Tiburon’s climate suits heat pumps well. Winters are mild, so the outdoor unit rarely has to work at the cold extremes where heat pumps lose capacity, and the few warm afternoons a year are easy for it in cooling mode. What makes a Tiburon heat pump installation succeed or fail is less the climate than the house: how it is heated today, where the outdoor unit can go, how much capacity the electrical panel has, and how well the equipment will stand up to salt air.
Three kinds of heat pump, three kinds of house
Ducted (central) heat pumps replace a furnace and air conditioner and use the existing ducts. They suit homes that already have forced air, as long as the ducts are sound and sized for the airflow a heat pump needs.
Ductless mini-split heat pumps suit older cottages without ducts, additions, converted garages and view rooms the central system never reached. One outdoor unit can serve several indoor units, each with its own setting. See mini-split installation for how those are laid out.
Air-to-water heat pumps heat water instead of air. Some Tiburon homes have hydronic radiant floors fed by a boiler, and their owners ask whether a heat pump can take over. Radiant floors run at low water temperatures, which suits a heat pump, but the answer depends on the floor loops, the existing boiler and the controls. We look at the system and tell you plainly whether it is a good fit.
Keep the furnace, or go fully electric?
If the gas furnace is fairly new, a heat pump can be paired with it: the heat pump carries most of the year and the furnace takes over on the coldest nights. That dual-fuel setup also avoids an electrical service upgrade in some homes. If the furnace is old, a fully electric heat pump system usually makes more sense. We compare both routes in the quote. For a straight furnace replacement, see furnace installation in Tiburon.
Siting the outdoor unit on the peninsula
A heat pump’s outdoor unit runs all winter, so its placement matters more than a summer-only condenser’s. We look for a spot away from bedroom windows on your side and the neighbors’, with clearance for airflow and room to drain: in defrost mode the unit melts frost off its coil, and that water needs somewhere to go. On damp, foggy mornings defrost cycles are normal, and a little steam rising from the unit is expected.
Salt air is the other concern. On waterfront and windward lots we price coated coils where the manufacturer offers them, raise the unit off the ground and use corrosion-resistant hardware. Variable-speed (inverter) models are the quietest choice and hold temperatures steady in large rooms with a lot of glass.
Electrical and controls
A heat pump, especially one with backup electric heat strips, may need a new circuit, and older panels sometimes need an upgrade. We check the panel during the home evaluation, so it is in the quote rather than a surprise. In houses with several zones, we set up the controls so each zone heats on its own schedule and backup heat comes on only when it is really needed.
How a Tiburon installation runs
- Comfort consultation: which rooms are cold, which overheat, how you use the house.
- Home evaluation: load calculation, ducts, panel capacity and the outdoor unit location.
- System selection: ducted, ductless or a mix, with an upfront quote and financing options with approved credit.
- Installation: done to the manufacturer’s specifications, with attention to line routing, drainage and finish.
- Performance check: we run and measure both heating and cooling modes, set up the thermostat and walk you through defrost and backup heat.
More on equipment types and efficiency ratings is on the heat pump installation page; our Tiburon page covers everything else we do in town.