What Actually Happens in Your House on Install Day
A stage by stage account of an AC changeout, from refrigerant recovery to the vacuum decay test and the county inspection, and what to watch for.
Heat Pump Installation & Replacement in Orlando, FL
Serving Homes in Winter Park, Casselberry, Altamonte Springs, Apopka, and Nearby Areas
- Heats and cools year-round
- Every major brand installed
- Standard and economy priced
- Rated 5.0 on Google
- Florida License CAC1821345
- EPA 608 Certified
- BBB A+ Accredited
The System Jormechanical Air Installs The Most
A heat pump is an air conditioner with one extra valve. In August it cools the house like any other system. In January it runs backwards, pulling warmth out of a 50-degree morning, and Orlando has far more of those than freezes. One outdoor unit does both jobs.
That's why most of what Jormechanical Air installs is a heat pump. Book a visit, and one of our HVAC technicians will walk your house with you, look at what you run now, and say what a new one would change, or whether it would.
3,452
Orlando's cooling degree days in a normal year, per NOAA. Summer does the sizing here. Winter just tags along.
65%
Roughly how much less electricity a heat pump burns for heat than electric strips, per the U.S. Department of Energy.
AHRI
The directory that certifies an indoor and outdoor unit as a matched pair. No match number on a quote? Ask why.
75°F
The indoor temperature a load calculation sizes your heat pump to hold on Orlando's hottest afternoon, sun and all.
Six Ways a New Heat Pump Pays You Back
Is a new heat pump worth the money? In Orlando, it pays you back in more places than the January bill. Here's where, whether you're replacing a worn heat pump or an air conditioner with heat strips.
Strips that stay parked.
A worn heat pump leans on its strips more each winter. An air conditioner with strips leans on them every night. A new one keeps them parked except for a few truly cold nights, and the meter shows it.
Summer bills that drop too.
In cooling mode it's plain air conditioning, and a current model out-cools most of the units it replaces on less power. August is where the cooling money goes, so that's where the savings are biggest.
A thermostat you set once.
Leave it on auto, and it flips between heating and cooling by itself. A 50-degree March morning and an 85-degree afternoon, same day, no fiddling.
Rooms that hold still.
Many current heat pumps run a variable-speed compressor. It creeps up and eases off as the house asks, so the temperature stops swinging past the number you set, and the compressor lives longer for it.
Dry air at 76, not 74.
Those long, gentle cycles give the indoor coil time to wring water out of the air. A drier 76 feels like an old 74, and every degree you nudge up trims the bill.
A refrigerant you can still buy in 2035.
New heat pumps run on R-454B or R-32, the refrigerants now allowed. An old R-22 or R-410A unit gets pricier to recharge every year, and a new one takes that bill off the table.
Replacing a heat pump past its twelfth summer, or done paying the strips to heat the house? Book a visit, and you'll have both units named and one full price before you decide a thing. One room with no ducts? That's a ductless mini-split, covered on its own page.
Heat Pump Cost in Orlando, Numbers First
A standard high-efficiency heat pump installs for $10,000 to $25,000 in Orlando, and the tonnage your house needs, 1 to 5, swings that figure most. The economy tier goes between $6,000 and $8,000. Economy is the minimum-efficiency line, so it costs less now and a little more every month.
Both prices cover the whole job, units, labor, permit, and haul-away, so nothing sneaks onto the invoice. Against an air conditioner the same size, a heat pump costs a little more and hands it back on January bills. Either tier can go on Wisetack financing, subject to credit approval.
Heat Pump vs. Air Conditioner With Heat Strips
Heat Pump for Most Homes, Two Exceptions
For most homes, we'd put in the heat pump, no hesitation. One unit covers August and most of January. Empty house from December to March? Lowest price today, the only thing that matters? Then an air conditioner with strips is the smarter spend, and we'll say so.
| Heat pump | Air conditioner with heat strips | |
|---|---|---|
| What makes the heat | Pulled in from outdoor air | Made by electric coils in the air handler |
| Winter power use | Lower most nights | Climbs every hour the strips run |
| The coldest nights | Strips step in as backup | Strips carry the whole load |
| Summer cooling | Identical | Identical |
| Upfront price | A little higher | A little lower |
| Best fit | A home that's lived in all winter | A home empty most of winter, or the tightest budget |
Measured, Permitted and Explained, Every Install
What Your Quote Should Show
Sized by a Load Calculation
Ever wonder why one 3-ton system holds 75 and the neighbor's can't? Sizing, nearly always. Before we name a tonnage, our HVAC technicians run a load calculation on your house, windows, insulation, sun, and all. Florida's energy code asks for that math, and the answer goes on your quote.
Permitted Under License CAC1821345
Every heat pump change-out in Orange County needs a mechanical permit, and the counties around it agree. Ours goes in under our license; we meet the inspector ourselves, and the pass lands in the county's public record. Look it up a year from now. It'll still be there.
Both Warranties Explained Before We Leave
Ten years on parts from most major brands, once the unit is registered, and one year on our labor, both starting install day. Fine print? We read it with you before we leave. You'll know what's covered, what isn't, and whose number to call. Hint; it's ours.
From First Call to Both Modes Running
Here's the order things happen, start to finish.
1. Book by phone or online
Tell us what you run now, roughly how old it is, and how it behaved last winter. A weekday or Saturday visit goes on the calendar while you're still on the line.
2. The visit, about an hour
Give us an hour. Our crew measures the rooms, looks at the air handler and the outdoor unit, and before we leave, you'll know what the house needs and why. The number comes from your house's math.
3. Your quote, then your call
The quote reaches you by text or email, one full price per option. Sleep on it. We order nothing until you choose, then we call to go over it line by line.
4. Install day, both modes running
Old unit out, new heat pump in, and before we pack up, it runs in cooling and then in heat while you stand there and watch. Most swaps are done by mid-afternoon.
Book While the Weather's Still Mild
Here's What Happens When You Call
A person picks up, asks how the system's been behaving, and when you're home, you get a visit slot that fits your calendar, most often inside the same week you call. You'll also hear what happens at the visit, so none of it is a mystery.
Have Last January's Power Bill Handy
That bill shows how hard your strips ran, which gives us a first read on what a heat pump would change before anyone's measured a thing. A photo of the outdoor unit's label helps too.
Plan the Swap for Fall or Spring
In October or March, the house shrugs off a day without cooling or heating, so installation costs you nothing and the calendar has room. Summer swaps happen too. They just book faster, so call sooner.
Same Crew in All Four Counties
A shaded 1950s ranch in Belle Isle and a two-story build in Horizon West need different heat pumps, and they get the same crew. From north of downtown Orlando, we roll out across Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties, and the load calculation, the permit, and the startup test come along.
Is your town not listed below? The list is a sample. Ask when you book, and you'll get a yes or no on the spot.
- Orange County
- Seminole County
- Volusia County
- Osceola County
Orange County
Orlando, Horizon West, Hunters Creek, Waterford Lakes, Belle Isle
Seminole County
Wekiva Springs, Fern Park, Goldenrod, Chuluota
Volusia County
South Daytona, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach Shores
Osceola County
Harmony, Narcoossee, Buenaventura Lakes
Osceola has 100% acceptance with the Florida PACE program
The Heat Pump Reading List
Does a variable-speed heat pump pay for itself here? Standard or economy for a rental you don't live in? Our blog takes those questions one at a time, in everyday language, long before install day.
Why a New AC Costs More in 2026 Than It Did Two Years Ago
The refrigerant rule, the HFC phasedown, SEER2 standards and metals tariffs, each explained by name, and which of them are permanent.
Do I Need a Permit to Replace My AC in Orange County?
Yes, and here is which permit, who may pull it, whether the county or the city issues it for your address, and what unpermitted work costs you later.
What Homeowners Noticed Beyond the New Equipment
A heat pump cools all summer and heats on cold nights, so it works harder than most systems in the house. Read what homeowners posted on Google about the company that installs and services it.
Judale Wynkoop owner of JorMechanical just finished installing my new A/C and Airhandler and a new Ecobee Premium Stat. Courteous, efficient, and very knowledgeable regarding heating and cooling systems. And, importantly, trust worthy. All old equipment was promptly removed when the install was completed. A pleasure to have JorMechanical as a reliable contractor.
They came fast, fixed my AC, and didn't talk over my head.
He arrived promptly at the agreed time, communicated clearly throughout the visit, and completed all the necessary work to a high standard.
Probably made him feel a little uncomfortable, but he was kind polite he did the work and I appreciate the work that he did.
Questions We Get Before Every Heat Pump Install
Monday to Friday: 7:30 am–5:30 pmSaturday: 7:30 am–2 pmSunday: Closed
Worth waiting for a heat pump tax credit?
No. The federal 25C credit ended for any system finished after December 31, 2025, under the July 2025 budget law, and nothing federal has taken its place. A system that limps through one more summer costs more in repairs and power than a credit that may never come back.
Does a heat pump need a bigger electrical panel?
Usually not. The heat strips set the largest breaker, and a heat pump of the same size draws about what an air conditioner does in cooling. We check the panel at the visit, and any upgrade goes on the quote, never as a surprise on install day.
Is a heat pump louder than an air conditioner?
No. In cooling, it's the same compressor and fan, so it sounds the same. In heat mode, you may catch a whoosh when the reversing valve shifts, and a louder one during a defrost cycle. Both are normal, and current models run quieter than the ten-year-old unit they replace.
Should I replace my heat pump before it fails?
If it's past 12 years or runs on a refrigerant that's no longer made, yes, on your own timetable. A planned swap gives you time to compare quotes and pick the tier you want. A failed one in July gets whatever can go in fastest.
Does a new heat pump need a new thermostat?
Often, yes. A heat pump thermostat carries a wire that tells the reversing valve which way to run and another that wakes the backup strips. A thermostat built for a plain air conditioner can't do either. Most smart thermostats can, and we set up whichever one goes in.