Heat Pump Installation in Searcy, AR
A new system here will heat from November through April and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers White County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A heat pump here works nearly the whole year
Winter nights in Searcy average 33°F from December through February, and summer afternoons average 90°F. Homes need heat from November through April and cooling from May through September, which leaves the system running or ready to run 11 months of the year. A new heat pump has to hold up to both jobs, not just one.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so when the power goes out, the heat goes with it. White County has logged 8 winter storms and 52 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across Arkansas nearly a quarter of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. Any heat pump installed now has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 33°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Arkansas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job. It means the state tested this contractor and keeps a record of them. Cities and counties in Arkansas cannot add a license requirement on top of that, so the same state license applies no matter where in White County the home is.
The license accounts for who is doing the work. It does not stand in for a permit. A heat pump installation needs a permit from the local building office in most cities and counties, and the finished job gets an inspection before it is signed off. That inspection is what checks the work itself, separate from the license.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump does two things a furnace can't. It cools your home in summer and heats it in winter, all with one system. A furnace only makes heat, either by burning gas or with electric resistance, so you still need a separate air conditioner alongside it. Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from May through September, so a single system covering both jobs is worth weighing. A heat pump also moves heat rather than generating it, which is why it uses less electricity per degree of warmth than straight electric heat.
- What's the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
- An air conditioner only moves heat out of your home. A heat pump does the same thing in summer, then reverses in winter and pulls heat from the outside air into your home instead. The outdoor unit and indoor coil look almost identical between the two. What sets the heat pump apart is a reversing valve that lets it run both directions. One machine cools only, the other cools and heats.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, a heat pump pulls heat from outside air even when that air is cold, down to well below freezing. Winter nights here average 33°F, and a heat pump built to current standards is rated to handle that range. As the outdoor temperature drops further, the unit has to work harder to pull the same amount of heat, so output falls off some on the coldest nights. Any heat pump sized and installed for this area accounts for that low point.