Heat Pump Installation in Lafayette, LA
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Lafayette Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A heat pump in Lafayette Parish works almost every day of the year
Winter lows here average 44°F, mild enough that a heat pump rarely struggles to keep up. Summer afternoons average 91°F, and that side of the job runs April through October, seven months of the year. Between the two, there's no real off season. Your new unit will be running almost every month, so it needs to be sized and installed right for both jobs, not just one.
Any split-system heat pump built after January 1, 2023 has to meet 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, so that baseline is covered no matter who installs it. What matters more here is the wind. Lafayette Parish has logged 39 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and outages follow storms like that. Most heat pumps need power to run at all, so where the outdoor unit sits and how it's tied into the home's power matters as much as the equipment itself.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 44°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors tests and licenses the contractor, not the individual job. So the license on file tells you this contractor passed the state's exam and is on record with the board, but it does not mean the board signed off on your install specifically.
For a heat pump install, that record covers the contractor. What covers the work itself is the permit and inspection from your local building office, which most cities and parishes require for this kind of job. That inspection is what checks the refrigerant lines, the electrical hookup and the unit itself once it is in place.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Is a heat pump better than a furnace?
- A heat pump can do something a furnace can't. It cools your home in summer and heats it in winter, all from one system. A furnace only burns gas or uses resistance heat to warm the air, so you still need a separate air conditioner alongside it. Winters here average 44°F at night, well within what a heat pump handles, and it covers the 91°F summer afternoons too. Whether it's the better choice for your house depends on what's already installed and how your ductwork is set up, which a contractor can walk through with you.
- 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 that too, but it can also run in reverse and pull heat from the outside air into your home, so it heats in winter as well as cools in summer. Mechanically they work the same way and use the same kind of refrigerant cycle. The difference is the reversing valve inside the heat pump that lets it switch directions.
- Does a heat pump work in cold weather?
- Yes. A heat pump pulls heat from the outside air even when it's cold outside, because there's still heat in the air until the temperature drops far below freezing. Winter nights here average 44°F, which is well within the range a heat pump handles without strain. New units also have to meet a federal minimum of 7.5 HSPF2 for heating efficiency, so cold weather performance is built into what's sold today.