Heat Pump Installation in McComb, MS
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from May through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Pike County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
McComb asks a heat pump to work almost year round
Eleven months out of the year, a heat pump in McComb is either heating the house or cooling it. Heat runs November through March, cooling runs May through October, and the two seasons nearly meet in the middle. Winter nights average 40°F, mild enough that a heat pump can carry the heating load on its own. Summer afternoons average 91°F, so the compressor is putting in long hours on the cooling side too.
Most homes here already heat with electricity, so a new heat pump is doing a job the house is used to. If it was built this year or later, it has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, the federal minimums for this kind of unit. Pike County has also seen 34 damaging wind events over the last ten years, and a heat pump's outdoor unit sits right in the path of that.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Mississippi requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state tested this contractor before handing out the license, and the Board of Contractors keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to this one job, so it tells you the person or company doing the work has already met the state's standard, on this install and every other job they take on.
For a heat pump installation, the license is what stands behind the work itself, but it is not the only check. Most cities and counties in Mississippi require a permit for a heat pump replacement, and an inspection once the work is finished. That inspection is a separate look at this specific job, done by the local building office rather than the state board.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're comparing it to, but a heat pump does more with the energy it uses because it moves heat instead of burning fuel to make it. Around here you need heat from November through March and cooling from May through October, so one system running most of the year has an advantage over a furnace that only handles winter. A furnace still makes sense in some homes, and a contractor can look at your ductwork and your current setup before you decide.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only cools. A heat pump does the same job in summer, moving heat out of your house, but in winter it runs in reverse and moves heat into your house instead. That's why a heat pump can replace both your air conditioner and your furnace, where a straight air conditioner can't heat your home at all.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, a heat pump keeps pulling heat from the outside air even when it's cold out. Winter nights here average 40°F, which is well within the range a heat pump is built to handle. New split-system heat pumps also have to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, so any unit installed today is rated for cold-weather performance, not just mild days.