# Commercial heat pump installation in Memphis

> Heat pumps for small Memphis offices, shops and churches: split or rooftop packaged units, crane lifts, permits and work scheduled around your open hours.

URL: https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/commercial-heat-pump-installation/

Service

Small offices, shops, churches and storefronts on split systems or rooftop packaged units, with the work planned around your hours.

(901) 657-2200

Last Updated: November 12, 2026

1 visit

before a written estimate with load numbers, model numbers and price

95° / 20°

Shelby County design temperatures we size for

In writing

start-up readings for charge, airflow and backup heat

## Small buildings, open every weekday

Small offices, shops, storefronts and churches across Memphis run on the same kinds of heat pumps as houses, only bigger and often on the roof. The difference is the schedule: the building has to stay open.

[Bluffline Memphis Heat Pumps](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/) installs commercial heat pumps in small buildings across Memphis and Shelby County, and we plan the work around your hours.

### What we work on

- **Offices and storefronts** of up to a few thousand square feet.
- **Shops and showrooms** with long open hours.
- **Churches and fellowship halls**, where loads swing from empty to full in an hour.
- **Small medical and professional suites** with several zones.

## Split system or packaged rooftop unit

Commercial heat pumps come in two forms, and the building usually decides.

### Split systems

An outdoor unit on a pad or the roof and an air handler inside, joined by a line set, just as in a house but larger. Splits fit buildings where the ducts start inside, in a mechanical closet, above a ceiling or in an attic.

### Packaged rooftop units

The whole system in one cabinet on the roof, sitting on a curb over the duct openings. Packaged units fit flat-roofed buildings where there is no room inside.

Many older buildings in Midtown and along commercial corridors run on 1980s or 1990s gas and electric packaged units, and a packaged heat pump can take their place on the same curb with an adapter.

## Sizing for people and fresh air

Commercial loads aren’t sized like houses. Occupancy, lighting, equipment and outside air all count. A church sanctuary that is empty all week and full on Sunday needs a different answer from an office with steady staff.

We run a load calculation for each zone that includes the ventilation air the occupancy needs, and we look at how the space is used across the week. The [sizing guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing-manual-j/) explains the basic method.

### Zones and thermostats

Many small buildings have two or more units serving different areas. Each unit gets its own thermostat, and where the building is empty at night or on weekends, schedules save energy without anyone remembering to change a setpoint.

## The lift, the permit and the street

A rooftop swap is a logistics job as much as an HVAC job.

1. **Measure the curbs** and check the roof membrane around them.
2. **Book the crane** and, on a street-front building, the street or sidewalk permit.
3. **Pull the commercial mechanical permit.** In Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County that is the joint Office of Construction Code Enforcement.
4. **Cap the rooftop gas** the evening before when gas packaged units come out.
5. **Lift early**, remove the old units, set the adapters and the new units.
6. **Wire, start and test** the same day, with the membrane patched at each curb.

### The state license line

Tennessee requires a state contractor license for HVAC projects of $25,000 or more. Smaller jobs fall under local rules. The permit path for your building is part of the estimate.

## Scheduling around your hours

We plan the sequence on the first visit with whoever controls the building, the owner, the manager or the church office. The usual patterns:

- **Rooftop swaps on a Saturday**, with gas capped Friday evening and the building running again by Monday.
- **Inside work after hours** for split systems in occupied offices.
- **One unit at a time** in buildings with several, so part of the space always has air.

A return check on the next business day, with people in the building, can be part of the plan, since airflow and thermostats behave differently in an occupied space.

## Retiring rooftop gas

Many older packaged units burn gas for heat. Replacing them with packaged heat pumps removes the gas burner from the roof, along with its flue, its heat exchanger and the gas piping that runs up the wall.

### What that changes for the building

- **One less safety check.** No heat exchanger to inspect for cracks and no flue on the roof.
- **Simpler maintenance.** Filters, coils and belts, without the combustion side.
- **Backup heat.** Packaged heat pumps carry electric strips for the coldest hours, sized to the zone’s load at Shelby County’s 20-degree design temperature.

On MLGW’s rates gas is cheaper per BTU than heat pump heat, so some owners keep gas packaged units where heating hours are long. We price both. The [gas furnace or heat pump guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-memphis/) explains the running-cost side for houses; commercial accounts are on MLGW’s general service rates, so we run the numbers from your own bills.

## Electrical and controls

Commercial units often run on three-phase power. We check the service, the existing disconnects and the breaker sizes against the new units’ ratings. Where a disconnect is rusted or undersized, a new one goes on the estimate.

The [electrical guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/electrical-panel-for-heat-pump/) covers the residential side; commercial service checks follow the same logic at a larger scale.

## What it costs

Bluffline’s typical range for replacing a light commercial packaged unit is $9,000 to $22,000 per unit. Tonnage, the curb adapter, the crane and the roof all move the number.

Split systems are priced per job. Your written estimate after the visit sets the price, and the [cost page](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-installation-cost/) lists every residential range for comparison.

### What the estimate lists

- Units, tonnage and efficiency ratings for each zone.
- Curb adapters and any roof work.
- Crane, rigging and street permits.
- Gas capping, electrical and controls.
- The schedule and the permit.

## Commissioning commercial units

Each unit gets the same proof as a house, plus the commercial items: outdoor air setting, economizer if present, and thermostat schedules.

The [commissioning checklist](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-commissioning-checklist/) covers the residential readings, and every unit’s numbers are written down for the building file.

### Efficiency ratings

Packaged and split commercial heat pumps carry their own efficiency ratings. [SEER2 and HSPF2 explained](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/seer2-hspf2-explained/) covers the residential scale; the estimate lists the rated efficiency for each unit we quote.

### Duct problems in older buildings

Older storefronts often have ducts that were rearranged by several occupants. If a zone never cools, the [ductwork page](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-ductwork/) explains what we test, and the [replacement page](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-replacement/) covers split systems in houses converted to offices.

## What's included

- Site visit with the building owner or manager
- Load and ventilation check for each zone
- Split or packaged heat pump options priced side by side
- Crane, rigging and street permit where needed
- Rooftop gas capped when packaged gas units come out
- New disconnects and thermostats
- Start-up and a return balance check
- Readings for each unit in writing

## Split system or rooftop packaged unit

|  | Split heat pump | Packaged rooftop heat pump |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where it sits | Outdoor unit on a pad or roof, air handler inside | Whole unit on the roof |
| Fits when | Ducts start inside, space for an air handler | Existing roof curbs, no indoor room |
| Lift | Usually none | Crane in most cases |
| Typical range per unit | Priced per job | $9,000 to $22,000 |

## Two rooftop units on Broad Avenue over a weekend

A 1950s storefront office on Broad Avenue runs on two 1990s gas and electric packaged units with rusted cabinets. The businesses inside are open every weekday, so the job has to happen between Friday evening and Monday morning.

Where

Midtown Memphis, Broad Avenue

The house

1950s single-story storefront, about 2,400 sq ft, flat roof

Price

$27,400

Time on site

3 days

1. Plan the lift We book the crane and the street permit for Saturday at 7 a.m. and cap the rooftop gas on Friday evening.
2. Fit the old curbs Curb adapters let two 5-ton packaged heat pumps sit on the existing curbs without cutting the roof.
3. Wire and start New disconnects, thermostats and start-up on Saturday afternoon, with the membrane patched at each adapter.
4. Check on Monday We come back Monday morning to check airflow and the thermostats with people in the building.

## Related resources

- [Learn**How should a heat pump be sized for a Memphis house?** What a load calculation measures, the design temperatures it uses here, and why the right answer is often smaller than the old unit.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing-manual-j/)
- [Learn**What do SEER2 and HSPF2 mean on a heat pump?** The two numbers on every heat pump quote, what changed when they got a 2, and how much a higher rating is worth in a Memphis house.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/seer2-hspf2-explained/)
- [Learn**What belongs on a heat pump installation checklist?** The tests during installation and the readings at start-up that separate a heat pump that reaches its rating from one that never will.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-commissioning-checklist/)
- [Learn**Do you need an electrical panel upgrade for a heat pump?** Most heat pump jobs reuse the existing circuits. Here is when they don't, what a load calculation checks, and how smaller strips avoid an upgrade.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/electrical-panel-for-heat-pump/)
- [Decision Guide**How do you buy the right heat pump for a Memphis house?** The whole decision in the order you meet it, from the system you have now to the readings you should get at start-up.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/memphis-heat-pump-buying-guide/)

## How a job runs

### Call or send the form

Tell us what heats and cools the house now and what's going wrong.

### One visit

We look at the equipment, ducts, panel and the spot outside and run the load numbers.

### Written estimate

Load figures, matched model numbers, scope and price on one page.

### Install and start-up

Permit pulled, system set, line set tested, and the start-up readings handed to you.

## Commercial heat pumps: questions

### Can a commercial heat pump be installed without closing the business?

Usually. Rooftop swaps can be scheduled for a weekend, with gas capped the evening before and units set early on a Saturday. Split systems inside can often be done after hours. We plan the sequence on the first visit.

### What size commercial jobs do you take on?

Small commercial buildings such as offices, shops, storefronts, churches and fellowship halls, on split systems or rooftop packaged units of up to about 7.5 tons each. Large central plants are outside our scope.

### Do rooftop heat pumps fit existing curbs?

Often, with a curb adapter that matches the old curb to the new unit's footprint. We measure the curb and check the roof around it before we pick the unit, so the roof doesn't have to be cut.

### Does a Tennessee contractor license apply to commercial heat pump jobs?

Tennessee requires a state contractor license for HVAC projects of $25,000 or more, and local permits apply below that. The permit path is part of the estimate.

### What does a commercial rooftop heat pump cost in Memphis?

Bluffline's typical range for replacing a light commercial packaged unit is $9,000 to $22,000 per unit, set by tonnage, the curb and the lift. Your written estimate after the visit sets the price.

## Related services

- [Service**Heat pump replacement** Your heat pump is near the end and you want the next one to last. We size it from the house and match both halves.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-replacement/)
- [Service**Duct work** A heat pump can only move the air the ducts let through. We measure first, then fix returns, seams and crushed runs.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-ductwork/)
- [Service**Variable speed heat pumps** Long, slow runs that pull more water out of a Memphis summer and keep two-story houses even.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/variable-speed-heat-pump/)

## Get an estimate for commercial heat pumps

Tell us what heats and cools the house now, what's going wrong and roughly where the house is. Photos of the outdoor unit and its nameplate help.

(901) 657-2200