Heat Pumps in Boca Raton: Installed, Repaired and Explained
A heat pump is an air conditioner that can run its refrigeration cycle in reverse. In Boca Raton it cools for most of the year, then handles the short run of cool mornings without a furnace. We install, repair and replace heat pumps, and we start by making sure you know what is on your wall and in your yard.
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Thermostat Says Aux Heat or Em Heat? You Probably Have a Heat Pump
If you just moved into a Boca Raton home, found Aux Heat and Em Heat on the thermostat, and then watched the electric bill jump after the first cold snap, you are not alone and the system is probably not broken. Trane notes that only a heat pump thermostat has those settings. The bill jump usually comes from the backup heat, not a failure.
Here is what is going on. A heat pump moves heat instead of making it. In summer it pulls heat out of the house and dumps it outside, exactly like a central air conditioner. In heating mode a brass reversing valve in the outdoor unit flips the refrigerant flow, so the indoor coil becomes the warm coil. ENERGY STAR says that because it moves heat rather than burning fuel, a certified air-source heat pump can deliver up to three times more heat energy than the electricity it uses.
Most heat pumps here also have electric resistance strips in the air handler. Those strips are the backup. They work, but they convert electricity straight into heat, so they cost far more to run. The U.S. Department of Energy says heat pumps can cut electricity use for heating by about 50 percent compared with electric furnaces or baseboard heaters, which is the gap you see on the bill when the strips do the work instead of the heat pump.
The rest of this page explains how to confirm what you have, when the strips switch on, what normal winter behavior looks like, and when a heat pump actually needs service.
How to Tell a Heat Pump From an Air Conditioner
Split heat pumps and central air conditioners look almost identical from the yard. Trane lists these ways to tell them apart. You rarely need all six.
Read the thermostat
Em Heat, Aux Heat or both means a heat pump. Only heat pump thermostats carry those settings.
Check the nameplate
Find the model number on the outdoor unit. Some say heat pump outright; otherwise the model number settles it.
Find the EnergyGuide label
Both systems list SEER or SEER2. Only a heat pump also lists HSPF or HSPF2, its heating rating.
Look for the reversing valve
With the system off and the fan stopped, look into the top of the outdoor unit for a brass valve with three fittings on one side. An AC does not have one.
Switch to Heat
On a cool day, set the thermostat to Heat. If the outdoor unit starts, it is a heat pump. A straight AC stays silent and heats with strips or a furnace.
Check the manuals
Owner manuals left by a seller often name the system type. Text us a photo of the outdoor label and we will tell you.
How Little Heating a Boca Raton Heat Pump Has to Do
NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for West Palm Beach International Airport, the nearest long-record station, show why a heat pump covers nearly every heating hour here.
January averages
An average January low of 57.9°F and an average high of 74.7°F.
Nights below 50°F
About 21 nights a year, mostly December through February.
Nights below 40°F
About 2.6 a year, and no freezing nights in the normals.
What that means
The backup strips mostly run during defrost cycles and on the handful of cold mornings, plus whenever the thermostat is pushed several degrees at once.
Heat Pump vs Aux Heat vs Emergency Heat
Three heating modes, three very different costs. Knowing which one is running explains most winter bill surprises.
- Heat (the heat pump)The outdoor unit moves heat from outdoor air into the house. This is the efficient mode, and on most Boca winter mornings it can carry the load without help.
- Aux heat (automatic)Electric strips in the air handler that switch on automatically during defrost, in colder weather, or when the setpoint is raised by more than about 3 to 4°F at once (American Standard). Trane notes you do not need to do anything when AUX appears.
- Emergency heat (manual)A setting you choose that shuts down the heat pump and runs the strips alone. Trane describes it as the setting for a failed heat pump. Left on, it heats the whole house at strip-heat cost.
- Avoid the big jumpRaise the thermostat 2 degrees at a time on a cold morning instead of 8. The U.S. Department of Energy advises against manual setbacks on a heat pump when they trigger backup resistance heat, and recommends a thermostat designed for heat pumps.
Heat Pump or AC With Heat Strips: Which Makes Sense in Florida?
Both systems cool exactly the same way. American Standard's comparison puts it simply: the difference is how they heat. Here is how the two stack up for a South Florida home.
| Heat pump | AC with heat strips | |
|---|---|---|
| How it heats | Reverses the refrigeration cycle; strips only as backup | Electric resistance strips in the air handler do all the heating |
| Heating efficiency | About 50% less heating electricity than resistance heat (U.S. DOE); up to 3x more heat energy than electricity used (ENERGY STAR) | Resistance heat: one unit of heat per unit of electricity |
| Cooling efficiency | Comparable. American Standard's top heat pump reaches up to 22.4 SEER2 | Comparable. American Standard's top AC reaches up to 23.6 SEER2 |
| Efficiency ratings | SEER2 for cooling and HSPF2 for heating | SEER2 only |
| Typical life (American Standard) | 12 to 15 years; runs year round | About 15 years; may be shorter in a hot, humid climate |
| Maintenance | Two visits a year: before cooling and before heating season | One spring visit is the manufacturer minimum; we recommend two here |
| Unique repair | Reversing valve and defrost controls | None beyond the strips themselves |
From our own permit records: a 2022 change-out we completed in West Palm Beach was permitted as a 2.5-ton Rheem system rated 16 SEER with 5 kW of electric heat,. When a strip-heat system like that comes up for replacement, pricing a heat pump alongside it is worth the five minutes.
Heat Pump Behavior in Winter: What Is Normal and What Needs a Call
Most winter calls we get are heat pumps doing exactly what they were designed to do. These are the ones you can safely watch, and the ones you should not.
Safe to do yourself
- Steam from the outdoor unitTrane calls it perfectly normal during defrost, which usually lasts 3 to 5 minutes, sometimes with a swooshing sound and AUX on the thermostat.
- Defrost in the low 40sTrane explains the outdoor coil runs 10 to 20°F colder than the air, so defrost can start on a Boca morning in the low 40s. The reversing valve runs the cooling cycle for a few minutes while the backup strips keep the house warm.
- AUX on the displayAuxiliary heat comes on automatically when needed. No action required (Trane).
- Keep the outdoor unit clearTwo feet of clearance on all sides, and keep the filter on its 1 to 3 month schedule (Trane).
Stop and call a pro
- Constant defrost or building iceTrane advises a service call if defrost never stops or ice keeps accumulating on the outdoor coil.
- Stuck in one modeCooling when you asked for heat, or the reverse. It can be the reversing valve, but Trane notes other faults cause the same symptom, so it needs testing.
- You had to switch to Emergency HeatThat setting exists for a failed heat pump. Using it means the system needs service, not a thermostat change.
- Anything with refrigerantTrane warns that trying to free a stuck reversing valve yourself can damage it and cause a refrigerant leak.
Common Heat Pump Repairs: Reversing Valves, Defrost Controls and Capacitors
A heat pump has every part an air conditioner has, so it fails in all the same ways: weak run capacitors, burned contactors, clogged condensate drains, dirty coils and refrigerant leaks. Because it also runs in winter, those parts log more hours than a cooling-only system's do, which is part of why American Standard puts heat pump life at 12 to 15 years.
Then there are the parts only a heat pump has. The reversing valve and its solenoid switch the system between heating and cooling. Trane says it is uncommon for the valve to stick, and lists the warning signs as no heat, no cooling, being stuck in one mode, or strange noises. The defrost control decides when to melt frost off the outdoor coil. When it fails, the coil can ice over on a cold morning or the system can sit in defrost far longer than the normal few minutes.
The expensive mistake is guessing. A system stuck in cooling mode might have a failed valve, a failed solenoid coil, a control board fault or a thermostat wiring problem, and those are very different repairs. That is why the diagnosis has to come first, the way Frank Rey trains every Direct Cooling technician: the solenoid, controls and thermostat wiring tested and pressures read in both modes before anyone talks about replacing a valve.
If your heat pump uses R-410A, it can still be repaired. EPA states that its refrigerant rules do not limit servicing equipment already installed, including major repairs. Whether a large refrigerant repair is worth doing on an older heat pump is the same repair or replace question covered on our AC replacement page.
Heat Pump Efficiency Ratings That Apply in Florida
Florida is in the U.S. Department of Energy's southeast region. For split heat pumps installed on or after January 1, 2023, the minimums are the same nationwide.
| Rating | Minimum | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| SEER2 | 14.3 | Cooling efficiency over a season; the number that matters most in Boca, where cooling dominates |
| HSPF2 | 7.5 | Heating efficiency over a season; higher means less strip heat and lower winter bills |
Ratings belong to a matched outdoor and indoor pair. A high-SEER2 outdoor unit on an old or mismatched air handler will not deliver its rated efficiency.
What a Heat Pump Replacement Should Include
These are the decisions that determine how a new heat pump performs here, and what any estimate should answer.
- Sizing from a Manual J load calculation, which ENERGY STAR describes as the calculation of the heating and cooling a home actually requires
- A matched outdoor unit and air handler, with the SEER2 and HSPF2 of that pair
- Backup strip size chosen for our mild winters, not copied from the old air handler
- Refrigerant: new systems use A2L refrigerant such as R-454B (GWP 465 on EPA's reference table), not R-410A at 2,088
- A thermostat designed for heat pumps, so setbacks do not trigger strip heat
- Line set replaced or flushed for the new refrigerant, and the condensate drain and float switch verified
- Permit pulled in the contractor's name, with final inspection
- If you have a straight AC today: ENERGY STAR notes a ducted heat pump can be a drop-in replacement for a central AC in most zones, so ask for both prices
Check that the thermostat is not left on Emergency Heat after a service call or a cold night, and raise the setpoint a couple of degrees at a time. Those two habits keep the strips off on most Boca mornings.
Heat Pump Installation and Service From Direct Cooling
Direct Cooling is a family-run Boca Raton contractor, licensed as a Florida certified air conditioning contractor (CAC1819111).
- Two manufacturersWe are an American Standard Customer Care Dealer and a Rheem Pro Partner, so heat pump options from both brands can be compared side by side.
- Diagnose firstFrank Rey founded the company in 2017 after more than 20 years in HVAC and trains every technician to diagnose first and sell second.
- Both seasons coveredThe membership plan includes two tune-ups a year, which matches the spring and fall schedule heat pump manufacturers recommend.
- Answered around the clockThe dispatch line at (561) 210-7605 is monitored 24/7, by call or text, from our office in Boca Commerce Park.
Where We Handle Heat Pumps
Heat pump installation and service throughout south Palm Beach County and north Broward. Tap a pin for the city.
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Heat Pump Questions We Get Asked
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Tap a question to ask
- Do I need a furnace in South Florida?
- Most homes do not. NOAA's normals for West Palm Beach show an average January low of 57.9 degrees and no freezing nights, so a heat pump with electric strips as backup covers the short heating season. When a home has a straight AC with electric strips instead, a heat pump is the usual efficiency upgrade at replacement time.
- Why did my electric bill spike on a cold morning?
- Almost always the backup electric strips. They switch on during defrost, in colder weather, or when the thermostat is raised more than about 3 to 4 degrees at once, and they use far more electricity per unit of heat than the heat pump. Emergency Heat left on after a cold night does the same thing all day.
- When should I use emergency heat?
- Only when the heat pump itself has failed and you need heat until it is repaired. Emergency heat shuts down the outdoor unit and runs the electric strips alone, which is expensive. If you find yourself switching to it, schedule a service call rather than leaving it on.
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air in winter?
- It may be in a defrost cycle, which Trane says usually lasts 3 to 5 minutes and can come with steam from the outdoor unit. If cool air continues well beyond that, or the system seems stuck in cooling mode, the reversing valve, its solenoid or a control may need service.
- How long does a heat pump last in Florida?
- American Standard puts typical heat pump life at 12 to 15 years and notes that heat pumps can have a shorter life than air conditioners because they run year round. Two tune-ups a year, a clean drain, and protection from salt air near the coast all push toward the longer end.
- Is a heat pump worth it over an air conditioner in Florida?
- Usually, when you are replacing the system anyway. Both cool the same way with comparable efficiency, and the heat pump heats far more efficiently than resistance strips on the nights you need heat. American Standard notes the cost of the two is very similar, so we price both and let you compare.
- Is steam coming from my outdoor unit a problem?
- No. Steam on a cool morning is the defrost cycle melting frost off the outdoor coil, and Trane calls it perfectly normal. It should stop within a few minutes. Constant defrost, or ice that keeps building on the coil, is the point to call for service.
Heat Pump Not Switching Modes?
Call or text (561) 210-7605 and tell us what the thermostat shows. A photo of the outdoor unit label helps us arrive with the right parts.
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Learn moreSources · page reviewed 2026-10-06
- Trane, How do I know if I have a heat pump?, read 2026-10-06
- Trane, Heat pump reversing valve basics, read 2026-10-06
- ENERGY STAR, Air source heat pumps (Manual J, drop-in replacement), read 2026-10-06
- U.S. DOE, Energy Saver Guide (2022), read 2026-10-06
- American Standard, Heat pump vs air conditioner (March 2026), read 2026-10-06
- American Standard, What is aux heat?, read 2026-10-06
- Trane, Heat pump auxiliary heat, read 2026-10-06
- Trane, What is a heat pump defrost cycle?, read 2026-10-06
- NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 monthly normals, West Palm Beach Intl (USW00012844), read 2026-10-06
- U.S. DOE, 2023 central air conditioner and heat pump standards FAQ, read 2026-10-06
- EPA, Frequent Questions on the Phasedown of HFCs, read 2026-10-06
- EPA, Technology Transitions GWP reference table, read 2026-10-06
- City of West Palm Beach eGovPlus permit portal (search contractor CAC1819111), read 2026-10-06
- American Standard, Customer Care Dealers, read 2026-10-06
- Rheem, 2025 Pro Partner contractor brochure, read 2026-10-06