Olive Branch houses and the AC that goes first
Olive Branch grew fast around 2000, the median year its homes were built, and about 63 percent heat with gas, according to the Census Bureau.
In many of those houses the furnace has been replaced once and the original AC is the next thing to fail.
Dual fuel comes first
Bluffline Memphis Heat Pumps installs heat pumps across Olive Branch, from Old Towne out along Goodman Road and Craft Road. With a sound furnace, the first option we price is dual fuel: a heat pump where the AC was, on the furnace you keep.
Why it fits here
- The furnace is often newer than the AC and has years left.
- A heat pump costs little more than an AC and adds a second heat source.
- Gas carries the coldest nights, the heat pump carries the mild ones.
Two power companies, two rebate rules
Olive Branch is split between Entergy Mississippi and Northcentral Electric Power Association. Northcentral is a TVA power distributor; Entergy is not. Which one is on your bill changes the rebate.
On Northcentral Electric
TVA EnergyRight pays $500 for a qualifying heat pump at 15 SEER2 and $800 at 17 SEER2, when a participating contractor in TVA’s Quality Contractor Network installs it. It also pays $300 for qualifying duct sealing and insulation. The TVA rebate guide covers the rules.
On Entergy Mississippi
Entergy Mississippi runs its own heating and cooling incentive program. We check its current terms for the equipment on your estimate.
Gas, too
Some Olive Branch homes are on the city’s gas system and some on Atmos Energy. Your gas bill shows which, and it matters for the dual fuel comparison, since each supplier prices gas differently.
Garage furnaces and tight soffits
Many Olive Branch houses put the furnace in the garage, often beside the water heater. A heat pump coil sits on top of the furnace, and in a garage with a soffit or a low ceiling that leaves little room.
On the first visit we measure the height above the furnace, the clearance to the water heater and the path for the line set. A short sheet-metal transition can lower the coil enough to fit. If the furnace’s blower can’t move the air a heat pump needs, about 400 cubic feet per minute per ton, the estimate says so.
Setting the switchover
In a dual fuel system the thermostat hands heating to gas below a temperature you choose. Where that goes depends on your gas and power rates, which in Olive Branch depend on your suppliers.
- Comfort first: heat pump down to about 35 degrees, gas below. Steadier heat on mild days.
- Cost first: a higher switchover, so gas carries most of the winter.
An outdoor sensor makes it automatic, and one setting moves it. The switchover guide works through the logic.
Two-story houses near Goodman Road
Olive Branch has plenty of two-story houses on one system, where the upstairs runs warm and damp. A bigger unit rarely fixes that.
What helps instead
- A second return upstairs, so air can get back to the unit.
- Sealed, insulated attic ducts, so cooling reaches the bedrooms.
- A variable speed heat pump, which runs long and slow and pulls more water out.
We measure static pressure on the first visit, and the estimate says which of these the house needs.
Houses from around 2000
A house built around 2000 is on its original system or its second. Original outdoor units from those years often ran on R-22, which is no longer made, so a leaking R-22 coil is a replacement rather than a repair.
What changed since then
- Efficiency ratings moved to SEER2 and HSPF2, measured under tougher test conditions. SEER2 and HSPF2 explained shows what the numbers mean.
- Refrigerants moved from R-22 to R-410A and now to lower-impact refrigerants, so a new outdoor unit needs a matched coil.
- Thermostats gained outdoor sensors that make a dual fuel handoff automatic.
Permits in Olive Branch
Olive Branch’s Planning and Building Department issues permits for all construction inside the city and inspects the work. Applications can be filed online.
We file the permit and schedule the inspection. Unincorporated addresses with Olive Branch mail go through DeSoto County’s office, and the estimate names the right one.
What it costs in Olive Branch
For a gas house keeping its furnace, Bluffline’s typical range is $5,000 to $10,000. Every range:
| If the job is | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Heat pump on the furnace you keep | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| Whole-home system with a new air handler | $8,000 to $16,000 |
| Outdoor unit only | $4,500 to $9,000 |
| Duct repair and sealing with an install | $800 to $3,500 |
Your written estimate after the visit sets the price. The heat pump’s size and efficiency tier, the coil fit, the line set and any duct work move it most. The cost guide explains each.
When all-electric makes more sense
If the furnace is old, fails its safety check or has a cracked heat exchanger, the comparison changes.
Then the choice is a new furnace with a heat pump, or retiring gas heat altogether. The gas furnace to heat pump page covers that path, and the gas versus heat pump guide explains the running costs.
Before the visit
A few things make the first visit faster:
- Your power and gas bills, which show both suppliers.
- Photos of the nameplates on the outdoor unit and the furnace.
- Where the furnace sits: garage, closet or attic.
- Which rooms run warm or damp, especially upstairs.
Nearby
We work across Olive Branch, from Old Towne to the neighborhoods along Pleasant Hill and Bethel Roads.
Southaven to the west is mostly on Entergy Mississippi, and Hernando to the southwest has even newer houses. Horn Lake has the most electric-heat homes in the county. For the whole decision in order, start with the Memphis heat pump buying guide.
