Heat Pump Installation in West Memphis, AR
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from May through September every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Crittenden County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A heat pump in West Memphis works most of the year
Your heat pump runs ten months out of the year here. Winter nights average 34°F from December through February, and homes need heat from November through March. Summer afternoons reach 90°F, with cooling needed May through September. That is five months of heating and five months of cooling asked of the same unit.
Any new split-system heat pump has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. That's the federal floor, and with this much run time each year, efficiency above that floor pays off more here than in a place where the unit sits idle most months. Crittenden County has also seen 15 winter storms and 27 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and across Arkansas about a quarter of households lost power for at least a day in 2024. Worth asking whether the unit you choose starts back up on its own once power returns.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°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 state tests HVAC contractors before it licenses them, and that license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job. Arkansas also keeps cities and counties from layering on their own HVAC license, so the credential you check is the same one anywhere in the state, including here in Crittenden County.
For a heat pump installation, the license tells you the contractor was tested by the state. It does not stand in for a permit. Most cities and counties still require a permit from the local building office for a heat pump replacement, with an inspection once the work is finished, and that inspection is what checks the installation itself, not the contractor's paperwork.
Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- It depends on what you're weighing. A heat pump handles both heating and cooling, so it replaces your furnace and your air conditioner with one system. A furnace only heats, and it burns gas or uses electric resistance to do it, so it's simpler but it won't cool your home in the summer. Winters here are mild, with lows averaging 34°F, so a heat pump can carry the heating load without much strain. If you already have working ducts, a contractor can tell you whether a heat pump fits your home better than a furnace and separate AC would.
- 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 the same thing in summer, but it can also run in reverse and pull heat from the outside air into your house in winter. The parts are nearly identical, the compressor, the coils, the refrigerant lines, but the heat pump has a reversing valve that lets it switch directions. That's why a heat pump can replace both your furnace and your air conditioner, while a straight air conditioner only replaces one of them.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes, a heat pump still pulls heat from outside air even when it's cold, though it works harder and puts out less heat as the temperature drops. Winter nights here average 34°F, which is well within the range a properly sized heat pump handles without help. In colder climates a heat pump sometimes needs backup heat for the coldest nights, but that's less of a concern with winters this mild. A contractor can size the system to your house so it keeps up through the season.