Our typical range for a whole-home ducted installation or like-for-like replacement in Washington, DC is $8,000 to $18,000 before rebates; your written estimate after the site visit sets the price. At Perennial DC Heat Pumps we install and replace ducted air-source heat pumps across the city, and that range covers one system with standard materials and normal access.
What our typical range covers
If you’re trying to set a budget before anyone visits, this is what the range includes: one residential whole-home ducted system, with matched indoor and outdoor equipment, installation labor, standard materials and normal access. It is the gross figure, the full amount you pay before any DCSEU reimbursement arrives. It leaves out major duct reconstruction, electrical service upgrades, difficult access or roof work, structural changes, historic-review complications, remediation and unusual distribution.
Component-only work, commercial systems, shared building systems, geothermal and ductless projects sit outside it too, and we price those from the site visit. Our cost estimator uses the same boundary and leaves any item we price on site open rather than inventing a closed total.
Why your price lands where it does
Where your project lands inside the range, or whether it leaves it, comes down to a short list of drivers. None carries a fixed DC surcharge, so the table explains what each one does rather than adding a percentage.
| Factor | Why it moves your price | Where it usually lands |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity needed at 14°F | ENERGY STAR’s DC heating design temperature sets how much output your house needs on a design day | Inside the range; larger or cold-climate models sit higher |
| Efficiency tier | ENERGY STAR Most Efficient equipment costs more and earns a higher DCSEU tier | Inside the range |
| Existing ducts | Static pressure and return sizing decide whether your ducts carry the new airflow | Minor fixes inside; major ductwork outside |
| Electrical service | Strip backup and new circuits may exceed your panel’s capacity | Circuits often inside; a service heavy-up outside |
| Refrigerant lines | Reuse depends on size, length, condition and the new unit’s tables | New lines inside on a typical route |
| Outdoor location and access | Rooftop placement, long line routes or a tight stair add labor and lifting | Ordinary access inside; roof or crane work outside |
| Approvals | Historic, Georgetown or public-space reviews add time and drawings | Standard permits inside; complex reviews outside |
| Existing fuel | A furnace conversion adds gas and flue decommissioning | Often at the upper end or beyond |
What’s inside a Washington, DC heat pump price
Equipment is only one part of an installed price. Each row below names a part of your price, what sets it, and how we price it or the local figure a public agency publishes for it.
| Part of the price | What sets it | How we price it, or the local figure |
|---|---|---|
| Matched equipment | Indoor and outdoor models, controls and backup heater for your calculated load | Part of our $8,000 to $18,000 typical range; the models are named in your written estimate |
| Installation labor | Hours for removal, setting, piping, wiring and testing | BLS: HVAC mechanics and installers earn a mean $35.45 an hour in the Washington metro vs $31.14 nationally, about 14% higher. A wage is not a billing rate: the billed rate also carries insurance, licensing, vehicles and overhead |
| Mechanical permit | Equipment size and permit route | DOB: Class E refrigeration (0 to 120,000 BTU/h) $50.60; instant mechanical up to 10 tons $50.60 |
| Electrical permits | New circuits or a service change | DOB: instant general electrical $22; instant heavy-up $64.90 |
| Duct changes | Measured static pressure, returns and access | Priced from the site visit, as its own line in your estimate |
| Electrical service work | The load calculation for your panel | Priced from the site visit; a heavy-up is its own line |
| Finish repair | Walls, ceilings or floors opened for ducts or lines | Priced from the site visit; your estimate says who restores each opening |
| Rebates (after install) | Equipment tier and the fuel you’re replacing | DCSEU: $1,000 to $5,000 by tier, each a separate reimbursement, not a discount |
| Running cost (after install) | Your household’s use and utility rates | OPC calculator: Pepco customer charge $17.09 a month; winter generation about $0.102 per kWh |
The BLS figures come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics metro wage tables and national tables, May 2025 data; medians are $34.58 locally and $29.33 nationally. They explain why labor in DC costs more than the national average; they don’t set your project’s hours or price.
Replacing a heat pump vs. converting from gas
A replacement swaps a heat pump or air conditioner and often keeps the ducts and circuits, so it tends to sit inside the range. A conversion from gas adds capping the gas line, flue work and sometimes an electrical heavy-up, which pushes toward or past the top. A dual-fuel project keeps the furnace and usually avoids a large strip heater, but needs a compatible coil and control.
Our estimate names the equipment we keep and why it is fit to reuse. An indoor-only air-handler job gets its own price from the site visit; dividing the whole-system range does not produce a component price.
Ducts, wiring and access we price separately
Major ductwork changes, electrical service upgrades, roof or crane placement, structural supports, historic-review complications and remediation sit outside our typical range. Their cost depends on your house, so we price them from the site visit rather than adding a set percentage.
Where we know the work is needed, it gets its own line in your written estimate. Where we can’t know until a wall or ceiling is open, we label it as open. In our estimator you can enter an amount you already have in writing, and it leaves the upper total open while any selected work is still to be priced. Our electrical requirements guide explains when a heavy-up comes into play.
Put these questions into a project brief
Describe what you know about the property. Technical unknowns can stay unknown.
DOB permit fees for a heat pump project
A heat pump install or replacement needs a DC Department of Buildings mechanical or refrigeration permit, and new circuits or a service upgrade need electrical permits. We file them before work starts. The DOB fee schedule lists these fees:
| DOB permit | Fee | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Class E refrigeration | $46 base plus 10% surcharge, $50.60 | 0 to 120,000 BTU/h |
| Instant mechanical | $50.60 | Up to 10 tons |
| Instant general electrical | $22 | New circuits within the instant category |
| Instant electrical heavy-up | $64.90 | Service upgrade |
| Historic, public-space or structural review | Set by scope | HPO, CFA in Georgetown, or a DDOT public space permit as applicable |
These are the city’s fees only; our time to prepare and file is part of the price. In a historic district, exterior equipment changes go through Historic Preservation Office review; in Georgetown, visible exterior changes also go to the Commission of Fine Arts. Our historic homes guide covers those routes.
Which rebates apply, and when they arrive
DCSEU’s current residential tiers are reimbursements paid after installation, not discounts at signing, so you fund the gross price first. Each tier is a separate reimbursement for a separate measure.
| Program | Amount | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| DCSEU: ENERGY STAR ducted heat pump replacing electric heat | $1,000 | Existing heat was electric |
| DCSEU: ENERGY STAR Most Efficient replacing electric heat | $1,500 | Most Efficient listing |
| DCSEU: ENERGY STAR ducted heat pump replacing gas heat | $4,000 | Proof the fuel system was removed |
| DCSEU: ENERGY STAR Most Efficient replacing gas heat | $5,000 | Most Efficient listing and fuel removal |
| DCSEU: electrical heavy-up | Up to $2,000 | Service upgrade to 200 amps |
| DCSEU: new circuits | $400 each, up to three | Circuits for the electrification measure |
| DOEE income-qualified electrification | Set by the program for each eligible household | Household eligibility through DC’s affordable home electrification programs |
| Federal 25C credit | Ended | IRS: no credit for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 |
DCSEU’s heating and cooling page asks for submission within 30 days of installation. Its rules call for a DC-licensed contractor and a DC Master Refrigeration and Air Conditioning mechanic, the DOB mechanical permit, the AHRI certificate, a paid itemized invoice, model and serial numbers and the distributor invoice.
Buildings with up to four units qualify, as can individual condo and co-op units in larger buildings. If you keep the furnace in a dual-fuel system, we don’t count on the conversion tier. Amounts change between program years, so confirm on dcseu.com. The IRS credit page explains the federal end date, and our DC rebates guide walks through the application step by step.
Example budgets
These examples are simple arithmetic from our typical range, the DOB fees and the DCSEU tiers above. Your written estimate sets your real figure, and nothing else is priced here.
| Example | Gross (before rebate) | DOB fees involved | Possible reimbursement later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat pump replacing an electric heat pump, standard scope | $8,000 to $18,000 | $50.60 mechanical | $1,000, or $1,500 for Most Efficient |
| Gas furnace removed, standard scope, no service change | $8,000 to $18,000 | $50.60 mechanical, $22 electrical | $4,000, or $5,000 for Most Efficient |
| Gas furnace removed with a heavy-up and two new circuits | $8,000 to $18,000 plus electrical work priced from the site visit | $50.60, $22 and $64.90 | Tier above, plus up to $2,000 and $800 for circuits |
| Dual fuel, furnace kept | $8,000 to $18,000 | $50.60 mechanical, $22 electrical | Conversion tier not counted on |
In the second example, if the full $4,000 reimbursement is approved, your net outlay after it arrives would be $4,000 to $14,000, but you pay the full gross amount first. In the third, we price the heavy-up from the site visit, so the upper total stays open until your written estimate fills it in.
Running cost is separate: our running-cost guide uses OPC’s calculator components, including the Washington Gas customer charge of $19.05 a month, gas commodity about $0.69 and distribution about $0.73 per therm, and Pepco transmission about $0.018 and distribution about $0.034 per kWh. Riders and taxes are extra, so your own bill is the real input.
Comparing our estimate with others
Our quote checklist lines up models, how each system was sized, supporting work, permits, testing and exclusions side by side. Schedule and payment terms are set in the written estimate itself. Our DC heat pump buying guide explains how to read capacity at 14°F against your load.
For operating costs, compare rates and performance separately from the install price. To request an estimate, tell us your current system, the property type and any access or approval issues you know about, and we’ll turn the range into a price for your address.
Questions before you decide
Does the DC planning range include a complete electrical-service upgrade?
No. A service heavy-up sits outside our $8,000 to $18,000 typical range, and we price it from the site visit as its own line. The DOB heavy-up permit is $64.90, and DCSEU currently reimburses up to $2,000 toward a 200 amp upgrade.
Can the residential band price an air-handler-only job?
No. Our range covers a whole system. An indoor-only job has different equipment, labor and access, so we price it from the site visit and itemize it in your written estimate.
Why can an estimator result have no closed upper total?
Because some work you select, such as a heavy-up or major duct changes, depends on your house, and we price it from the site visit. Leaving the top open is more honest than hiding that work under a precise-looking ceiling.