At Perennial DC Heat Pumps we install and replace ducted air-source heat pumps across Washington, DC. We’ve grouped the city into ten areas below, each built around the question that most often changes a project there: historic review, condo rules or the shape of the house. We serve these neighborhoods; we don’t keep offices in them. Homes in Maryland and Virginia are outside the area we serve.
Capitol Hill
Most Capitol Hill owners want the outdoor unit out of sight behind the rowhouse, and on most of the Hill that is also the simplest route, so we plan for it first. Capitol Hill and Kingman Park are both historic districts (Kingman Park since 2018), though the boundaries follow addresses, not neighborhood names. A condenser on a rear pad or alley-side yard that can’t be seen from a street falls in HPO’s minor-work tier, typically answered in 1 to 3 days; a roof unit near the front cornice does not. The page compares rear-yard and roof placement and narrow rowhouse routes for Lincoln Park, Stanton Park and Kingman Park. Heat pump installation on Capitol Hill
Georgetown
In Georgetown, where the outdoor unit goes is the first decision we make, before we order equipment. The neighborhood works under the Old Georgetown Act of 1950: the District refers permit plans to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and its Old Georgetown Board reviews any exterior change visible from public space, rear walls seen from alleys included. CFA names rooftop condensers and meters among the items it reviews, and plantings don’t count as screening. The page explains how we plan placement and screening for Georgetown and neighboring Burleith. Heat pump installation in Georgetown
Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan
If your tall rowhouse is split into two or three flats, the first question we answer with you is one system for the building or one per unit, each with its own meter, thermostat and outdoor spot. Mount Pleasant and Kalorama Triangle are historic districts, so exterior placement can also need HPO review, and the Columbia Road apartment buildings follow their condo documents instead. The page covers Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Park View, Pleasant Plains, Adams Morgan and Kalorama. Heat pumps for Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan
Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw
If your townhouse has been turned into condos, a roof or exterior unit has two sign-offs to clear, and we sort both before we fix the condenser spot. HPO reviews it where the address sits inside one of the area’s historic districts, and DC Code § 42-1902.24 leaves exterior changes to the condominium documents. The page walks through Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Shaw, U Street, LeDroit Park, Bloomingdale and Strivers’ Section, each of which includes a designated district. Heat pump installation in Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw
Cleveland Park and Woodley Park
A side-yard unit raises the question of what the neighbors will hear. Detached and semi-detached houses here have room that rowhouse blocks lack, so we plan around side-yard placement and sound. DC caps heat pump noise at 60 dB(A) at the property line, and the distance from the unit to the neighbor’s line decides which model fits. Cleveland Park and Woodley Park are both historic districts, and attic or basement air handlers shape the duct design. Heat pump installation in Cleveland Park and Woodley Park
Downtown, Navy Yard and Southwest
If you own a condo in a mid-rise or high-rise, the first thing we find out is which equipment is actually yours to replace. That’s the deciding question across Downtown, Penn Quarter, Navy Yard, the Southwest Waterfront, Foggy Bottom and West End. Some buildings use split air-source systems, which we install; others run shared water loops, which are building mechanical work we don’t take on, and the page says so plainly. It also covers the condo documents and DCSEU eligibility for individual condo and co-op units. Heat pump replacement in Downtown, Navy Yard and Southwest condos
Upper Northwest
In a big detached house the upstairs bedrooms are often the ones that never feel right. In Chevy Chase, Tenleytown, American University Park, Forest Hills, Spring Valley, the Palisades and nearby streets, the answer is frequently two systems or zoning, with an attic air handler serving the top floor. Sloped lots near stream valleys change where we set the outdoor unit and how meltwater drains away. If the house still heats with gas, the page explains how we plan a furnace-to-heat-pump conversion and DCSEU’s current $4,000 and $5,000 conversion tiers. Heat pump installation in Upper Northwest DC
Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma
Porch-front rowhouses and semi-detached houses with full basements give us a good home for a basement air handler. The harder call is outside: DDOT often treats the front yard between sidewalk and house as public space, so we settle that before planning a front condenser, while a rear spot usually avoids the question. Takoma Park is a DC historic district with wood-frame bungalows and Victorian houses. The page covers Petworth, Brightwood Park, Crestwood, Brightwood, Manor Park, Takoma, Fort Totten and Lamond Riggs. Heat pump installation in Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma
Brookland and Northeast
In Brookland the distance from the back yard to the basement varies a lot, because older detached houses on deep lots sit near rowhouse blocks in Trinidad and Eckington. On a deep lot we may run a long line set from a rear condenser to the basement; in a rowhouse the run stays short. Rail and industrial edges near Brentwood and Ivy City also shape where we place the unit and how we handle noise. The page covers Brookland, Michigan Park, University Heights, Brentwood, Langdon, Edgewood, Eckington, Trinidad and Ivy City. Heat pump installation in Brookland and Northeast DC
East of the Anacostia River
Semi-detached and detached houses, garden apartments and rolling ground around Penn Branch shape our work here, and the Anacostia historic district adds HPO review for exterior equipment at addresses inside it. The page also separates two ways to pay: DCSEU rebates are open to any eligible DC home, while the Affordable Home Electrification Program depends on household income citywide, not on where you live. It covers fifteen neighborhoods from Anacostia and Congress Heights to Deanwood and River Terrace. Heat pump installation east of the Anacostia River
Other DC neighborhoods we cover
Every neighborhood below belongs to one of the ten area pages above. Follow the link to the page that explains what usually decides a project there. A neighborhood name isn’t a historic district boundary, so we check your individual address before assuming review applies.
Lincoln Park
Rowhouses around the square share Capitol Hill’s housing patterns and its placement questions. See Capitol Hill.
Stanton Park
Rowhouse blocks around the square follow the same rear-yard and roof choices as the rest of the Hill. See Capitol Hill.
Kingman Park
A historic district since 2018, so exterior equipment at addresses inside it goes to HPO. See Capitol Hill.
Burleith
Older townhouses next to Georgetown; whether Old Georgetown Board review applies depends on the address. See Georgetown.
Park View
Rowhouse blocks where vertical airflow and split flats drive the design. See Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan.
Pleasant Plains
Attached houses near Howard University with the same multi-story duct questions. See Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan.
Kalorama
Includes the Kalorama Triangle historic district and larger apartment buildings along Columbia Road. See Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan.
U Street
A historic district of rowhouses, some now divided into flats or condos. See Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw.
LeDroit Park
A designated historic district of Mid-City rowhouses, where rear placement keeps review simple. See Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw.
Bloomingdale
A historic district of Mid-City rowhouses with basements that can hold an air handler. See Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw.
Strivers’ Section
A small historic district of townhouses north of Dupont Circle. See Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Shaw.
Massachusetts Avenue Heights
Detached houses where side-yard units and attic air handlers are the usual questions. See Cleveland Park and Woodley Park.
Penn Quarter
Condo units in mixed-use buildings, where the building’s system type comes first. See Downtown, Navy Yard and Southwest.
Southwest Waterfront
A modernist mix of townhouses and high-rise condos near the Wharf. See Downtown, Navy Yard and Southwest.
Foggy Bottom
A historic district of older townhouses and mid-rise buildings. See Downtown, Navy Yard and Southwest.
West End
Modern high-density condo buildings where shared systems are the first check. See Downtown, Navy Yard and Southwest.
Chevy Chase
Detached houses plus Connecticut Avenue apartment buildings, two very different projects. See Upper Northwest.
Tenleytown
Houses and apartments along the Wisconsin Avenue corridor, two very different scopes. See Upper Northwest.
American University Park
Single-family houses where two-system or zoned designs are common questions. See Upper Northwest.
Friendship Heights
Houses and apartment buildings around the Wisconsin Avenue commercial center. See Upper Northwest.
Forest Hills
Single-family houses beside mid-rise and high-rise buildings near Connecticut Avenue. See Upper Northwest.
Van Ness
Mid-rise and high-rise residences, where a building’s own documents decide placement. See Upper Northwest.
Palisades
Wooded, sloped lots along the Potomac that shape outdoor-unit placement and drainage. See Upper Northwest.
Spring Valley
Hilly single-family streets with larger houses suited to zoned systems. See Upper Northwest.
Wesley Heights
Single-family streets next to Spring Valley, where zoning and attic air handlers come up. See Upper Northwest.
Glover Park
Established rowhouses beside detached-house streets, so the route varies by block. See Upper Northwest.
Cathedral Heights
Includes McLean Gardens, apartments later converted to condominiums. See Upper Northwest.
Brightwood Park
Rowhouses and semi-detached houses, plus apartment buildings converted to condos. See Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma.
Crestwood
Houses beside Rock Creek Park, where yard slope affects the pad. See Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma.
Manor Park
Rowhouse and semi-detached blocks where front yards may be public space. See Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma.
Fort Totten
A neighborhood that grew mainly in the 1950s, with older ducts worth testing. See Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma.
Lamond Riggs
Rowhouse and semi-detached housing that also saw 1950s development. See Petworth, Brightwood and Takoma.
Michigan Park
Single-family houses near rail and industrial edges that affect unit placement. See Brookland and Northeast.
University Heights
Detached houses close to Brookland with deep lots and longer line runs. See Brookland and Northeast.
Brentwood
Houses near a rail and industrial edge, where noise and placement need a site look. See Brookland and Northeast.
Langdon
A neighborhood at the northeast edge of the Brookland area, with mixed house types. See Brookland and Northeast.
Edgewood
Higher-density apartment communities beside rowhouse streets. See Brookland and Northeast.
Eckington
Mid-City rowhouses where short, vertical routes are the norm. See Brookland and Northeast.
Trinidad
A rowhouse neighborhood where line runs from the rear yard stay short. See Brookland and Northeast.
Ivy City
Homes at a residential and industrial edge, where placement and sound need care. See Brookland and Northeast.
Anacostia
A designated historic district, so visible exterior equipment goes to HPO. See East of the Anacostia River.
Congress Heights
Detached-house streets beside garden-apartment blocks. See East of the Anacostia River.
Bellevue
Detached houses with yards that make rear placement straightforward. See East of the Anacostia River.
Washington Highlands
Substantial garden-apartment development where ownership decides who replaces equipment. See East of the Anacostia River.
Deanwood
Houses in the Watts Branch watershed, where drainage around the unit matters. See East of the Anacostia River.
Lincoln Heights
Apartment communities where building ownership comes before equipment choice. See East of the Anacostia River.
Marshall Heights
One of the denser residential neighborhoods east of the river. See East of the Anacostia River.
Capitol View
Semi-detached and single-family homes, each with a different outdoor route. See East of the Anacostia River.
Fairlawn
Rowhouse and semi-detached blocks near Pennsylvania Avenue SE. See East of the Anacostia River.
Penn Branch
Rolling terrain that changes pad height, drainage and line routes. See East of the Anacostia River.
Twining
Rowhouse and semi-detached neighborhood next to Fairlawn. See East of the Anacostia River.
River Terrace
Rowhouse and semi-detached housing near the river. See East of the Anacostia River.
Benning
Houses, duplexes and small apartment buildings around the Metro station. See East of the Anacostia River.
Douglass
Garden apartments are prominent, so building ownership is the first check. See East of the Anacostia River.
Shipley Terrace
Garden apartments where wider building rehabilitation can set the timing. See East of the Anacostia River.
Why we group neighborhoods this way
We grouped neighborhoods where the same question tends to change a heat pump project. Some groups follow the historic review route, such as HPO districts or Georgetown’s Old Georgetown Board. Others follow condo ownership, where the building’s documents decide what can change outside your unit. The rest follow the shape of the house: rowhouses with basements, tall split flats, or detached houses on larger or sloped lots. The area lines help us plan; they aren’t legal or historic district boundaries.
Our historic-homes guide, condo guide and rowhouse guide explain each question in depth. If your street isn’t listed, request an estimate with the address; we cover the whole District.