# Heat pump installation in Bartlett, TN

> Heat pumps for Bartlett homes on their second system: duct checks, dual fuel and replacements, with the permit through Bartlett's own Code Enforcement.

URL: https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/bartlett/

Service area, Shelby County

Heat pumps for Bartlett homes on their second system: duct checks, dual fuel and replacements, with the permit through Bartlett's own Code Enforcement.

(901) 657-2200

Last Updated: November 12, 2026

57% gas

of homes heat with utility gas; 42% with electricity (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024)

1992

median year homes were built (ACS 2020-2024)

Permit

Bartlett Code Enforcement Department

Utility

MLGW electric and gas

## What brings a house in Bartlett to a new heat pump

### The second system is wearing out

A house from the early 1990s replaced its system once, around 2008, and that one is near the end now.

### Back bedrooms run warm

A single return and a crawlspace trunk with failed tape, so the far rooms never catch up.

### Gas furnace, failing AC

More than half of Bartlett heats with gas, and a sound furnace often outlives the AC.

## Bartlett houses on their second system

The typical Bartlett house was built in 1992, according to the Census Bureau. Many replaced their first system in the late 2000s, and that second system is now reaching the end.

[Bluffline Memphis Heat Pumps](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/) installs heat pumps across Bartlett, from Ellendale to the Stage Road corridor. The equipment is only half the job here; the ducts are the other half.

### What a second replacement finds

- **Original ducts** now 30 years old, under the floor or in the attic.
- **One central return** that was tight for the first system and tighter for a modern one.
- **A gas furnace** in good shape beside an AC that isn’t.

## The ducts come first

A heat pump moves about 400 cubic feet of air per minute for each ton.

In a 1990s Bartlett ranch, the trunk tape has often failed, crawlspace insulation has torn and the single return is too small. A new heat pump on those ducts runs loud and short of air.

### What we measure

On the first visit we take a static pressure reading. Most residential blowers are built for about 0.5 inches of water column; readings near 0.9 are common in houses with one small return. You see the number before and after any duct work.

### What the fix usually is

- **A second return**, often in the hall ceiling or a back bedroom.
- **Mastic on the trunk seams** in place of dried-out tape.
- **New insulation** to at least R-8 where it is torn or wet.

[Heat pump ductwork](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-ductwork/) and [crawl space ductwork](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/crawl-space-ductwork-heat-pump/) cover the details.

## Gas or electric in Bartlett

About 57 percent of Bartlett homes heat with MLGW gas and about 42 percent with electricity. The house you have sets the job.

- **Gas with a sound furnace:** [dual fuel](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/dual-fuel-heat-pump/), with a heat pump where the AC was.
- **Strip heat:** a heat pump with smaller backup strips, which cuts the winter bill most.
- **An older heat pump:** a straight [heat pump replacement](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-replacement/), sized from the house.

## Sizing from the house, not the nameplate

A Bartlett house that has gained new windows or attic insulation since 1992 often needs less capacity than its old unit. We run a load calculation for Shelby County’s 95-degree summer and 20-degree winter.

### Why smaller can be better

A unit that is too big for the house is also too big for its ducts. Getting the size right often relieves a tight return and leaves the house drier. The [sizing guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-sizing-manual-j/) explains the method.

## Permits through Bartlett

Bartlett runs its own Code Enforcement Department and has adopted a mechanical code, so heat pump permits and inspections go through the city, not the joint Memphis and Shelby County office.

We pull the permit and schedule the inspection. The install day comes after the permit is issued, and the inspection happens once the new system is running, with the equipment, the wiring and the drain all in place to be seen.

## What it costs in Bartlett

For a replacement with a duct fix, the system and the ducts are separate lines on the estimate. Bluffline’s typical ranges:

| Bartlett job | Typical range |
| --- | --- |
| Replace both halves, ducts reused | $8,000 to $16,000 |
| Second return, sealed and rewrapped trunk | $800 to $3,500 |
| Heat pump added to the furnace you have | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| New outdoor unit on a newer air handler | $4,500 to $9,000 |

Your written estimate after the visit sets the price. The [cost guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/heat-pump-installation-cost/) explains what moves it.

### Rebates on MLGW

Because Bartlett buys its power from MLGW, a TVA distributor, two EnergyRight payments can apply to one Bartlett job: one for the heat pump itself ($500 at 15 SEER2, $800 at 17) and $300 for duct sealing and insulation. Both need a participating contractor in TVA’s Quality Contractor Network. The [TVA rebate guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/tva-energyright-heat-pump-rebate/) has the details.

## Older Bartlett near the railroad

Bartlett grew out from the old town along the railroad and Stage Road, and the streets near the original center include houses from the 1960s and 1970s, older than the city’s median. Those houses add a few concerns of their own.

### What older houses add

- **Electric furnaces** from the era when many houses here were built all-electric.
- **Smaller electrical services**, which limit how large the backup strips can be.
- **Ducts that were extended** as rooms and dens were added over the years.

The [electric furnace to heat pump](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/electric-furnace-to-heat-pump/) page covers strip-heat swaps, and the [panel guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/electrical-panel-for-heat-pump/) explains when the service needs work.

## The outdoor unit on a Bartlett lot

Bartlett lots are wider than many in Memphis, so placement is easier. The unit usually stays where the old one sat, on a raised pad so defrost water drains away, with the maker’s clearances on all sides.

### When to move it

We suggest moving the pad when the old spot is under a bedroom window, beside a dryer vent that coats the coil with lint, or in a low corner that floods in a heavy rain. A few feet of extra line set is a small cost next to a unit that sits in water. [Placement and noise](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/outdoor-unit-placement-noise/) covers the details.

## Two-story houses in Bartlett

Newer Bartlett neighborhoods north of Stage Road include two-story houses on one system, where upstairs runs warm and damp in summer.

### What helps

A second return upstairs, sealed attic ducts and a [variable speed heat pump](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/variable-speed-heat-pump/) that runs long and slow. A bigger unit rarely does.

## Ready for the visit

The visit goes faster with:

- **Photos of both nameplates.**
- **The crawlspace or attic access**, cleared if you can.
- **Rooms that run warm or cold.**
- **Twelve months of MLGW usage.**

## Nearby

We work across Bartlett, from Ellendale and Kirby Whitten Road to Appling Road and Old Brownsville Road.

[Germantown](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/germantown/) to the south uses the joint county permit office and has older, gas-heated houses. [Lakeland](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/lakeland/) and [Arlington](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/arlington/) to the east have newer homes, and [Millington](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/millington/) to the north is mostly strip heat. The [Memphis heat pump buying guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/memphis-heat-pump-buying-guide/) covers the whole decision.

## Services in Bartlett

- [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**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**Dual fuel heat pumps** A heat pump in place of your AC, on top of the gas furnace you keep, with the handoff set for MLGW rates.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/dual-fuel-heat-pump/)
- [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/)

## What a Bartlett duct fix looks like

Bartlett's houses are mostly from the 1990s and many are on their second system. This ranch near Stage Road is typical: the heat pump is due, but the real trouble is under the floor, where one small return and failed trunk tape leave the back bedrooms warm.

Where

Bartlett, near Stage Road

The house

1993 ranch, about 1,900 sq ft, crawlspace trunk

Price

$2,900

Time on site

1 day

1. Permit through Bartlett Bartlett runs its own Code Enforcement Department, so the mechanical permit and inspection go through the city, not the joint county office.
2. Test before quoting Static pressure reads 0.9 inches against a 0.5 target. A new heat pump on these ducts would run loud and short of air.
3. Fix the return and the trunk A second return in the hall, mastic on every trunk seam and new R-8 wrap over 48 feet of trunk.
4. Show the result Static drops to 0.5, and the back bedrooms come within two degrees of the hall.

## How a job usually runs in Bartlett

### 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.

## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes

### Neighborhoods

- Ellendale
- Stage Road corridor
- Kirby Whitten Road
- Appling Road
- Old Brownsville Road

### Landmarks

- W.J. Freeman Park
- Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center
- Davies Manor

### Getting around

- Stage Road (US 64)
- Summer Avenue (US 70)
- Interstate 40
- Germantown Parkway

[Open Bartlett, TN in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Bartlett%2C%20TN)

## Bartlett: questions

### Who issues heat pump permits in Bartlett?

Bartlett runs its own Code Enforcement Department with an adopted mechanical code, so permits and inspections go through the city rather than the joint Memphis and Shelby County office. We pull the permit and schedule the inspection.

### My Bartlett house is from the 1990s. Are the original ducts good enough for a new heat pump?

Often with repairs. Thirty-year-old ducts usually need sealed seams, rewrapped insulation or a bigger return. A static pressure reading on the visit shows how much the ducts restrict the air.

### Can I get the TVA rebate in Bartlett?

Yes. Bartlett is on MLGW, a TVA power company. TVA EnergyRight pays $500 for a qualifying heat pump at 15 SEER2 and $800 at 17 SEER2, installed by a participating contractor in TVA's Quality Contractor Network.

### How much does a Bartlett heat pump replacement with duct work cost?

Bluffline's typical range for a whole-home system is $8,000 to $16,000, and duct repair done with the install runs $800 to $3,500. Your written estimate after the visit sets the price.

### Should a Bartlett gas house switch to all-electric?

Usually only if the furnace is failing too. On MLGW's rates gas heats cheaper per BTU, so with a sound furnace we price dual fuel first and show the all-electric option beside it.

## Nearby towns

- [Shelby County**Germantown** Heat pumps for Germantown homes, most heated by MLGW gas: dual fuel or all-electric, sized from a load calculation, permitted through the joint county office.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/germantown/)
- [Shelby County**Lakeland** Heat pumps for Lakeland's 2000s two-story homes: ending R-22 refills, attic air handlers with proper drain pans, and dual fuel on a furnace with years left.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/lakeland/)
- [Shelby County**Arlington** Heat pumps for Arlington's newer homes: quieter outdoor units placed away from bedrooms, dual fuel on gas furnaces, with permits through Shelby County.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/arlington/)

## Guides for houses in Bartlett

- [Learn**How do crawl space ducts affect a heat pump in Memphis?** Humid air under the floor, cold ducts, failed tape and small returns, and what to fix before a new heat pump goes on them.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/crawl-space-ductwork-heat-pump/)
- [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/)
- [Cost Guide**How does the TVA EnergyRight heat pump rebate work in Memphis?** Who qualifies, which equipment tier pays what, the contractor rule, and what to expect on the Mississippi and Arkansas side.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/tva-energyright-heat-pump-rebate/)
- [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/)

## Get an estimate in Bartlett

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

(901) 657-2200