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A contractor quoting a heat pump installation in Houston County starts with what the climate actually demands of the equipment year-round. 248 severe weather events were recorded in Houston County, Alabama between 2015 and 2024. At that rate, severe weather is a regular operating condition, and a system sized without accounting for it will be working harder than it was built to. Getting the load calculation right the first time is what separates an install that holds up from one that struggles from the start.
Ductwork in a house built for an older system carries assumptions about airflow that a heat pump does not share. Half the homes in Houston County, Alabama were built in 1985 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). A contractor installing a heat pump here checks whether the existing ducts can handle the distribution demands of the new unit before anything else gets priced. If the runs are too restrictive or the returns too few, the electrical panel becomes a secondary question. The house decides the scope.
What a Heat Pump Installation Puts in Your Home
The outdoor unit sits on a pad beside the house and holds the compressor and the coil that exchanges heat with the outside air. The indoor air handler mounts inside, most often in a closet, attic, or utility room, and moves conditioned air through the home. Together these two units do the work the system was bought to do.
A refrigerant line set runs between the outdoor unit and the air handler, carrying the refrigerant that travels back and forth between them. A thermostat mounts on an interior wall and gives the homeowner control over when and how the system runs. Some installations also include a secondary component such as an air handler with built-in backup heat strips for cold snaps.
The drawing shows a representative layout, and a licensed contractor determines exactly what goes where in your particular house.
Get matched in Houston CountyHouston County, Alabama, by the numbers
248 severe weather events were recorded in Houston County, Alabama between 2015 and 2024.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31.Half the homes in Houston County, Alabama were built in 1985 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesHouston County, Alabama holds 50,158 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 63.8% of the occupied homes in Houston County, Alabama (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesCodes & Standards Governing Heat Pump Installation in Houston County, Alabama1 sourced rules and standards
Licensing Rules for Houston County, Alabama
Alabama requires state certification to do heating, air conditioning and refrigeration contracting: nobody may advertise, bid, pull permits or do the work unless the person in responsible charge is a certified contractor.
Severe Weather Events in Houston County
Heat pump systems are sized and specified to handle the climate they live in, and that climate includes what the sky does in a bad year. How hard local weather pushes heating and cooling equipment is a Houston County question, not a national average.
248 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.