Replacing an oil furnace or boiler with a heat pump

Why homeowners are moving off oil

Heating oil prices can swing a lot from year to year, and deliveries are one more thing to schedule. Older oil furnaces and boilers also need regular service to run cleanly. A heat pump uses electricity, needs no deliveries, and cools in summer as well as heats in winter.

Oil heat is most common in older neighborhoods in Seattle, and you'll also find it in older homes on the Eastside, in South King County and around the South Sound and Kitsap.

Oil furnace homes: usually ducted

If your oil system is a furnace with ducts, a ducted heat pump can often use the same ductwork. Older duct systems were sized for hot oil heat, not cooling, so we check returns, sealing and sizing. Sometimes a few changes make a big comfort difference, especially in upstairs rooms.

Oil boiler homes: usually ductless

Homes with an oil boiler and radiators or baseboard hydronic heat have no ducts. Ductless mini-splits are the most common path here. Another option is an air-to-water heat pump that keeps the radiators, though these are less common and depend heavily on the home.

• Ductless heads placed in main living areas and bedrooms.
• Option to keep radiators for backup during a transition period.
• Line sets routed on the exterior to avoid opening plaster walls.

What happens to the oil tank

When you stop using oil, the tank — whether it's buried in the yard or sitting in the basement — needs to be properly decommissioned or removed. That usually means pumping out remaining oil and either removing the tank or closing it in place, depending on the situation and local rules.

Tank work is typically done by a licensed tank decommissioning company, and the paperwork matters if you ever sell the home. We help coordinate timing so the heat pump is running before the oil system is shut down.

Electrical needs

Oil homes often have older electrical panels that were never sized for electric heating. A heat pump may need a new circuit, a breaker space or a panel upgrade. We check this up front and include it in the quote.

Incentives for oil conversions

Utility incentives can change the math more than any other line item. Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy both run heat pump incentive programs, and some Eastside cities add local programs on top. Eligibility depends on your utility, what you're replacing (gas, oil, electric resistance or an older heat pump) and the efficiency rating of the new equipment. We confirm what applies to your home during the estimate, show the price after incentives, and file the paperwork for you.

Seattle has offered programs specifically for oil-to-heat-pump conversions, and other cities and utilities have had similar offers. Programs change, so we confirm what's available for your address.