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 · Arizona · checked October 19, 2026
Heat pumps in Phoenix
Cooling runs most of the year and winter heating is light here, so choose a heat pump for its cooling efficiency (SEER2, and EER2 for the hottest afternoons); cold-weather ratings don’t matter. A typical 1,600 sq ft house here uses about 6,800 kWh a year for air conditioning, about $1,042 at Arizona prices; an 18 SEER2 heat pump would cut that to about $752.
What this means for your house: Cooling far outweighs heating here: summer bills, humidity and attic heat matter more than winter drafts.
Climate and sizing
Cooling runs most of the year and winter heating is light here, so choose a heat pump for its cooling efficiency (SEER2, and EER2 for the hottest afternoons); cold-weather ratings don’t matter. This is a dry climate: look at EER2, the efficiency on the hottest afternoons, as well as SEER2. 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.
Months of extreme heat make AC your biggest bill and a safety system, too.
Cooling is your biggest bill, and in extreme heat your AC is also a safety system. Ducts and air handlers often sit in the attic, the hottest place in the house, so leaks there waste a lot of cooling. A good audit checks the AC's health and size, tests and seals the ducts, and cuts attic and window heat.
What to look for in this climate
Southwest rules: most new split ACs need at least 14.3 SEER2 and 11.7 EER2 (9.8 EER2 if rated 15.2 SEER2 or higher). Packaged ACs need at least 10.6 EER2.
Heat pumps suit this climate: heating loads are small, and about a third of Phoenix-area homes already heat with one.
Direct evaporative coolers drop supply air 15–40°F but add humidity. Indirect and indirect/direct units cool without adding moisture.
Size with a Manual J load calculation; oversized units short-cycle.
Do these alongside the new system
Attic insulation plus a roof-deck radiant barrier. A radiant barrier cuts heat flow from the attic into the house by about 40%, typically 8–12% of cooling costs, and keeps attic ducts cooler.
High-EER2 AC or heat pump. EER2 measures efficiency at peak heat, which is why Southwest rules set an EER2 minimum. A heat pump also covers your small heating load.
Evaporative or two-stage cooling, where it fits. An evaporative cooler can use about a quarter of the energy of central AC. It works less well as humidity rises, such as during the monsoon.
Mistakes to avoid
Buying an AC on SEER2 alone. EER2 shows efficiency at peak heat, and Southwest rules set a minimum for it.
An oversized AC. Bigger isn't better: oversized units short-cycle and run less efficiently.
Air conditioning for a typical 1,600 sq ft single-family house with central air, at Arizona's average residential electricity
price (15.4¢ per kWh, EIA, July 2026). In this dry climate, check EER2 as well as SEER2: EER2 rates efficiency on the hottest afternoons, when your bill and the power grid peak.
Yearly cooling electricity and cost by system efficiency in Phoenix
System
Rated efficiency
Electricity a year
Cost a year
Notes
Typical system in homes like this today
about 13.6 SEER
6,800 kWh
$1,042
about 13.6 SEER, the average of systems now installed in this climate
New heat pump at the federal minimum
14.3 SEER2
6,200 kWh
$947
the lowest efficiency a new split heat pump can be sold at since 2023
rated 22 SEER2; real-world savings usually come in a little below the rating
How to read this: SEER2 is the season-long cooling efficiency on the yellow EnergyGuide label; a higher number means less electricity for the
same cooling. A real house can use about 30% less to 35% more than the typical figure, depending on its size, insulation, ducts, thermostat
setting and how long the AC runs. The cheapest cooling is the heat you keep out: sealed and insulated attic ducts, attic insulation and shade on
sun-facing windows often cut more than a new system does.
Heating is a small part of the bill here: with about 874 heating degree days a year, a house needs only a fraction of the heat a northern house does, so the cooling costs above matter more. Cost per million Btu of heat delivered into the house, at Arizona'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 2.4, which an efficient heat pump reaches in this climate.
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.
Heat pump rebates in Phoenix
Every heat pump program we found for the Phoenix 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.
SRP Cool Cash A/C and Heat Pump Rebate
Open
SRP (Salt River Project)
Heat pump amountsHeat pump, per ton: single-stage $75; multi-stage $150; variable-capacity $225; inverter-driven mini-split heat pump $225. Limit five rebates per customer.
Equipment ruleMinimum 15.2 SEER2. 'All qualifying equipment must be listed in the AHRI Verified Directories as meeting or exceeding the efficiency minimums.' On split central systems, both the indoor air handler and the condensing unit must be replaced. Single-stage systems need a Manual J load calculation. No ENERGY STAR rule.
Other conditionsMust be 'installed by a contractor licensed in Arizona to install residential air-conditioning systems', with signed Contractor Terms and Conditions.
Arizona Governor's Office of Resiliency, with U.S. DOE funds
Heat pump amountsNo amount on the pages read: 'a set rebate amount which is NOT guaranteed to cover the total project cost'. Our October 12 check gives up to $14,000 per household.
Equipment rule'The rebated model must be ENERGY STAR certified and legal for distribution in the United States at the time of purchase.' Since Sept. 1, 2026, rebates are 'only permitted to replace existing electric appliances and heat pumps', including replacing an existing heat pump with a more efficient one. A heat pump can be added alongside a gas furnace, but 'the program is unable to replace or remove the fossil fuel heat source'. 'Heat pumps will no longer be required to serve as a home's primary heating and cooling…
Other conditions'Anyone who participates in the program will be required to work with an Efficiency Arizona Qualified Contractor'; the rebate is applied to the contractor invoice.
StatusOpen under the new rules. Aug. 28, 2026 was the last day to reserve under the old rules, and new rules apply to reservations from Sept. 1, 2026. Owner-occupants at or below 150% AMI only.
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. Arizona's status is in the program list above.
Audit programs, other rebates and help for lower-income homes: our Phoenix guide.
Systems that suit Phoenix
Winters here don't call for cold-weather ratings, so these are the certified systems with the highest EER2 (efficiency on the hottest afternoons) and 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 on hot afternoons
Central systems that cool most efficiently on hot afternoons for Phoenix
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.
