Start with diagnosis and load
A heat pump can carry an Albany winter, but only once sizing, backup strategy, and the existing distribution have been worked out for the specific house. Sizing a heat pump correctly means working backward from measured heat loss and heat gain, checking what the existing distribution can carry, and settling on a defrost and backup-heat strategy before any equipment gets chosen.
Questions for the scope
- What is the building's actual heat loss at design temperature?
- Is the existing distribution being reused, modified, or replaced?
- What is the backup-heat plan for the coldest days?
- Which electrical upgrades, if any, are included?
- What commissioning data will be provided at handoff?
Albany building context
Albany's winter design temperature routinely drops toward zero in January, exactly the range where older heat pump models used to struggle and cold-climate models are built to perform. Whether a heat pump can serve as the primary source here, or needs a boiler or furnace as backup, depends on the specific building's insulation and existing distribution, not a general rule.