Heat pumps in Tampa

How a heat pump works

A heat pump moves heat from your home to the outdoors in warm seasons and from the outdoors into your home in cold ones. It provides cooling in summer and heating in winter, so it works year-round.

In cooling mode, a heat pump does what a central air conditioner does. The difference is a reversing valve, which lets the refrigerant flow the other way when you ask for heat. Many systems also have electric heat strips in the indoor unit for the coldest mornings.

Why the climate matters

The normal January low at Tampa International is about 53 degrees. The monthly figures add up to roughly 430 heating degree days a year against roughly 3,900 cooling degree days. The system spends nearly all its work cooling.

With that balance, one heat pump can supply both the cooling Tampa needs for seven months or more and the small amount of heat for a few cold weeks. Your tech can tell you whether a heat pump or an air conditioner with a separate heat source makes more sense for your house.

HSPF2 and SEER2

SEER2 rates cooling efficiency. HSPF2 rates heating efficiency over a season. Both come from DOE's revised test method, which took effect in 2023, and they are not directly comparable with the older SEER and HSPF numbers.

The national minimum for a split-system heat pump made on or after January 1, 2023 is 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. Heat pumps are not covered by the regional split that applies to air conditioners in the Southeast. In Tampa the SEER2 number matters more than HSPF2, because cooling is most of the load.

What wears out

A heat pump runs in more months than an air conditioner paired with a gas furnace, so the outdoor unit has more hours on it. The parts that fail most often are the same ones as in an AC:

• Capacitors and contactors in the outdoor unit
• The outdoor fan motor and the indoor blower motor
• The compressor, which is the most expensive part
• The reversing valve, which a heat pump has and an AC does not
• Electric heat strips, in systems that have them
• The condensate drain line, which clogs for the same reasons as in any AC

Filter changes, coil cleaning and the drain check described on the maintenance page apply in full. See the cost guide for typical ranges.

Heat mode in a Tampa winter

On a cool Tampa morning the heat pump pulls heat from the outside air and moves it indoors. The air from the registers feels warmer than the room but cooler than the air from a gas furnace, which surprises some owners. That is normal for a heat pump.

Modern air-source heat pumps can cut electricity use for heating by about 50 percent compared with furnaces and baseboard heaters. Tampa's heating season is short, so the saving is small in dollars. What matters more is that one system handles both jobs.

Heat pump or air conditioner

Both cool the same way. The question is how you want to heat the house on the few cold days.

• Heat pump. One outdoor unit, one set of ducts and, usually, electric backup. A single system to maintain.
• Air conditioner with a separate heat source. An air conditioner for cooling plus a gas or electric furnace or strips. This suits a house that already has a gas furnace in good shape.

If your current system is a heat pump, a replacement will usually be another heat pump, since the ducts, the wiring and the thermostat are set up for it. Ask your tech whether a change is worth the added work.

What to ask your tech

• Is a heat pump the right choice for this house, or would an AC with a separate heat source fit better?
• What are the SEER2 and HSPF2 ratings, and how did you pick the size?
• What backup heat does the system have, and when does it come on?
• How does the maintenance visit differ for a heat pump?
• Does the quote include the permit?
• Ask for their state license number.