Strip heat is common in Horn Lake
Nearly half of Horn Lake homes heat with electricity, according to the Census Bureau, more than anywhere else in DeSoto County. Many are late-1980s and early-1990s ranches with an electric furnace in a hall closet.
That makes the strip-heat swap the job that changes Horn Lake bills most. Bluffline Memphis Heat Pumps replaces electric furnaces with heat pumps across Horn Lake, from Goodman Road to Church Road.
Why strips cost so much
Resistance strips turn one unit of electricity into one unit of heat. A heat pump moves heat from outdoor air and delivers two to three units for each unit it uses on most winter days. The electric furnace to heat pump page explains the conversion.
What the swap involves
Two pieces of equipment change, and the ducts stay:
- The outdoor AC becomes a heat pump that cools in summer and heats in winter.
- The electric furnace becomes a matched air handler with a smaller strip kit for backup.
- The thermostat becomes a heat pump model with an outdoor sensor.
In a 1,300 to 1,600 square foot ranch, the backup often drops from 10 or 15 kW to 5 kW. That smaller kit only runs on the coldest mornings and during defrost.
Getting the strip lockout right
A heat pump only saves money if the thermostat lets it work. Without an outdoor sensor and a lockout, the strips come on whenever the house falls a degree or two behind, and the winter bill barely moves.
We set the lockout with you, usually around 30 to 35 degrees outside, and show you the difference between auxiliary heat and the emergency setting. The aux and emergency heat guide and the thermostat guide cover both.
Closets, slabs and attic ducts
Many Horn Lake ranches sit on slabs, with the air handler in a hall closet and the ducts in the attic. That layout keeps the install simple but puts two things under scrutiny.
The closet
The new cabinet has to fit the closet’s depth with the return still working, often through a grille in the closet door. We measure on the visit and pick the cabinet to fit.
The attic ducts
Attic flex from the late 1980s sags, crushes and leaks. Before we quote, we take a static pressure reading. If the ducts are choking the air, the fix goes on the estimate as its own line. See heat pump ductwork.
An AC that keeps freezing
An AC whose indoor coil ices over is short of airflow or short of refrigerant. A dirty coil, a collapsed return or a slow leak are the usual culprits.
Before you replace it
If the system is young, the fix may be a duct repair or a leak repair. If it is past about 15 years or runs on R-22, replacement is usually the better money. The repair or replace guide walks through it.
Gas houses in Horn Lake
The other half of Horn Lake heats with gas. In those houses the question is whether to keep the furnace and add a heat pump, or retire it.
Dual fuel keeps a sound furnace for the coldest hours; an all-electric conversion fits when the furnace is failing too.
Sizing a small ranch
Small houses are the easiest to oversize. A 1,350 square foot ranch that came with a 2.5-ton AC may need 2 tons once its windows and attic insulation are counted.
A half ton too big matters more in a small house than a large one.
What we measure
- Square footage and ceiling height, room by room.
- Windows, their size, direction and glass.
- Attic insulation depth, which in many Horn Lake attics has settled since the house was built.
- Duct location and condition, since attic ducts add to the summer load.
The load calculation uses Shelby County’s design conditions, 95 degrees in summer and 20 in winter, which DeSoto County shares. The sizing guide explains the method.
Permits in Horn Lake
The City of Horn Lake’s Planning Department handles permits at City Hall on Goodman Road West. A heat pump installation needs a permit and an inspection.
We file the permit and schedule the inspection. Addresses outside city limits go through DeSoto County’s planning and building office, and the estimate says which applies.
What it costs in Horn Lake
A strip-heat swap is a whole-system job: Bluffline’s typical range for it is $8,000 to $16,000. The rest of the ranges:
| If the job is | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Whole-home system with a new air handler | $8,000 to $16,000 |
| Outdoor unit only | $4,500 to $9,000 |
| Heat pump on a gas furnace you keep | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| Duct repair and sealing with an install | $800 to $3,500 |
Your written estimate after the visit sets the price. Smaller Horn Lake ranches tend toward the lower half of the system range. The cost guide explains each driver.
Rebates
Horn Lake is on Entergy Mississippi, not a TVA power company, so TVA’s heat pump rebate doesn’t apply. Entergy Mississippi has its own heating and cooling incentive program, and we check its current terms for the equipment on your estimate.
Before the visit
Have these ready if you can:
- Photos of both nameplates.
- Twelve months of Entergy bills, which show how much of the year’s power goes to heat.
- The closet or attic location of the air handler.
- Any rooms that won’t cool, which point to duct problems.
Nearby
We work across Horn Lake, from the Interstate 69 interchange and Goodman Road to Latimer Lakes Park and the neighborhoods along Horn Lake Road and Tulane Road.
Southaven next door has more gas-heated houses from the late 1990s, and Hernando to the south has the newest homes in DeSoto County. Olive Branch to the east sits partly on a TVA power company. For the whole decision in order, start with the Memphis heat pump buying guide.
