Electrical Capacity · Denver Homes

Will Your Panel Handle a Heat Pump? Usually, Yes.

Panel upgrades are the most over-predicted cost in heat pump projects. Most Denver homes need a new circuit, not a new service. Here is how to tell which one you are — before anyone quotes you.

Checked at Assessment HEAR Covers up to $4,000 Dual-Fuel Often Avoids It Load Calc, Not Guesswork

Call (303) 219-1000 Have Us Check It

Reality Check

What a Heat Pump Actually Draws

A ducted heat pump’s compressor and air handler are a moderate load — comparable to the air conditioner most homes already run, because it is largely the same machine. If your house currently runs central air, the outdoor unit is not the problem.

What drives panel upgrades is electric resistance backup heat. A large electric heat kit is a substantial dedicated load, and stacking that onto a 100-amp service in an older Denver home is where the trouble starts.

Which leads to the single most useful thing on this page: a dual-fuel system frequently avoids a panel upgrade entirely, because your existing gas furnace is the backup heat and no electric heat kit is needed. If a contractor quotes you a service upgrade, ask whether dual-fuel removes it.

The order of operations that saves money.

Do the heating load calculation first. It determines the backup heat requirement. The backup heat requirement determines the electrical load. The electrical load determines whether you need a service upgrade. Contractors who quote a panel upgrade before running the load are guessing, and guessing conservatively costs you thousands.

Triage

Where You Probably Land

200A service

Almost always fine. New dedicated circuit for the outdoor unit and the air handler, breaker space permitting. This is the majority of Denver homes built or updated in recent decades.

Typically no upgrade

150A service

Usually workable, depending on what else is electric. A load calculation per the electrical code settles it. Dual-fuel makes this straightforward.

Depends on the load calc

100A service

Needs a real look, especially in older homes and especially if you are going all-electric or already have an EV charger. This is where upgrades genuinely happen — and where HEAR money matters most.

HEAR up to $4,000

Also worth knowing: it is not always the service size.

Sometimes the service is fine and the panel is simply full. A subpanel or breaker consolidation is a far smaller job than a service upgrade, and it solves the problem. Sometimes the issue is an obsolete panel — certain older panel brands should be replaced on safety grounds regardless of the heat pump. We tell you which situation you are in.

Funding

HEAR Pays for Panel Upgrades

If your household is under 150% of area median income, the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate program covers up to $4,000 toward an electrical panel upgrade when it is needed to support electrification — on top of up to $8,000 toward the heat pump itself and up to $1,750 toward a heat pump water heater, within a $14,000 total cap.

Households at or below 80% AMI can have up to 100% of project costs covered; between 80% and 150% AMI, up to 50%. This is applied at point of sale through a registered contractor, not claimed later.

If you are anywhere near those income bands, it is worth checking before you assume a panel upgrade puts the project out of reach.

See the Full Rebate Guide

FAQ

Electrical Questions

How do I find out what service I have?

The main breaker in your panel is labelled with its amperage — typically 100, 150, or 200. If the label is unreadable or you are not comfortable opening the panel, we check it during the free assessment.

Can I add a heat pump and an EV charger on the same service?

Often yes, and load management devices can make it work where raw capacity is tight. This is exactly the scenario where an electrical load calculation is worth doing properly rather than assuming the worst.

Does the panel upgrade need its own permit?

Yes — electrical work is permitted and inspected separately from the mechanical permit. We coordinate both.

Will going dual-fuel really avoid the upgrade?

In many cases, yes, because the gas furnace serves as backup heat and no large electric heat kit is required. It is not a guarantee — it depends on what else is on your service — but it is the first thing worth checking if a service upgrade is threatening your budget.

Have Us Check Your Panel

Part of the free assessment. We would rather tell you the truth about your electrical service now than discover it on install day.

Call (303) 219-1000 Book a Visit