Heat pumps in Crestview

Heat gets used here

The metro averages about 1,586 heating degree days a year in NOAA's climate division data, against about 2,595 cooling degree days. Cooling still dominates, but the heating side is a real bill. Crestview's January average low is 38°F; the Destin-Fort Walton Beach airport, next to the Gulf, averages 47°F. Up the I-10 corridor and out toward Baker, the heat runs on a lot of winter mornings.

Census figures for 2020 to 2024 show 80% of homes in the Crestview ZIP codes heat with electricity. That usually means one of two setups:

• A heat pump. The outdoor unit cools in summer and reverses in winter, pulling heat from outside air into the house. It usually also has backup heat strips in the air handler for the coldest mornings and for defrost.
• A straight AC with heat strips. The outdoor unit only cools. Heat comes from electric resistance coils in the air handler, which work like a toaster.

To tell which you have, look at the outdoor unit's data plate for the model type, or check whether the outdoor unit runs when the thermostat calls for heat. If it does, it's a heat pump.

Heat pump vs AC with heat strips

For cooling, they are the same. The difference is winter. Heat strips turn electricity directly into heat. A heat pump moves heat, which takes less electricity for the same warmth. Over 2016 to 2025, the January average low at Bob Sikes was 38°F. With winters like that, I'd lean heat pump on any replacement of an AC-plus-strips system. The strips stay as backup, and on a cold morning you'll see them run, which is normal.

	Heat pump	AC + heat strips
Cooling	Same	Same
Heating cost	Lower	Higher
Federal minimum	14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2	14.3 SEER2 under 45,000 Btu/h, 13.8 SEER2 at 45,000 and up
Parts that can fail	Adds a reversing valve and defrost controls	Fewer parts outdoors

Homes with gas can also look at a dual fuel setup: a heat pump that hands off to a gas furnace when it gets cold. CHELCO's rebate covers those too.

Rebates: CHELCO and FPL

Check your bill to see which utility serves you. CHELCO pays $350 per ton on dual fuel and mini split heat pumps rated 15 SEER or more, for single-family homes only. If you own an existing manufactured home and replace an electric furnace with a heat pump, the rebate is $400 per ton. All CHELCO rebates need a load calculation done by CHELCO Energy Services and a licensed installer. Call CHELCO before you sign, because the load calc has to happen first.

FPL Northwest FL offers a $200 instant rebate on a complete new indoor and outdoor system rated 15.2 SEER2 or higher and installed by an FPL-approved Participating Independent Contractor. More in lowering an AC bill on FPL or CHELCO.

Efficiency minimums and refrigerant

Federal standards changed in 2023. Heat pumps nationally must meet 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. SEER2 measures cooling efficiency; HSPF2 measures heating efficiency, and with this many heating degree days, HSPF2 is worth comparing between quotes. In the Southeast, a split AC must be at least 14.3 SEER2 under 45,000 Btu/h and 13.8 SEER2 at 45,000 and up.

New residential systems made from January 1, 2025 must use refrigerants with a global warming potential of 700 or less, so new equipment no longer uses R-410A. Existing R-410A heat pumps can still be repaired. Details are in Florida AC rules for 2026.

What it costs

Fixr puts a heat pump install at $5,000 to $15,000, with an average around $8,350. A central AC on the same source is $5,800 to $14,400. The range is wide because of tonnage, efficiency, whether the air handler is replaced too, and how much duct and electrical work is needed.

Ask for every quote itemized: tonnage, SEER2 and HSPF2, refrigerant, whether the air handler is included, the pad, the permit, and disposal of the old unit. A replacement needs a permit, and the contractor should pull it. See AC installation in Crestview and is this AC quote fair.

Common heat pump repairs

• Stuck in heat or cool. Often the reversing valve or its solenoid, or a thermostat wiring issue.
• Blows lukewarm on a cold morning. It may be in defrost, which is normal for a few minutes, or the backup strips aren't coming on.
• Electric bill jumps in January. The strips may be doing all the heating because the heat pump side has failed. Have it checked.
• The same failures as any AC, from capacitors to clogged drains. See AC repair in Crestview.