Heat pump replacement in Alexandria.
A new heat pump system in Alexandria is $8,499 to $21,650 installed. In Woodlawn and Franconia, most homeowners heat with electricity.
- The installed range, published
- Sized to the house, not the old label
- Dedicated HVAC team
Get your heat pump priced
Alexandria’s heat pump rows, and the gas houses where one could join the furnace.
The Census files a heat pump under electricity, and sorted that way the Alexandria address splits three ways. Woodlawn, about six in ten owner homes, and Franconia, more than half, lean electric. The City as a whole is about four in ten, and so is Huntington. Hayfield and Fort Hunt sit at the far end, under one in six, nearly all gas.
Woodlawn’s median owner house went up in 1976 and Franconia’s in 1986, and townhouses are a big share of both: about a third of Woodlawn’s homes and half of Franconia’s. In a row like that the swap is usually straight across, a condenser on its pad out back and an air handler, backup strips inside it, tucked in a utility closet or the attic. If yours went in before 2010 it most likely holds R-22; the sticker on the condenser says which.
Condos are their own case, and Huntington and the City both have plenty. The City tells condo owners that any work follows the association’s governing documents as well as the building code, and that an electrical panel upgrade in a unit needs a registered electrical engineer to study the whole building’s electrical system first. A new heat pump that wants a bigger breaker than the panel can give is where that bites.
In the gas corners, Hayfield, Fort Hunt and Rose Hill, the heat pump usually lands on the old air conditioner’s pad and leaves the furnace only the cold snaps. Washington Gas pays its customers a rebate for that setup, dual fuel, but the old equipment coming out has to be a central air conditioner, so a heat pump replaced by a newer heat pump is excluded. A Fort Hunt house giving up its air conditioner may qualify; a Woodlawn house replacing its heat pump won’t. Our dual fuel guide keeps the amounts.
How the houses across Alexandria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Alexandria | 1970 | condo and apartment buildings, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 6 in 10 | Condo and apartment buildings: compact closet systems, and the association decides where an outdoor unit goes. |
| Rose Hill | 1969 | single-family houses, about 7 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Older gas houses, where a heat pump pairs with the furnace once the ducts are checked. |
| Franconia | 1986 | townhouses, about 5 in 10 | electricity, about 6 in 10 | Electric heat leads, which here means heat pumps: often a like-for-like swap. |
| Fort Hunt | 1963 | single-family houses, nearly all | gas, about 8 in 10 | Older gas houses, where a heat pump pairs with the furnace once the ducts are checked. |
| Kingstowne | 1994 | townhouses, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | 1980s and 90s gas houses, most on a second air conditioner, the part a heat pump would replace. |
| Woodlawn | 1976 | townhouses, about 4 in 10 | electricity, about 6 in 10 | Electric heat leads, which here means heat pumps: often a like-for-like swap. |
| Lincolnia | 1982 | single-family houses, about 4 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | 1980s and 90s gas houses, most on a second air conditioner, the part a heat pump would replace. |
| Mount Vernon | 1967 | single-family houses, about 7 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Older gas houses, where a heat pump pairs with the furnace once the ducts are checked. |
Alexandria 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.
The City of Alexandria
- Median home built1970 Census
- Built before 1980about 6 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 2 in 10 Census
- Most homes arecondo and apartment buildings, about 5 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 6 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 6 in 10 Census
- In condo buildings the outdoor unit often sits on a roof, balcony or shared pad, and the association says where a new one can go.
- Ducts this old were sized for a furnace’s hotter air. A heat pump moves cooler air, and more of it, so check the ducts before picking a size.
The Fairfax County side
- Built before 1980about 5 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 1 in 10 Census
- Most homes aresingle-family houses, about 4 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 6 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 3 in 10 Census
- Most houses here burn gas, so a heat pump usually means dual fuel: it replaces the air conditioner and the furnace stays as backup.
What heat pump replacement costs in Alexandria.
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 Alexandria is worth replacing.
The outdoor unit stays a block of ice
A white crust after a cold drizzle is normal, and a defrost cycle clears it before long. Ice that stays for hours means the defrost controls or the refrigerant charge needs a look. On a unit from before 2010, get the replacement range beside the repair price.
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 Alexandria.
How to pick the best heat pump installer in Alexandria.
Questions to ask anybody who quotes you, us included.
Did they tell you whether a rebate fits what you’re replacing?
The Washington Gas dual fuel rebate needs a central air conditioner coming out, not a heat pump. Ask whether your swap qualifies before you sign.
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.
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Heat pump replacement questions from Alexandria.
Does a City of Alexandria heat pump swap need a permit?
Swapped like for like in a house, no: the state rule the City follows leaves it out, because nothing in it burns gas. Add a gas furnace for dual fuel and that half needs one. Across the county line, Fairfax County counts any heating or cooling replacement as mechanical permit work.
My Huntington condo’s heat pump sits on the roof. Who replaces it?
Your condo documents say whether the outdoor unit is yours or the building’s. If it’s yours, we replace both halves, matched; the association usually decides how the new one gets up there, so bring the management office in early.
How much does heat pump replacement cost in Alexandria?
$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 Alexandria.
More from SwiftPro in Alexandria
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 Alexandria 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.
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