# What electrical checks does a DC heat-pump project need?

> Your DC heat pump needs dedicated 240-volt circuits, a load calculation before any panel upgrade and DOB permits: $22 electrical, $64.90 for a heavy-up. Here is our plan.

URL: https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-electrical-requirements/

Your heat pump needs its own 240-volt circuits for the outdoor unit and for the indoor air handler or backup heat, plus a load calculation showing your service can carry them. DOB’s instant electrical permit is $22, a heavy-up permit is $64.90, and DCSEU pays up to $2,000 toward a 200-amp heavy-up. At [Perennial DC Heat Pumps](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/) we install ducted heat pumps across Washington, DC.

## How much power does the new system need?

We start from the nameplates of the equipment we’re proposing, not from your old system. The outdoor unit lists its minimum circuit ampacity and maximum overcurrent protection; the air handler lists its own, and those figures climb with each size of resistance backup heater. They set wire and breaker sizes before we even look at your panel.

Backup heat is usually the biggest single electrical load. Resistance heat turns 1 kW into 3,412 Btu per hour, so a 10 kW strip delivers about 34,000 Btu/h and draws about 42 amps at 240 volts. A [dual-fuel system](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/dual-fuel-heat-pumps/) avoids that load by keeping your furnace, though the heat pump and air handler still need their own circuits.

## Is your panel big enough?

Two separate questions decide your electrical work. A branch circuit feeds one piece of equipment and has to match its nameplate. Your service is everything the house can draw from Pepco at once, set by the meter, service conductors and main breaker. A correctly sized circuit can still overload a service that’s already near its limit.

An empty breaker slot is physical space, not spare capacity. A 100-amp panel with open slots can still be fully used once an electric range, a dryer and a new strip heater are counted. Our [furnace conversion page](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/furnace-to-heat-pump-conversion/) explains why moving your heat from gas to electricity is the step that most often raises this question.

## How do we know whether you need a heavy-up?

We run a load calculation, using the National Electrical Code method in Article 220. It adds your home’s existing loads to the new heat pump and backup heat and compares the total with your service rating, and it comes before any decision to upgrade the panel. The answer can be room on your existing service, a smaller backup heater, or a real need for a heavy-up.

Anything you’re planning to add belongs in the same calculation. An EV charger, induction range or heat pump water heater on the same service competes for the same amps, so tell us about them. Our [assessment tool](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/tools/heat-pump-assessment/) records whether a load calculation has been done for your home.

## Which permits and Pepco steps are involved?

The DC Department of Buildings (DOB) issues the electrical permits. The instant general electrical permit fee is $22, and the instant electrical heavy-up permit is $64.90. Your heat pump also needs its own mechanical or refrigeration permit, and we line those up before work starts. These are fees only; inspections and any utility work for a service change are separate steps.

A heavy-up also involves Pepco, which handles the service drop and meter. That sets the order of work, so we keep your old heat in place until the new service is live. In a [condo](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pumps-condos/), your unit’s feeder runs through common electrical rooms, and the association controls any change to it.

## Will DCSEU help pay for the electrical work?

Yes. DCSEU pays toward electrical work tied to a heat pump: up to $2,000 for a heavy-up to 200 amps, and $400 for each new dedicated circuit, up to three circuits, or $1,200 at most. Our [DC rebate guide](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/guide/dc-heat-pump-rebates/) lists the matching equipment tiers and the documents DCSEU asks for.

These amounts are paid back after installation, not taken off at signing. Amounts and terms change between program years, so we check the current figures before pricing your electrical work on the strength of a rebate.

## What should your estimate show for electrical work?

Our written estimate puts each electrical item on its own line: outdoor-unit circuit, air-handler and backup circuit, disconnects, any panel work and any heavy-up. A low equipment price isn’t a complete conversion budget if the electrical work is missing. Our [cost guide](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/heat-pump-cost/) keeps a service upgrade outside our typical range of $8,000 to $18,000 before rebates; we price it from the site visit.

The outdoor unit needs a disconnect within sight of it, rated for the equipment, so power can be shut off safely during service. That disconnect and its whip are part of the circuit work, separate from any service upgrade. Our [estimator](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/tools/heat-pump-cost-estimator/) puts electrical work on its own line instead of adding a guessed surcharge.

## What can you send us to get started?

Before installation you should have, in writing, the equipment’s circuit requirements, the load calculation result, the backup heater size, and whether a heavy-up is planned with its DOB permit and Pepco steps. If your service changes, our schedule shows when the new service goes live relative to removing your old heat.

Our [quote checklist](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-quote-checklist/) has a line for each of these, and our [buying guide](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/guide/dc-heat-pump-buying-guide/) ties electrical work to equipment and ducts. To [request a project estimate](https://perennialdcheatpumps.com/contact/), a photo of your main panel label and the existing service size, taken without opening the panel, is enough for us to start.

## Questions before you decide

### Does a spare breaker slot establish room for a heat pump?

No. An empty slot is physical space in the panel. Whether your service can carry the new load is answered by a load calculation that adds the heat pump and backup heat to what your home already draws, and we do that before any panel decision.

### Can resistance backup change the electrical scope?

Yes, often more than the heat pump itself. A 10 kW strip heater draws about 42 amps at 240 volts on its own circuit, so the backup size we choose can decide whether your existing service has room or you need a heavy-up.

### Is a heavy-up inevitable when removing a furnace?

No. The load calculation decides it. Some homes have room on the existing service; others need an upgrade to 200 amps, which takes a $64.90 DOB heavy-up permit and can qualify for up to $2,000 back from DCSEU.

## Continue planning

Perennial DC Heat Pumps

DC rebates

Heat pump sizing

Thermostat compatibility

Quote checklist

Heat pump versus furnace

Furnace conversion

Get an estimate

Heat pump cost estimator

Guides

Heat pump costs