with ECC-Rater verification and a refrigerant charge check. In the City of Sacramento, an HVAC change-out permit is a $175 flat fee plus surcharges; other cities and the County set their own fees, usually a few hundred dollars.
Running cost
On SMUD winter rates, a heat pump needs an efficiency (COP) of only about 1.4 to 2.0 to heat for less than a 95% gas furnace on PG&E gas, so almost any modern heat pump clears it (derived from the published tariffs, energy charges only).
These are budgeting ranges for Sacramento-area projects, not a quote or a company rate. The price for your home comes after a site visit, a load calculation and a look at the ducts and panel.
How the estimate works
Replacing a gas furnace and central air with a ducted heat pump shows $15,000 to $24,000. A package gas unit swapped for a package heat pump shows $15,500 to $24,000. Replacing the ducts in the same project shows $20,000 to $31,000. These come from completed local projects before rebates. Each range holds the middle of those projects, so the top is not a ceiling: larger or harder jobs go past it.
For an older heat pump or electric heat, there is only one local source, so the tool shows SMUD's published median of about $17,000 for split systems instead of a range. Keeping the furnace and adding a heat pump (dual fuel) has no reliable local figure, so it shows what moves the price instead.
A panel upgrade is its own line, $1,500 to $4,500 for a standard 100- to 200-amp upgrade. SMUD's rebate tiers are $3,000 for a variable-stage and $2,000 for a two-stage heat pump replacing gas, and $1,000 replacing an electric system. The tool never subtracts them, because SMUD confirms each one.
What the range leaves out
- A panel upgrade, shown separately when your panel answer suggests one
- Rebates, which depend on SMUD's confirmation and are never subtracted
- Wall, ceiling or attic repairs beyond the installation itself
- Size scaling: the tool does not price by tons or square feet, because a load calculation sets the size
- Commercial systems, which are priced after a visit
Read the Sacramento cost guideSMUD heat pump rebatesCheck if your home is ready
Get an Exact Quote
A site visit, load calculation and duct test turn this range into a price for your home. Your estimator answers are added to the request.
Call (916) 516-1454Tule Sacramento Heat Pump3626 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95864
office@tulesacramentoheatpump.com