Heat pump replacement in Reston.
Heat pump replacement in Reston runs $8,499 to $21,650 installed. Around Hunters Woods and South Lakes, about six in ten owners heat with electricity.
- The installed range, published
- Sized to the house, not the old label
- Dedicated HVAC team
Get your heat pump priced
Reston’s electric heat is mostly in 20191, among the 1970s clusters.
The Census counts a heat pump as electric heat, and a bit over four in ten Reston owners heat with electricity. In 20191, the ZIP around Hunters Woods and South Lakes, it’s about six in ten, in a part of Reston where nearly half the homes went up in the 1970s and about a third are townhouses. In 20190 the figure falls to about three in ten, and in 20194 to about one in three.
A heat pump works every month of the year, so the one behind a 1970s cluster home has likely been replaced more than once. Its air handler, with the backup heat strips, sits in a closet, the attic or the basement, and getting the old one out of an attic or a tight closet is often the hard part.
Outside, Reston Association has its say. Its cluster guideline puts outdoor units against the house wall as a rule, and a screen RA asked for is meant to hide the unit without blocking service. A heat pump also drains meltwater each time it defrosts, and against a cluster wall that water can freeze on a shared walk, so we look at where it will run before the new unit is set.
In the gas homes of 20190 and 20194, a new heat pump can stand on the old condenser’s pad, carry the mild days and call on the gas furnace only when it’s bitter out, the pairing our dual fuel guide explains. In 20190’s condo buildings a heat pump is often the unit’s only heat, and the association decides where a new outdoor half goes.
How the houses across Reston are heated.
Census figures for the owner-occupied homes in each place, and what that usually means for a heat pump.
| Place | Median home built | Most homes are | Heated with | What a heat pump job usually looks like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reston | 1981 | condo and apartment buildings, about 4 in 10 | gas, about 5 in 10 | 1980s and 90s gas houses, most on a second air conditioner, the part a heat pump would replace. |
| Great Falls Crossing | 1993 | single-family houses, about 9 in 10 | gas, about 8 in 10 | 1980s and 90s gas houses, most on a second air conditioner, the part a heat pump would replace. |
Reston houses, by the numbers
From the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 survey, owner-occupied homes unless it says otherwise. A heat pump counts as electric heat.
What heat pump replacement costs in Reston.
The same price book as our heating page and the HVAC estimator, for a heat pump and air handler, 2 to 5 ton.
- A heat pump system, outdoor unit and air handler, installed$8,499 to $21,650
- A gas furnace and air conditioner together, installed$8,898 to $23,000
- Diagnostic visit, when a repair may do$99
Might it be a repair? The diagnostic visit is $99, and the tech prices the repair and the replacement side by side. Financing is available, subject to approval.
With Comfort+ membership at $199 a year, the diagnostic visit is included, and half of each repair bill is banked toward replacing that system, up to $1,500.
When a heat pump in Reston is worth replacing.
The air handler’s breaker keeps tripping
In an all-electric Reston townhouse the backup strips draw more current than anything else in the house. A breaker that trips on cold mornings usually points at a strip, its relay or the wiring, which makes it a $99 diagnostic visit first. Replacement comes up only if the outdoor unit is worn out too.
Aux heat is on all day
When the heat pump can’t keep up, the electric strips take over, and they cost far more to run. Aux heat on for hours is the sign.
The AC quit, and you heat with gas
A heat pump can go where the air conditioner sat, heat on mild days and leave the cold nights to the furnace. That’s dual fuel.
The paperwork behind a new heat pump in Reston.
How to pick the best heat pump installer in Reston.
Questions to ask anybody who quotes you, us included.
Did they look at the return in a 1970s cluster home?
A heat pump moves more air at a lower temperature than a furnace, and some older returns were sized on the tight side. Ask whether they checked the return and the filter size before choosing the new system’s capacity.
Did they size it, or copy the old label?
Copying the old nameplate repeats whatever guess was made when the house was built. The wrong size runs worse in both seasons.
Is the air handler in the price?
A heat pump system is the outdoor unit plus the air handler inside. Ask whether the quote covers both, matched, in writing.
Who sets up the backup heat?
Set wrong, the electric strips run on mild days. Ask who programs the thermostat and at what outdoor temperature the strips may come on.
What our customers say.
SwiftPro came today to install our new HVAC system and they were fantastic. They were super courteous and well organized and kept the whole place clean and tidy the entire time. The price was reasonable and the whole experience was amazing. Highly recommend them!
5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. Read them on our reviews page.
Heat pump replacement questions from Reston.
My 20191 house has no gas line. Is a heat pump the only option?
For central heat, practically yes. The other all-electric choice is the strips in the air handler on their own, an electric furnace. A gas furnace works only where gas service reaches your street, and its new vent would likely need RA’s approval as an exterior change.
Can the new heat pump go in a different spot?
It can, but the approved spot is the easy path. At a single-family house, a new location skips RA’s application only at the rear or side, hidden from other properties, at least 50 feet from neighboring buildings and 20 feet from the lot line. A cluster or condo may use another spot that meets its own standards; anything else needs an application.
How much does heat pump replacement cost in Reston?
$8,499 to $21,650 installed for a heat pump system, the outdoor unit and the air handler, 2 to 5 ton. A small single-stage system lands near the bottom, a big variable-speed one near the top. The HVAC estimator narrows it to your house.
Should I get a heat pump, or a furnace and air conditioner?
A heat pump system runs $8,499 to $21,650 installed; a gas furnace and air conditioner together, $8,898 to $23,000. No gas line usually means a heat pump. With gas, you can keep the furnace and add one; our heat pump vs gas furnace guide runs the numbers.
More from SwiftPro in Reston.
More from SwiftPro in Reston
See the range first, then your number.
Call, or book online and pick a window. The price is in writing before the old unit comes out, and if a repair makes more sense, you’ll hear that first.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is a licensed, BBB Accredited (A rating), independently owned heating, cooling and plumbing company in Chantilly, serving Reston and the rest of Northern Virginia. Virginia contractor license #2705192276. 5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. SwiftPro maintains a dedicated HVAC team and a dedicated plumbing team.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, 4230 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151, (703) 997-9757. Book online, read our reviews, or see every town we serve.