HVAC News & Trends | We Buy Heat Pumps

4 Best Whole-House Heat Pumps of 2026

Lab-tested air-source systems — efficient, quiet, climate-ready.

Can heat pumps work in cold climates?

Yes, if you pick the right unit and install it properly.

Most reliable heat pump brands of 2026

Member survey of 13,000+ heat pumps — Carrier, Lennox, Trane, and the rest.

5 best heat pump water heaters of 2026

Lab tests on how fast they heat and how much energy they actually use.

Making a major home upgrade with confidence

The install price is the black box. CR walks the upgrade without the pitch.

Heat pump ratings & reviews hub

All CR heat pump ratings in one place.

From the trade, the press, and the people who already bought

Pricing transparency: peeking behind the curtain of heat pump quotes

Why the same job prints three prices — and who pockets the mystery markup.

Business model innovation: concierge heat pump companies

Skip the living-room close. Let the homeowner pick the system.

The heat pump relay race — and why e-commerce might help

Distributor stacks, not compressors, are what inflate the ticket.

We have a human problem

Contractor psychology and homeowner fear — not SEER charts.

The group buy is back

Volume, not theater, is how you get the price on the table.

I got a heat pump, and my energy bill went up

High SEER on the brochure is not the same as a lower bill.

Would you pay more for a house with a heat pump?

Some Americans would. Trade-press take on resale value.

Silicon Valley’s bet on the trades

Could be good for HVACR — if the markup culture doesn’t eat it.

Better options for California’s HVAC sales reporting rule

When the state wants the invoice, the mystery markup gets harder.

40 Under 40: HVAC’s next generation

Who’s coming up in the trade.

Heat-pump water heaters just keep getting better

The other heat pump in the house — and why it actually cuts the bill.

US apartment buildings have tipped toward heat pumps

New multifamily is already there. Single-family is the holdout.

Boston explores sea- and river-source heat pumps

Big-building heat from the harbor — not the gas pipe.

ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR heat pumps

The federal efficiency list — use it to check the model, not the sales pitch.

U.S. DOE

Heat pump systems (Energy Saver)

Air-source, geothermal, and how they actually move heat.

ENERGY STAR

Heat pump water heaters

The ~$550/year savings claim, from the people who wrote the spec.

Rewiring America

Electrification incentives calculator

See what still applies at your address before the contractor “handles the rebate.”

World’s oldest cheddar-maker slashes bills with heat pumps

Industrial heat pumps working in a place that actually cares about energy cost.

Heat Pumped (full archive)

The independent newsletter behind most of the “don’t get hustled” coverage.