Heat Pump Installation in Las Vegas, NV
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from May through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Clark County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
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A heat pump here works both sides of the year
Clark County asks a heat pump to run all 12 months. It carries the house from November through April when nights average 37°F, then switches over and carries the load from May through October when afternoons average 98°F. Most homes here still heat with gas, so a heat pump doing both jobs is still new ground for a lot of houses in this county.
Any split-system heat pump installed new has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. With six months of afternoons at 98°F, the cooling side of that number is the one this climate leans on hardest.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 37°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 98°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Nevada requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Nevada State Contractors Board issues this license, and it covers the contractor, not the job. That means the same license stands behind every installation that contractor does, including this heat pump, rather than being something applied for one job at a time.
For this installation, that license is what stands behind the work. In most cities and counties, installing a heat pump also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done, and that is likely to apply here too.
Sources: Nevada Legislature · Nevada State Contractors Board
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- For Las Vegas, most homeowners find a heat pump is the better fit. It heats and cools from one system, which matters here since homes need one or the other all year round. Winter lows average 37°F, mild enough that a heat pump handles the heating side without trouble. A furnace only heats, so you would still need a separate air conditioner for the six months of cooling season.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only moves heat out of your house. A heat pump does that too, but it can also run in reverse and move heat into your house, so it works as your heating system in winter. The two use the same basic parts, a compressor and a refrigerant cycle, but the air conditioner is one-way and the heat pump is not. That is why a heat pump can replace both your furnace and your air conditioner.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, and in Las Vegas it works well. Winter nights here average 37°F, which is comfortably within the range a heat pump handles without needing backup heat. Heat pumps lose efficiency as temperatures drop toward freezing and below, but Las Vegas rarely sees that kind of cold. A contractor can size the system correctly for this climate when installing it.