Heat Pump Installation in Denver — Done Properly
Ducted, whole-home heat pumps that replace your furnace and your air conditioner in one project. Sized with a real load calculation for 5,280 feet, permitted, inspected, and commissioned. Licensed in 25+ Colorado cities and counties.
One Outdoor Unit, One Air Handler, Your Existing Ducts
A ducted heat pump is a straight replacement for the furnace-and-AC pair most Denver homes have. The outdoor unit replaces your condenser. The indoor air handler replaces your furnace, in the same closet or basement location. Your ductwork and registers stay where they are.
The difference is that a heat pump runs in both directions. In summer it moves heat out of the house, exactly like your air conditioner did. In winter it runs the same cycle backwards and moves heat into the house — which is far more efficient than making heat by burning something, because you are relocating heat rather than creating it.
What gets replaced
- Gas furnace → heat pump air handler (or the furnace stays, in a dual-fuel setup)
- AC condenser → heat pump outdoor unit
- Thermostat → a control that understands heat pump staging and backup heat
- Line set, disconnect, condensate handling — replaced or reworked as the job requires
What usually stays
- Your duct trunk and branches, unless we measure a problem
- Your registers and returns
- Your electrical service, in most homes
Good candidate if…
- You have existing ductwork
- Your furnace is 15+ years old, or failing
- You want air conditioning you do not currently have
- You are replacing an AC anyway — the incremental cost of making it a heat pump is smaller than people expect
- You want to stop paying to maintain two separate systems
Probably not, if…
- You have no ductwork — look at ductless instead
- Your ducts are severely undersized and you are not willing to address them
- Your furnace is three years old and working fine — wait and do it when the AC dies
We will tell you which of these you are. It is a shorter conversation than a bad install.
Four Decisions That Determine Whether You Like Your Heat Pump
Equipment brand is far down the list. These are the decisions that actually separate a system people love from one they complain about for a decade.
1. Sizing
Oversized systems short-cycle, never dehumidify properly, and wear out early. Undersized systems lean on expensive backup heat. The only way to get this right is a room-by-room Manual J at Denver’s design temperature and altitude. More on sizing here.
2. Cold-climate rating
A standard heat pump and a cold-climate heat pump are different machines. In Colorado the cold-climate unit is the right answer nearly every time — and Xcel pays $750 per heating ton for it versus $300 per cooling ton for standard.
3. Duct capacity
Heat pumps deliver more air at a lower supply temperature than furnaces. Ducts that were adequate for a furnace can be marginal for a heat pump. We measure static pressure rather than guessing — and the fix is often a return-air modification, not a new duct system.
4. Backup heat strategy
How and when backup heat engages is a configuration decision, and it is where most operating-cost complaints come from. Set the changeover point wrong and you run expensive backup heat on a 35°F day. We set it from your actual rates.
What the Job Looks Like
- Free in-home assessment (60–90 minutes)
We measure the house, look at the ducts and the panel, check the insulation situation, and ask for twelve months of utility bills. We are trying to understand the building, not just the equipment.
- Manual J load calculation
Room by room, at Denver’s roughly 1°F design temperature, corrected for altitude. This is the document that determines equipment size. You get a copy.
- Written proposal
Specific model numbers, the manufacturer’s published capacity at low ambient temperatures, gross price, every rebate itemized, net cost, and financing options if you want them.
- Permit
Pulled in your jurisdiction before we start. Mechanical and, where applicable, electrical. An unpermitted system is a problem at resale.
- Install day
Floor protection down, old equipment removed and hauled away, new equipment set, line set run, electrical connected, condensate handled, thermostat mounted.
- Commissioning
Airflow measured, refrigerant charge verified by weight and by superheat/subcool, controls and changeover configured, and a walkthrough with you at the thermostat.
- Inspection and rebates
We meet the inspector. We file the Xcel and utility rebate paperwork. You do not chase any of it.
Book a Free Assessment
No charge, no obligation, and you get a load calculation and a written proposal whether or not you hire us.