How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost in Charlotte? [2025 Data]

Heat pump installation costs in Charlotte, North Carolina, average $5,536, and most projects total between $3,926 and $7,496. Your price will depend primarily on the capacity of the heat pump, which is based largely on your home size, as well as the type of heat pump you install. Ductless mini-splits are a popular option that can provide heating and cooling while keeping your installation costs below average.

Heat Pump Cost Factors

It’s possible to pay as little as $1,100 for a heat pump in Charlotte, while some residents pay as much as $10,000. Where your price falls within that range will depend on a few important factors.

Capacity and Home Size

Heat pump capacity refers to the output, so a higher capacity heat pump will be able to heat and cool a larger interior area but will also drive up your costs. It’s a good idea to have an HVAC specialist near you determine what tonnage you need. It’s based largely on home square footage, so you can use that as a baseline to get an estimate, but there are other factors a pro will consider, like ceiling height, home age, insulation quality, and more.

A good rule of thumb is to begin with 2 tons of capacity for the first 1,000 square feet of living space and then add 0.5 tons for each additional 500 square feet. The average home in Charlotte, North Carolina, is just under 1,700 square feet, which means the average home in the city will need a 3-ton heat pump.

Type of Heat Pump

There are a few different types of heat pumps to choose from. Ductless mini-splits and air-source heat pumps are, by far, the most popular in Charlotte. They’re plenty efficient to provide both heating and cooling through the somewhat cold winters and the hot summers, and they cost less than half of what you’d pay for a geothermal heat pump.

Hybrid systems are rare in Charlotte since neither the winter nor the summer temperatures are extreme enough to warrant having two heating and cooling sources.

Efficiency

Just like other HVAC units, heat pumps come with different levels of efficiency, rated using SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) and SEER2, a similar protocol that uses updated testing metrics. The U.S. Department of Energy updated heat pump efficiency standards in 2023, and all heat pumps in Charlotte now must have an efficiency rating of 15 SEER or higher.

Higher efficiency ratings mean higher material costs when you install your heat pump. However, upgrading is a wise decision in an area like Charlotte, where somewhat cold winters and relatively hot summers can put a lot of stress on lower-efficiency units.

North Carolina doesn’t have any statewide rebates or incentives for heat pump installation, even if you opt for a higher efficiency rating. However, upgrading to a higher SEER rating could make you eligible for the home energy efficiency tax credit from the federal government, which could mean effective savings of up to $2,000.

Duct Installation

You may need to consider the cost of duct installation if you don’t already have ducts running throughout your home. Duct installation costs will add between $3,000 and $7,500 to your total heat pump cost. You don’t need to consider this add-on if you already have ducts or if you’re installing ductless mini-splits.

HVAC Pro Costs

It’s not legal to perform your own heat pump installation, and hiring a pro will provide peace of mind that your system is sized and installed properly. When you hire an HVAC pro in Charlotte, North Carolina, to install your new heat pump, you can expect between $500 and $3,000 to go toward the labor alone. Your labor costs will be slightly higher than the national average since the cost of living in Charlotte is around 3.5% higher than the rest of the country. 

The City of Charlotte also requires building permits for any major HVAC work, including installing a heat pump. For the average heat pump installation in Charlotte, the permit fee will be $79.61. If your installation costs more than $7,000, you’ll instead pay a fee of $59.70 plus $12.19 per $1,000 over $3,000 in total installation costs.

Does a Heat Pump Increase Home Value?

Installing a new heating and cooling system will increase your home value and provide an average return on investment (ROI) of 30%. In Charlotte, that means an average home value increase of $1,650.

You can maximize your ROI by choosing a high-efficiency heat pump that will provide heating and cooling through the cold winters and hot summers while also reducing utility costs.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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