You're on the US site. In Canada? NRCan-registered energy advisors, EnerGuide evaluations and live provincial and federal rebates.Go to audityourhome.ca →
Heat pumps by metro · Georgia · checked October 19, 2026
Heat pumps in Atlanta
Winters are moderate: a good standard heat pump handles them, with backup heat for the odd cold snap, and summers need real cooling. At Georgia prices an efficient heat pump delivers heat for about $19.07 per million Btu, against $20.74 for a high-efficiency gas furnace.
What this means for your house: Mild winters and modest summers: comfort fixes and efficient equipment matter more than big heating savings.
Climate and sizing
Winters are moderate: a good standard heat pump handles them, with backup heat for the odd cold snap, and summers need real cooling. This is a humid climate: a variable-speed system that runs longer at low speed pulls more moisture out of the air than a single-stage one. Whatever the climate, the system should be sized from a room-by-room load calculation (ACCA Manual J), not from
the size of the old air conditioner or furnace: an oversized heat pumpshort-cycles, dehumidifies poorly and costs more.
Degree days: NOAA1991–2020 climate normals. Climate zone: IECC 2021 (PNNL county list). Housing: Census American Community Survey.
Seasonal COP: Seasonal COP is the heat delivered over a whole heating season, including electric backup heat and defrost, for a heat pump sized for the house. We pick the planning value by how cold the winter is (heating degree days) and set it slightly below modelled results (Dunsky/CCI 2024), because measured field performance tends to come in lower. For your own house, the HSPF2 rating of the system you choose and your installer's Manual J load calculation are the better guide.
Long, muggy summers and short winters; ducts, crawlspaces and humidity drive comfort.
Summers here are long and muggy, and winters are short but bring regular freezes. Ducts running through hot attics and damp crawlspaces waste energy, and controlling humidity matters as much as temperature. A good audit tests the ducts, checks the attic and crawlspace, and includes a radon test in the Atlanta area.
What to look for in this climate
Southeast rules apply: a new split AC must be at least 14.3 SEER2 (13.8 for the largest sizes), based on installation date.
Split heat pumps must meet at least 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. ENERGY STAR models start at 15.2 SEER2 and 7.8 HSPF2.
If relative humidity stays above 60% after the system is right-sized, add dehumidification. A dehumidifier won't fix an oversized AC or leaky ducts.
Do these alongside the new system
Seal and insulate ducts, or move them inside. Ducts in attics and crawlspaces can waste 10–45% of heating and cooling energy, so this is often the biggest avoidable loss.
Closed crawlspace with drainage and dehumidification. Controls humidity, mold and musty odors under the house.
Right-sized variable-speed heat pump. It handles mild winters and long, humid summers. Cold-climate models aren't required here, but check heating capacity on freezing nights.
Heat pump water heater. It works in a garage or indoor space that stays between 40°F and 90°F, and it cools and dehumidifies that space.
Mistakes to avoid
Buying a bigger AC than you need. Oversized systems short-cycle and leave the house humid.
Heating and cooling both count here: winters are real, so the price of each unit of heat matters, but so does summer efficiency. Cost per million Btu of heat delivered into the house, at Georgia's average residential prices from the EIA (electricity for
July 2026, gas as an annual average). Here a heat pump costs less to run than a 95% gas furnace whenever its seasonal COP is above 2.3, which an efficient heat pump reaches in this climate.
Summer matters too. Air conditioning for a typical 1,600 sq ft single-family house with central air, at Georgia's average residential
electricity price (16.3¢ per kWh, EIA, July 2026). In this humid climate, part of the air conditioner's job is pulling moisture out of the air. A right-sized variable-speed system runs longer at low speed and removes more of it; an oversized one cools quickly, shuts off and leaves the house clammy.
Yearly cooling electricity and cost by system efficiency in Atlanta
Every heat pump program we found for the Atlanta area, with the equipment rule that decides which models qualify. Checked against each
program's own page on October 19, 2026. Most utility programs need an AHRI-matched system; check the exact pairing in the AHRI directory before you sign.
Georgia Power Home Energy Improvement Program (HEIP): heat pump conversion rebates
Open
Georgia Power
Heat pump amountsSource: HEIP 2026 Precondition and Improvement Requirements PDF ('Rebates effective August 1, 2026'; valid Aug. 1, 2026-Dec. 31, 2028). Furnace conversion to air-source heat pump: 50% of cost, up to $1,500. Conversion to ground-source heat pump: 50% of cost, up to $300. All HEIP rebates are capped at $2,500 per customer per year; apply within 60 days. The HEIP web page shows the conversions only as 'Up to $1,500' and 'Up to $300'. It also lists 'Ductless Mini Split Heat Pump - Combined: Up to $500' and…
Equipment ruleAir-source: 'Installed indoor/outdoor unit combination must be listed on the AHRI directory as an air source heat pump.' The qualifying existing system is an electric furnace, and documentation 'must include a note from the installer attesting that the air source heat pump replaced an electric furnace.' Ground-source: 'Must be listed on the AHRI directory as a Geothermal Heat Pump.' No minimum SEER2/HSPF2, ENERGY STAR or Manual J sizing rule is stated.
Other conditionsA licensed HVAC installer is required; the web page says HVAC improvements require 'a licensed installer'. Heat pump conversions are not among HEIP's DIY-eligible rebates.
Georgia Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR)
Open · limits apply
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), with U.S. DOE funds
Heat pump amountsNo heat pump rebate at present. When HEAR reopens, single-family applicants 'will only be able to receive rebates for electrical wiring and panel upgrades' together with an eligible Home Efficiency Rebates (HER) project. Heat pumps are not listed, and the multifamily pathway will not reopen.
Equipment ruleNot applicable to heat pumps under the revised program. Georgia's earlier guidance on DOE 'Qualified Electrification Projects' (last updated 6/4/2025) said 'The rebated model must be ENERGY-STAR-certified' and 'The new heat pump must be the primary source of heating and cooling for the home.' DOE Program Notice 26-2 now lets homes keep existing fossil-fuel HVAC when adding a heat pump.
Other conditionsProgram-approved contractors (GEFA Approved Contractors directory).
Statuspaused: 'The HEAR program is currently paused and not accepting new applications.' GEFA says it 'will reopen in October 2026 with limited measures for single-family' applicants; the page did not show a reopening as of October 19, 2026.
The federal rebate (formerly HEAR) pays up to $8,000 toward an ENERGY STAR certified heat pump for income-qualified households, through
the state. Since May 29, 2026 it covers only upgrades from existing electric equipment, and the installer must be on the state's
contractor list. Georgia's status is in the program list above.
Audit programs, other rebates and help for lower-income homes: our Atlanta guide.
Systems that suit Atlanta
Winters here don't call for cold-weather ratings, so these are the certified systems with the highest SEER2, on current refrigerants, from ENERGY STAR's US listings. Rebadged twins with identical ratings are folded into one row.
How to read the tables: SEER2 is cooling efficiency over a season and EER2 on the hottest afternoons; HSPF2 is heating efficiency over a
season. Size is the rated output in BTU/h (12,000 BTU/h is
one ton). The AHRI number identifies the exact certified pairing for rebates. Full definitions: how to read the numbers.
Central systems that cool most efficiently
Central systems that cool most efficiently for Atlanta
MO1SS-H09B-2A MSESU-H09B-2ASame ratings also listed as Senville, Comfort-Aire and Century, Blueridge, AI AIR CONDITIONING, CanAir, KEEN Home, Mainline, Novair
Tell us about your home and what you want to heat or cool. A person reads every request and replies with the contractors and rebate programs that serve your ZIP code.
