Heat pumps in Burbank

About heat pumps in Burbank

Short answer

Heat pumps in Burbank start at $9,400 installed before rebates. BWP pays toward qualifying systems, and we file the paperwork. Permits come from City of Burbank Building and Safety.

What we see in Burbank homes

Burbank Water and Power pays its rebate when a heat pump replaces gas heating. That matches most of the city's older homes, which still heat with gas. A typical project removes the attic furnace and the side-yard AC. In their place go one outdoor heat pump and a matching air handler, so one system covers both seasons. Homes that still heat with a floor or wall furnace often do better with a ductless heat pump and two or three indoor heads. That route skips new ductwork through a low attic.

The panel is usually the deciding factor. Older Burbank houses with 100-amp service may need an upgrade before a heat pump, an induction range and an EV charger can all run. We add up the loads and tell you whether the panel can stay. After the install we file the BWP paperwork for you. Burbank issues its own permits, so we apply online and schedule the city inspection ourselves. If you keep a gas range or water heater, the gas line stays and only the furnace branch is capped.

Which Burbank homes convert easily

• Post-war houses with an attic furnace and ducts: a ducted heat pump goes in the same spot.
• Houses with a hallway closet furnace: a heat pump air handler fits the closet if the dimensions allow.
• Homes heated by a floor furnace or wall heater: a ductless system with a few heads avoids new ducts.
• Hillside homes above Glenoaks: the outdoor unit needs a level pad on a terrace or a wall bracket.
• Converted garages and back units: a small ductless heat pump serves them on their own.

The BWP rebate, step by step

BWP pays when the heat pump replaces gas heating, so the old furnace has to come out. The rebate is figured per ton, with a cap per home, and a panel upgrade done with the heat pump adds a separate amount. We confirm the current form and amounts before you sign, since BWP updated it in 2026. After the final inspection, we file the application with the invoice and equipment details. You get a copy of everything we submit.

Before the crew arrives

Clear a path to the attic hatch or the furnace closet. Move anything stored against the side-yard fence where the outdoor unit will sit. Plan for the heat and cooling to be off for most of one day.

Many Burbank houses heat with an attic furnace or an older wall unit, which makes them good candidates for a heat pump. A ducted heat pump can reuse the existing ducts if they are in decent shape. Homes without ducts can use ductless heads in the main rooms instead. We check the ducts and the panel before recommending either path.

BWP's rebate requires that gas heating is removed, so the old furnace is capped and taken out as part of the job. If the electrical panel needs an upgrade, BWP pays an extra amount toward it. We file the rebate paperwork after the final inspection.

The NOAA weather station 2 miles from Burbank, Burbank Valley Pump Plant, averaged 24 days a year at 95°F or hotter and 6 days at 100°F or hotter in 2016-2025. Its hottest reading was 114°F on September 5, 2020.

Burbank is served by BWP. $1,000 per ton, up to $5,000, when a ducted or ductless heat pump replaces a gas heating system. For a typical 3-ton system that is $3,000 back on a system that starts $9,400 before rebates. An extra $750 when an electrical panel upgrade is installed together with the heat pump.

Heat pumps are efficient in this climate. The nearest station, Burbank Valley Pump Plant, averaged winter lows of 42.5°F and about 44 nights a year at 40°F or colder, well within the range where a modern heat pump heats at full efficiency.

In Burbank (ZIP codes 91501, 91502, 91504, 91505 and 91506), 51% of homes were built before 1960 and 72% before 1980; 72% of households heat with natural gas, and 44% of homes are detached single-family houses.

Burbank takes mechanical permit applications online through its Citizen Access Portal. Its permit list calls for an energy report when a replaced unit sits on the roof or at the rear of the property and for any new system or new ducts, and work that needs plan check is reviewed electronically in ProjectDox.

Burbank Water and Power adds $750 when an electrical panel upgrade is installed with the heat pump, which helps in older Burbank homes with small panels.