Heat pump service & installation

Why heat pumps suit this climate

A heat pump moves heat rather than making it, and it does that most efficiently when the outdoor temperature is mild. Coastal Georgia winters sit squarely in that range, which is why a heat pump here can genuinely outperform the alternatives rather than merely matching them.

One system covers cooling and heating, which simplifies maintenance and removes gas combustion from the house entirely. The trade-off is that the system runs year-round, so it accumulates hours faster — heat pumps commonly last 12 to 15 years against 12 to 20 for a separate AC and furnace pairing.

Where installations go wrong

Auxiliary heat is the big one. Most heat pumps have electric resistance backup, which is expensive to run, and a system configured badly will lean on it far more than the weather requires. The homeowner rarely notices, because the house is warm — it shows up as a startling winter bill instead.

Defrost is the second. A heat pump periodically reverses to melt frost off the outdoor coil, and steam plus briefly cool air from the vents is the system working, not failing. A unit stuck in or repeatedly entering defrost is a different matter.

Charge matters more than on a straight air conditioner too, because the system has to perform in both directions rather than one. A charge that is close enough for cooling can leave heating capacity noticeably short.

Ductless mini-splits

For an addition, a converted garage, a sunroom or a bonus room that the ductwork never properly reached, a ductless mini-split is usually a better answer than trying to force more air out of a system that was never sized for the extra space.

They also make sense where extending ductwork would mean opening ceilings. Each indoor head is controlled independently, which suits rooms that are used differently from the rest of the house.

What they are not is a whole-house solution by default. Whether a multi-zone system beats a ducted one depends on the house, and we will tell you which way it falls.

Heat pump pricing

Repair price approved before work begins.

Prices are starting points for standard work in the Savannah area. Final price depends on the system and site, and is confirmed before work begins. Permits and code-required upgrades may be additional.

What is included

• Ducted heat pumps and ductless mini-split systems
• Defrost, charge and auxiliary heat staging verified
• Thermostat configured to match the equipment
• Seasonal tune-ups covering both heating and cooling modes

Auxiliary heat and defrost set up correctly, so the system is not quietly running on resistance heat all winter.

Questions we get asked

Is a heat pump a good idea in Savannah?

For most homes here, yes. Mild winters are exactly the conditions in which a heat pump is most efficient, and one system covers the whole year. The caveat is that the install has to be right — charge, defrost and auxiliary heat staging all have to be set up properly or the efficiency advantage disappears.

Why is cool air coming from the vents in winter?

Almost certainly a defrost cycle. The system briefly reverses to clear frost from the outdoor coil, which produces visible steam outside and cooler air indoors for a few minutes. It is normal. Repeated or prolonged defrost is not.

My winter bill jumped but the house feels the same.

That is the classic sign of a heat pump running on auxiliary resistance heat more than it should. It is often a thermostat configuration or staging problem rather than a failed component, and it is worth diagnosing rather than living with.

Can you add a mini-split to one room?

Yes — that is one of the most common things we install them for. A single-zone system for an addition, garage or sunroom is straightforward and avoids re-engineering the whole house's ductwork.

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