Bellingham, Washington
Heat pumps and mini splits in Alabama Hill
1960s–1980s, with scattered 1990s infill on the upper streets. That single fact decides your sizing, your electrical work and whether PSE will pay $1,500 toward the job.
- Construction era: 1960s–1980s, with scattered 1990s infill on the upper streets
- Design temperature: 19°F
- Permits: City of Bellingham, if the parcel is inside city limits
- We pull the permit and meet the inspector
- WA L&I #BELLIHC808NM Active registration — verify it with the state
- $30,000 bonded Surety bond on file with L&I
- $1,000,000 insured General liability coverage
- Local since 2020 Owner-operated in Whatcom County
- We pull the permit City of Bellingham or Whatcom County, and we meet the inspector
The houses in Alabama Hill
Alabama Hill is view-lot country: split-levels and daylight-basement homes stepped up the slope east of I-5 so the living room faces Mount Baker. Most are wood-framed with the garage tucked under the main floor, which means the mechanical room is on the lower level and the duct trunk runs up through the middle of the house. Lots are generous by city standards, and many still have the original single-pane sliders that made the view worth buying.
What is probably heating yours right now
Electric forced air is the default up here — a lot of these houses were built in the era when cheap hydro power made an electric furnace the obvious choice, and plenty of them still have the original air handler with a bank of resistance elements. Where there is no ductwork you find baseboard in every bedroom and a wall heater in the bathroom. Both of those are exactly the existing-heat profile PSE’s electric-resistance conversion rebate pays to replace.
Why this determines your rebate
Puget Sound Energy pays $1,500 — $2,400 for income-qualified households — to replace electric-resistance heat with a heat pump. Baseboard heaters, wall heaters, an electric furnace and radiant ceiling cable all count. A gas furnace does not, and because Cascade Natural Gas rather than PSE supplies gas in Bellingham, there is no PSE gas-to-heat-pump rebate either. So the first thing we ask is what is on your walls.
Find out in a minute — (360) 592-3824What makes a Alabama Hill install different
The good news is that an electric furnace already has the ductwork, the return, and a 240-volt circuit, so swapping the air handler for a ducted heat pump is usually a one-day change-out rather than a remodel. The wrinkle is wind: the ridge catches the east outflow coming down from the Cascades, and an outdoor unit set on a low pad on the exposed side of the house will drift-pack with snow and ice in a cold snap. We set the condenser on a raised stand on the lee side of the house, and we keep the defrost drainage away from any walkway that ices over.
Sizing for 19°F
Every Bellingham address shares the same code design temperature — 19°F at station Bellingham 2 N, colder than Sea-Tac's 24°F. What differs street to street is the envelope. A 1910s one-and-a-half storey with knee walls and original single glazing carries a very different load from a mid-2000s two-storey built to a modern code, even at identical square footage. That is why we run the load rather than multiplying square feet by a constant.
We know the streets
If you are near the Mount Baker view along Alabama Street, St. Clair Park, Sunset Pond, we have worked nearby. Ask and we will tell you honestly what we have run into on that side of town.
Rebates for a Alabama Hill home
-
Electric Resistance to Air-Source Heat Pump Conversion
Puget Sound Energy
$1,500
Available now$2,400 with PSE Efficiency Boost for income-qualified households.
- Paperwork:
- We file it
- Deadline:
- No published end date — tariffed and subject to change
- Verified:
- 2026-09-04 · source
-
Efficiency Boost (income-qualified multiplier)
Puget Sound Energy
Raises other PSE rebates
Income-qualifiedHeat pump $1,500 → $2,400 · heat pump water heater $1,000 → $1,100 · smart thermostat $75 → $175.
- Paperwork:
- We file it
- Deadline:
- Ongoing
- Verified:
- 2026-09-04 · source
-
Community Energy Challenge — moderate income
Sustainable Connections + Opportunity Council
Up to $2,000
Income-qualifiedFor a ductless heat pump upgrade. Weatherization incentives average roughly 45% of project cost. Stated by CEC to be in addition to utility rebates.
- Paperwork:
- The program files it
- Deadline:
- Ongoing
- Verified:
- 2026-09-04 · source
-
Daikin Instant Rebates — ductless
Daikin (administered by EGIA)
$450–$750
Available nowSkyAir (RZA outdoor with FTA indoor) $750 · MXM and Aurora MXT/MXTH $500 · Aurora RXT/RXP $450 · Atmosphera $450.
- Paperwork:
- We file it
- Deadline:
- Purchase by September 30, 2026; install by October 31, 2026
- Verified:
- 2026-09-04 · source
-
Heat Pump Water Heater Rebate
Puget Sound Energy
$1,000
Available now$1,100 with Efficiency Boost. Requires a NEEA Tier 3 or Tier 4 model.
- Paperwork:
- You file it
- Deadline:
- No published end date — apply within 30 days of installation
- Verified:
- 2026-09-04 · source
-
Federal §25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
Internal Revenue Service
$0 — terminated
EndedHistorically 30% of cost, up to $2,000/year for heat pumps and heat pump water heaters. Gone. The One Big Beautiful Bill (P.L. 119-21, enacted July 4, 2025) accelerated its termination.
- Paperwork:
- You file it
- Deadline:
- Terminated — property placed in service after December 31, 2025 does not qualify
- Verified:
- 2026-09-04 · source
What a Alabama Hill household qualifies for
Four questions. No email required, and the answer is sometimes “nothing” — we would rather tell you that now than after a sales visit.
What we do in Alabama Hill
Ductless Mini Split Installation
Heat and cool the rooms you actually use, without tearing your house apart to add ductwork.
$3,000–$ 10,000 Details →
Heat Pump Installation
One system that heats through a Bellingham winter and cools through a smoke-season August, sized to your house rather than to a chart.
$4,000–$ 8,000 Details →
Heat Pump Replacement
Replace a tired system once, correctly, instead of paying for a third repair on equipment that will not see another winter.
$2,793–$ 10,058 Details →
Furnace to Heat Pump Conversion
Use the ductwork you already have to get efficient heating plus air conditioning, and keep the furnace only if it is genuinely earning its place.
$4,000–$ 8,000 Details →
Heat Pump Repair
Find out what is actually wrong, in plain language, with the repair price and the replacement price side by side.
Details →
Heat Pump Maintenance
An hour of attention each year keeps the capacity you paid for and finds the cheap failures before they become the expensive ones.
Details →
DIY Mini Split Kit Commissioning
Do the labour you are capable of doing, and pay a professional only for the part that needs gauges, a vacuum pump and a licence.
Details →
Get a Alabama Hill estimate
That one question decides whether PSE pays $1,500 toward your project, so it is the first thing we ask.
Ready for a straight answer on your house?
Tell us what you have now and what you want it to do. We will tell you what fits, what it costs, and which rebates you actually qualify for — before anyone comes out.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM · Emergency calls answered 24/7