Do I Have a Heat Pump?

A Guide to Identifying Your HVAC System.

A heat pump provides cooling in summer and heating in winter. It’s an energy-efficient, all-in-one system that runs on electricity. Heat pumps can be found in various shapes and sizes, and in single family homes, condos, and apartments.

You are eligible for the heat pump rate only if you use or plan to use your heat pump to heat your home during the winter months. If you have a heat pump and want to use it for heating, but do not know how to do so, follow the steps below or contact a HVAC contractor:

Find the heat pump control, which could be a thermostat or remote control, and switch to “Heat” mode.
Set thermostat or remote control to desired temperature.
If desired, program your thermostat or remote control based on your preferences and schedule so that it automatically adjusts the indoor temperature.
If you have an additional heating system, such as a system that runs on oil, propane, or natural gas, the use of your heat pump should offset use of that other heating system.

Once you’ve determined your current equipment is a heat pump, visit our heat pump rate FAQ for details and answers to common questions about eligibility. To find out how the seasonal heat pump rate applies in your case and how to enroll, visit your utility’s official website.

Visual Identification

Do you have an HVAC unit outdoors? It might look like a box on stilts (or legs), a box resting on the ground, or a box fixed to a stand on the side of your house. No matter what it looks like, there will be a fan inside.

If you have an HVAC unit outdoors, does that system run in the winter?

If that outdoor system currently does not turn on in the winter to heat your home, you may still have a heat pump that you are not using for its heating capabilities.

Go to your thermostat or the remote control associated with that outdoor unit, switch to “Heat” mode and increase the temperature above the current temperature in your home.
Check if the outdoor unit starts within 15 minutes. The fan should turn on. Do you hear or see the outdoor unit running?

YES: You have a heat pump.
NO: You likely have a central air conditioning system.

Reminder: Once you are done with this check, be sure you turn the thermostat back to the previous setting.

If your outdoor system does not run when you switch to “Heat” mode, you will have to confirm whether you have a heat pump using the sticker on the outdoor unit. Head outside to where your outdoor HVAC system is located. See directions for how to identify the sticker on an outside unit in the Model Number Identification section of this page.

OR do you have a “through the wall unit” that you use for heating in the winter? Example below:

Model Number Identification

All heat pump systems have a sticker on the outdoor unit that lists:

Below is an example of the sticker, also known as a name plate:

If the sticker does not identify the system as a heat pump:

Take a picture of or write down the model number listed on the sticker, including all characters and hyphens.
Contact your installer or maintenance provider to check the AHRI directory, a repository of all heat pump systems.

If the model number is in the AHRI directory, you have a heat pump.

Other Ways to Verify

Call your installer or maintenance provider.
Check the invoice from the original installation.
Ask your maintenance provider during your next maintenance visit. Routine, annual maintenance is important and can increase the lifespan of your system.
Check utility bill patterns. Homes that heat with heat pumps commonly show winter electricity increases but there is no increase in natural gas, oil or propane usage. For example, if you have natural gas and your natural gas bill increases in winter, that typically indicates a natural gas heating system as the primary heat source, not a heat pump.

Do I Have a Heat Pump?

Visual Identification

Do you have an HVAC unit outdoors? It might look like a box on stilts (or legs), a box resting on the ground, or a box fixed to a stand on the side of your house. No matter what it looks like, there will be a fan inside.

If you have an HVAC unit outdoors, does that system run in the winter?

If that outdoor system currently does not turn on in the winter to heat your home, you may still have a heat pump that you are not using for its heating capabilities.

OR do you have a “through the wall unit” that you use for heating in the winter? Example below:

Model Number Identification

All heat pump systems have a sticker on the outdoor unit that lists:

Below is an example of the sticker, also known as a name plate:

Other Ways to Verify

Other Ways to Verify

Examples of Heating Systems that are not Heat Pumps

Examples of Heating Systems that are not Heat Pumps