Sustainable Comfort

Air Source Heat Pump Installation

Why Choose A Ducted Heat Pump?

There are many benefits to installing a ducted heat pump.

One system for every season

In winter, a ducted heat pump pulls heat from outdoor air and moves it inside. In summer, it reverses and pushes heat back out. Instead of running a furnace through winter and a separate air conditioner through summer, one system does both through the same vents you already have. If your home has central ductwork, that's the same system that can now keep you comfortable in July as well as January.

Same ductwork, new tech

If your home already runs on forced-air ductwork, you likely don't need to build a new distribution system from scratch. This is a natural fit for an aging furnace, a central AC on its way out, a forced-air home with no cooling at all, or a move away from oil heat. Existing ducts still need checking, though.

No units on the wall

Ducted systems use the vents and registers you already have, instead of adding wall-mounted units in each room. If you want whole-home comfort without visible equipment inside your living space, that's the main reason to choose ducted over ductless. It's a layout preference more than a performance one. Ductless is still the better call for rooms or additions without usable ducts.

Shrink those bills

A heat pump moves heat instead of generating it, which is why it uses less electricity than baseboards or an electric furnace for the same amount of heat. Switching from oil, propane, or gas can also save money, but the size of that saving depends on your home and your current system. We break the numbers down properly in the costs and savings section.

Breathe easy

Because air passes through a central forced-air system, a ducted heat pump can be part of a whole-home filtration setup, useful during wildfire smoke season when keeping the house closed up matters. How much that actually helps depends on the filter and fan the system can accommodate, which is a question for the installer, not a given just because the home has ducts.

Get off oil, gas, or propane

An all-electric ducted heat pump means your home's main heating equipment no longer burns fuel on site. That matters most for the roughly 6,000 Seattle households still on oil heat, since it also means no more fuel deliveries and no aging underground tank to worry about. Some installations keep the furnace as backup in a dual-fuel setup instead, which is worth asking about directly if going fully electric is the goal.

Ducted Heat Pump Savings

Installing a ducted heat pump may open up the possibility of saving on energy bills. Take a closer look.

Choose the electric heating system you use now

PSE's ducted examples suggest about $730 to $1,400 less per year in heating costs.

Possible annual difference

$730–$1,400

compared with electric baseboard heating

PSE ducted heat pump examples $1,071–$1,736 a year

Estimated annual heating cost

Electric baseboards vs. ducted heat pumps

PSE estimates
Electric baseboards $2,467
High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump $1,071
Heat pump with backup electric furnace $1,736

Duct condition

Leaks, insulation, sizing, and airflow affect how efficiently heat reaches each room.

System and backup heat

Equipment efficiency and how often backup heating runs can change the result.

Rates and usage

Electricity prices, thermostat settings, weather, and heating demand all affect the bill.

These are PSE regional heating-only estimates for an average 2,000-square-foot home with 2.6 occupants, using PSE residential rates as of July 1, 2026. They do not include cooling. Actual costs and savings vary by home, equipment, ductwork, utility rates, weather, usage, and installation quality.

Is A Ducted Heat Pump Right For Your Home?

A ducted heat pump can be an excellent whole-home option, but it depends on what your home already has.

A quick starting point

Does your home look like a ducted fit?

Good signs
  • You already have usable forced-air ductwork
  • You want one system for most or all of the home
  • Your ducts can provide enough airflow, or can reasonably be improved
  • Outdoor-unit placement and electrical capacity look workable
Ductless may make more sense
  • There is no existing ductwork
  • Adding ducts would mean opening finished walls or ceilings
  • Only one or two rooms need better comfort
  • Zone-by-zone control matters more than one central system

6 quick questions

Not sure where your home lands?

Answer a few straightforward questions about your existing system, ductwork and what you want from the upgrade.

This is a general guide, not a system design or installation decision. An installer still needs to inspect your home, ductwork and electrical setup before confirming what is suitable.

Ductwork And Airflow

It is important to understand ducts.

Ductwork has to do more than exist. It needs to move enough air to match the new equipment, which is why the installer checks it before your heat pump system installation is finalized, not after.

Can your existing ducts be reused?

Often, yes, but they need checking first. Central air source heat pumps can generally reuse existing forced-air ductwork, though heat pumps often need more airflow than the furnace they're replacing. The installer, like most air source heat pump contractors, checks duct sizing, leaks, insulation, return-air capacity, and how evenly air reaches each room, along with any comfort problems you've already noticed, like a bedroom that never quite warms up or a vent that barely puts out air. Depending on what they find, your ducts might be fine as they are, usable after some work, or worth replacing.

What if your ducts need work

Finding a problem doesn't mean starting over. Moderate fixes, sealing leaks, resizing a grille, improving a return, can often solve real comfort issues without a full duct replacement. More substantial work only makes sense where the ducts are too damaged or undersized to carry what the new system needs. Either way, it's worth understanding what any recommended work adds to the project before you commit to it.

No ductwork at all?

It's possible to add central ductwork, especially during a renovation that's already opening up the walls, but running new ducts in a finished home is real construction work. In that case, it's worth comparing the cost against a ductless mini-splitsystem instead.

Ducted Heat Pump Installation Process

Here's a general walkthrough of what you can expect when installing a ducted heat pump.

1. Home review and sizing

The installer reviews your current system, ductwork, electrical capacity, and where new equipment could go, then calculates the right size using a Manual J load calculation rather than a square-footage guess.

2. System and duct planning

This is where the project gets specific: outdoor unit placement, indoor equipment location, refrigerant line routing, and whether your existing ducts can support the new equipment or need modification.

3. Quote and permits

Once the plan is set, you get a project scope and quote covering equipment, labor, and any duct or electrical work. Seattle heat pump projects commonly involve mechanical and refrigeration permits, and sometimes electrical permits, which the installer handles.

4. Installation

The physical work: removing or preparing old equipment, connecting the indoor unit to your ducts, placing the outdoor unit, running refrigerant lines, and wiring the electrical and drainage connections. Any agreed duct work usually happens here too.

5. Commissioning and testing

Before the installer leaves, refrigerant charge gets verified, airflow gets checked against the equipment's requirements, and the system gets tested in both heating and cooling modes.

6. Handover and inspection

You get a walkthrough of the thermostat and filter care, plus documentation for your system. Seattle-permitted refrigeration work, including heat pumps, gets inspected by SDCI.

How Ducted Heat Pumps Work

Understanding this efficient technology is actually quite straightforward.

Switch the mode to see how heating and cooling move through the same ducts

In heating, the system collects heat outside, transfers it into your home's air, then sends that warmed air through the ducts.

Outdoor coil

Collects outdoor heat
The outdoor coil absorbs usable heat from the air, even when it feels cold outside.

Compressor + valve

Raises temperature
The compressor raises the refrigerant's pressure and temperature. The reversing valve routes the cycle for heating.

Indoor coil + blower

Transfers heat to air
The indoor coil transfers heat into your home's air. The blower then starts moving that warmed air through the system.

Ductwork + rooms

Distributes and returns air
Supply ducts carry warmed air to vents in each room. Return ducts bring room air back to the indoor unit to be conditioned again.
Return air keeps the cycle going

Room air comes back through the return ducts to the indoor unit. Blocked returns or a dirty filter can reduce comfort even when the heat pump itself is working properly.

In cold, damp weather, the outdoor unit may occasionally run a defrost cycle. That's normal operation, not a fault.

This diagram shows an air-source ducted heat pump. Ground-source systems exchange heat with the ground instead of outdoor air, but can distribute conditioned air through similar indoor ductwork.

A furnace makes heat by burning fuel. A heat pump moves heat instead, using refrigerant and a compressor, which usually takes less energy than generating heat from scratch. Even outdoor air that feels cold still holds usable heat, and the outdoor coil absorbs it before the compressor raises its pressure and temperature enough to be useful indoors.

From there, the indoor coil transfers that heat into your home's air, and the blower pushes it through your supply ducts to the vents in each room. Return ducts bring room air back to the indoor unit so it can be conditioned again, which is why blocked returns or a dirty filter can hurt comfort even when the heat pump itself is working fine.

In summer, a reversing valve flips the cycle: heat gets pulled from indoor air and sent back outside, the same way a standard air conditioner works. You might notice the outdoor unit occasionally run a defrost cycle in cold, damp weather. That's normal operation, not a fault.

Ground source, or geothermal, systems work a little differently. Instead of exchanging heat with outdoor air, they exchange it with the relatively stable temperature underground, using buried loops. Indoors, the process looks much the same, but the site work is different enough that a ground source heat pump installer needs to assess buried loops or boreholes, not just ductwork.

Heat Pump Rebates and Support

Several rebate routes may apply to a Seattle heat pump project, and it's worth a few minutes to check before ruling any of them out. Eligibility depends on where you live, what you're replacing, and current program rules.

Seattle City Light offers instant contractor-side discounts on qualifying air-source heat pumps, typically $300 to $600 depending on system size and efficiency.

Washington State's HEAR program funds rebates for eligible households and small businesses through state-approved administrators, which may cover ducted, ductless, and ground-source equipment.

PSE offers rebates starting at $1,500 for eligible customers replacing electric resistance heating with a qualifying heat pump, with higher amounts available for income-qualified households or those switching from natural gas.

Seattle Clean Heat offers a $2,000 rebate for homes switching from oil heat to a qualifying system, with an additional $4,000 for moderate-income households on installations completed by September 30, 2026.

None of these are guaranteed for every homeowner.

Funding, income limits, equipment requirements, and contractor participation all affect eligibility, and rules can change. The installer can point you toward what applies, though your utility or the program administrator confirms actual eligibility.

Why Heat Pumps Seattle?

There are many reasons why we'll be a good fit for you.

We understand Seattle homes

Old gas furnaces, oil heat, electric resistance heating, homes with usable ducts and homes without: Seattle's housing stock is genuinely mixed, and the right answer depends on what's actually in front of us, not a generic answer written for any city.

Heat pump know-how

We can walk you through what actually affects performance, sizing, duct condition, electrical capacity, outdoor unit placement, before you ever talk to the installer. Our job is helping you understand the decision. The installer's job is confirming the right system for your home.

One partner, start to finish

We work with one exclusive installation partner, not a rotating list of contractors. You submit your details or call, and the installer takes it from there: assessment, quote, installation, permits, inspections, rebates, warranties, start to finish.

Straight answers first

Ducted versus ductless, replacement versus new install, what rebates might apply: we lay it out in plain language before you ever pick up the phone, so your first call with the installer builds on what you already know.

Other Services

We offer more than just air-source heat pump installations.

Mini-split installation

Ductless mini-splits skip the ductwork entirely, using one outdoor unit connected to indoor units in specific rooms. It's the better route for additions, basements, or any room central ducts don't reach. See how ductless mini-splits work

Repairs, maintenance & replacement

Repairs and maintenance covers an existing heat pump that's not performing the way it used to: weak airflow, strange noise, short cycling, or reduced heating and cooling. Explore repair and maintenance services

We Serve Seattle

No matter where in Seattle, we can connect you with our selected team for your heat pump journey.

Heat Pumps Seattle connects homeowners across the city with our installation partner, from older housing stock in Wallingford and Ballard to denser, mixed-use pockets in Fremont and Central Seattle. Ducted systems tend to suit the detached, forced-air homes common in these areas, while townhomes and apartments often lean ductless instead.

We also connect homeowners in Greenwood, Green Lake, and across North Seattle, including Northgate, Lake City, and Maple Leaf, where the same mix of older single-family homes and newer infill applies.

On the hills and waterfront side, Queen Anne and Magnolia often call for extra care around outdoor unit placement. Downtown, coverage extends to condos and mixed-use buildings across Downtown Seattle, where building rules matter more than the equipment itself, and further out to West Seattle and South Seattle.

Ducted Heat Pump FAQs

We answer commonly asked questions about ducted heat pumps and other considerations.

Are ducted heat pumps air source or ground source?

Either. Ducted describes how heating and cooling get distributed, not where the heat comes from. Air source heat pumps exchange heat with outdoor air; ground source systems exchange it with the ground through buried loops. This page mainly covers air source, the more common type, though a ground source system can use the same kind of ductwork inside your home.

Can I use my existing ductwork with a heat pump?

Usually, but it needs checking rather than assuming it'll just work. Heat pumps can need more airflow than the furnace they're replacing, so the installer checks duct sizing, insulation, and condition before finalizing the design. If the ducts are in good shape, reusing them is one of the bigger advantages of going ducted.

Do ducted heat pumps work well in Seattle winters?

Yes, for most properly designed installations. Cold-climate criteria include verified performance down to 5°F, and Seattle's winters are milder than many regions where these systems already perform well. The real answer depends on your specific equipment, sizing, and installation quality.

Do ducted heat pumps provide air conditioning too?

Yes. The same process that heats your home in winter reverses to cool it in summer, using the same ducts and vents. That's often the biggest upgrade for a homeowner replacing a furnace in a house that never had central air.

Why does heat pump air feel cooler than furnace air?

That's normal. A furnace pushes out hotter bursts of air, while a heat pump delivers steadier, lower-temperature airflow over a longer period while still holding your set temperature. Judge the system by whether it reaches and holds that temperature, not by how the air feels.

How noisy is a ducted heat pump?

Not silent, but not necessarily disruptive. Sound can come from the outdoor unit, the indoor blower, and air moving through the ducts, and variable-speed systems tend to run quieter when they're not at full capacity. If noise matters to you, ask the installer about sound ratings and outdoor placement directly.

Can a ducted heat pump replace my furnace?

Often, yes, once the installer confirms your ductwork and electrical capacity can support it. Some homeowners go fully electric; others keep the furnace as backup in a dual-fuel setup. Either way, the main upgrade beyond heating is that the new system can add air conditioning too.

How is the heat pump right size calculated?

By your home's actual heating and cooling load, using a Manual J calculation rather than square footage. An undersized system struggles to keep up; an oversized one cycles too often. For ducted systems, duct capacity needs to match whatever size gets chosen.

Does a ducted heat pump need backup heat?

Not necessarily. It depends on how much heat your home needs at low outdoor temperatures versus what the heat pump can deliver, which the installer works out as part of sizing. If backup is needed, that's usually electric resistance heat or a dual-fuel furnace setup.

Can different rooms or floors have separate zones?

Yes, but it takes real design work, not just closing a few vents. Zoning uses dampers and controls to direct airflow to different parts of the home, and the system needs to maintain proper airflow whether one zone is open or several are. It's a question for the installer based on your specific setup.

Is it normal for a ducted heat pump to run for long periods?

Often, yes. Many systems use variable-capacity compressors that adjust output to match demand, which means longer, steadier runtimes instead of the on-off cycling of a furnace. What matters is whether your home holds the temperature you've set.

What maintenance does a ducted heat pump need?

Mostly keeping the filter clean and the outdoor unit clear of leaves and debris. Professional maintenance covers checking controls, drainage, coils, and blower operation, usually as a pre-season checkup.

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