Older houses across the river
West Memphis has the oldest housing of any town around Memphis: the median home was built in 1975, and about 61 percent date from before 1980, according to the Census Bureau. Nearly half heat with electricity.
Bluffline Memphis Heat Pumps installs heat pumps across West Memphis, from the Broadway corridor to Missouri Street and Ingram Boulevard.
What an older ranch brings
- Crawlspace ducts that have been under the house for decades.
- Electric furnaces with large strip kits and a separate AC.
- Smaller electrical services, often 100 amps.
- Returns sized for a much smaller system.
Fix the air first
A new heat pump can only deliver what the ducts carry. In a 1960s or 1970s ranch, the ducts are usually the first problem.
Branch ducts under the floor come loose from the trunk, flex collapses, and tape lets go. Rooms at the end of those runs get little air no matter what is outside.
What we look for under the house
- Branches disconnected from the trunk or the floor boot.
- Collapsed or crushed flex.
- Torn or missing insulation, which makes ducts sweat in summer.
- Seams sealed with cloth tape that has dried out.
We take a static pressure reading and look at the crawlspace before quoting. Fixes go on the estimate as their own line. Crawl space ductwork explains why crawlspaces are hard on ducts.
Replacing strip heat
Strip heat turns one unit of electricity into one unit of heat. A heat pump delivers two to three on most winter days, so the same warmth costs a third to a half as much.
What the swap involves
In a West Memphis house heating with an electric furnace, the swap cuts the heating part of the bill more than any other change.
The electric furnace to heat pump page covers the conversion: a heat pump outside, a matched air handler inside with a smaller strip kit, and a thermostat with an outdoor sensor.
Strips and the panel
On a 100 amp service, strip size matters. A 10 kW kit can push the panel past what it safely carries; 5 kW often fits. We size the strips to the house’s heat loss at the 20-degree design temperature and check the panel’s capacity on the visit. The panel guide explains when an upgrade is really needed.
Gas houses in West Memphis
About half of West Memphis heats with gas. Where the furnace is sound and the AC is failing, dual fuel keeps the furnace for cold nights and adds a heat pump where the AC was.
The furnace check
We inspect the heat exchanger, the flue and the blower, and take a combustion reading. An older furnace that fails the check changes the estimate to a new furnace or an all-electric system.
Arkansas rules
West Memphis is in Arkansas, so the work follows Arkansas’s adopted mechanical code, and HVAC licensing runs through the Arkansas HVACR Licensing Board under the state’s Department of Labor and Licensing.
Permits in West Memphis
The City of West Memphis issues building permits inside city limits. We pull the permit and schedule the inspection. Addresses outside the city go through Crittenden County.
Your utility and the rebate
West Memphis Utilities, run by the city’s Utility Commission, supplies electricity in West Memphis. It is not a TVA power company, so TVA’s heat pump rebate doesn’t apply here. The estimate prices the equipment as it is, without counting on a utility rebate.
Running costs
West Memphis Utilities’ rates and your gas supplier’s rates differ from MLGW’s across the river. If you share twelve months of bills, we compare heat pump and strip or gas heat from your own numbers.
What it costs in West Memphis
For a strip-heat swap with existing ducts reused, Bluffline’s typical range is $8,000 to $16,000. Every range:
| If the job is | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Whole-home system with a new air handler | $8,000 to $16,000 |
| Duct repair and sealing with an install | $800 to $3,500 |
| Outdoor unit only | $4,500 to $9,000 |
| Heat pump on a gas furnace you keep | $5,000 to $10,000 |
The written estimate after the visit sets your price. Duct repairs, the panel and crawlspace access tend to move West Memphis numbers most. The cost guide explains each driver.
Crawlspaces in the Delta
West Memphis sits on flat Delta ground near the river, and crawlspaces under older ranches can stay damp for much of the year. Damp air under the floor is hard on ducts, insulation and any air handler that lives down there.
What helps
- A sound vapor barrier over the dirt, so ground moisture stays out of the crawl air.
- Ducts sealed at every seam, so the system doesn’t pull damp crawl air into the house.
- Insulation rewrapped to at least R-8 where it is wet or torn.
- An air handler on a pad above the barrier, with a drain that leaves the crawlspace.
These are small jobs next to the equipment, and they decide whether the new system feels dry indoors. The humidity guide explains the connection between duct leaks and a damp house.
Sizing an older ranch
Older ranches often got bigger ACs than they needed, and many have since gained storm windows or attic insulation.
We size the new system from a load calculation for the 95-degree summer and 20-degree winter, not from the old nameplate. The sizing guide explains why the old size is often wrong.
For the visit
These make the visit quicker:
- Photos of the nameplates, outdoor and indoor.
- The panel’s main breaker size, or a photo of the panel door.
- Which rooms get little air.
- Twelve months of utility bills.
Nearby
We work across West Memphis, from Broadway and Missouri Street to Ingram Boulevard and the neighborhoods near the river.
Marion, a few miles north, has newer houses with attic ducts and its own permit office. For the whole decision in order, start with the Memphis heat pump buying guide.
