Heat Pump and Mini Split Installation Cost (2026): By Zone and Tonnage, Dual Fuel, Cold Climate, With Labor Hours
What a contractor's cost is to install ductless mini splits and ducted heat pumps in 2026: by size and zone count, each added head, tonnage, dual fuel against furnace and AC, cold-climate units, refrigerant and sizing rules, and what's left of the credits, with labor hours.
The assumptions
This model assumes
- Mid-grade standard equipment unless cold-climate is stated
- 25 ft of line set a head, 30 ft on ducted heat pumps, 25 ft on furnace and AC and dual fuel
- Job cost before markup: labor and materials, no markup or tax
- Prices from Clamp's catalog on November 4, 2026
The model, step by step
Mini splits priced through Clamp's catalog on November 4, 2026, with labor hours. Every price in this guide is job cost before markup: what the labor and materials cost you, before your markup, overhead and profit. Ballpark price ranges add your markup to that. Each includes mid-grade standard equipment, 25 ft of line set a head, a gravity condensate drain, a new circuit with a disconnect, install consumables and a permit allowance.
| System | Job cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Single zone, 9,000 BTUOne wall head | $4,179 | 16 |
| Single zone, 12,000One wall head | $4,554 | 16 |
| Single zone, 18,000One wall head | $5,304 | 16 |
| Single zone, 24,000One wall head | $6,054 | 16 |
| 2 zones, 18,000One outdoor unit, 2 heads | $7,186 | 25 |
| 3 zones, 27,000One outdoor unit, 3 heads | $10,053 | 35 |
| 4 zones, 36,000One outdoor unit, 4 heads | $12,835 | 45 |
| 5 zones, 45,000One outdoor unit, 5 heads | $14,492 | 55 |
Clamp prices the install labor for each head after the first at three quarters of the first head's: $713 and 6 hours against $950 and 8. Each added head also carries its own equipment, 25 ft of line set and a condensate drain; the circuit, disconnect and permit are shared.
Two zones
Drawn for this guide in the style of Quick Clamp's sketch pad: two wall heads on one outdoor unit, with the line set route. Demo data.
| Add-on | Adds | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Cold-climate unitHyper-heat class equipment | +$900 | +0.0 |
| 50 ft line set, not 25Copper, insulation, labor | +$419 | +2.2 |
| Line hide, 15 ftCover and fittings | +$499 | +4.9 |
| Condensate pumpInterior wall, no gravity drain | +$450 | +1.5 |
A ducted heat pump replacing an old heat pump on the same ducts: outdoor unit and matched air handler, 30 ft of line set, backup strip heat, start-up and airflow check, removal and a permit. Replacing a gas furnace instead adds circuits for the heat pump and the strip heat and caps the gas line.
| System | Job cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 2 ton, replacing a heat pumpStandard efficiency | $8,705 | 37 |
| 3 ton, replacing a heat pumpStandard efficiency | $10,698 | 40 |
| 4 ton, replacing a heat pumpStandard efficiency | $12,692 | 43 |
| 3 ton, cold-climateReplacing a heat pump | $12,518 | 40 |
| 3 ton, replacing furnace and ACNew circuits, gas capped | $12,955 | 51 |
Dual fuel pairs a heat pump with a gas furnace that takes over in the coldest weather. Adding the heat pump to a furnace that stays is the cheapest way to electrify most of the heating; a new furnace with it costs the most up front.
Three systems
Drawn for this guide in the style of Quick Clamp's sketch pad: furnace and AC, dual fuel, and an all-electric heat pump, with the 3 ton job cost of each. Demo data.
| System | Job cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Gas furnace and AC80,000 BTU furnace, coil | $10,834 | 46 |
| Dual fuel, new furnaceHeat pump, furnace, coil | $11,584 | 46 |
| Dual fuel, keep the furnaceHeat pump and coil only | $7,684 | 26 |
| Heat pump and air handlerAll electric, strip heat | $10,698 | 40 |
A cold-climate heat pump keeps its capacity in deep cold. NEEP's specification (version 4.0) requires a variable-capacity compressor and a heating COP of at least 1.75 at 5 F at maximum capacity; ENERGY STAR Cold Climate is a separate label. Clamp prices cold-climate mini split equipment at about 1.6 times the standard unit and ducted equipment at about 1.35 times: $900 more on a 12,000 BTU single zone and $1,820 more on a 3 ton ducted system.
Before you price cold-climate
Capacity at design temperatureSize from Manual J at your winter design temperature, and check the unit's capacity there, not its nominal tonnage.
RebatesMass Save's 2026 heat pump rebates require ENERGY STAR Cold Climate equipment. A NEEP listing alone may not qualify.
MountingKeep the outdoor unit above the snow line and clear of drips; a stand or wall bracket is extra.
New systems ship with A2L refrigerants (R-454B or R-32), which need A2L-rated tools and the maker's procedures. EPA's May 2026 rule lets R-410A equipment made or imported before 2025 be installed until the supply runs out, replacing the January 1, 2026 install deadline.
The rules you'll be asked about
EfficiencySince 2023, split-system heat pumps are at least 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.
SizingIRC M1401.3: size by ACCA Manual S from a Manual J (or approved) load calculation, not by square foot.
Manual JPrice a standalone Manual J from a load-calculation service before you quote; some jurisdictions want it with the permit.
PermitsMultnomah County, Oregon (July 2026 schedule): $167 minimum mechanical permit. Clamp carries $225 to $450.
The federal 25C credit ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. A heat pump installed in 2026 gets no federal credit, whatever was paid in 2025. Rebates are now state and utility programs.
What's left
HEARNow High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebates: since May 29, 2026, DOE allows heat pump rebates only when they replace existing electric heat or go into new construction, with insulation and air sealing first. A gas furnace to heat pump swap no longer qualifies. Up to $8,000 by household income, only where the state runs the program.
UtilitiesMass Save (2026): $2,650 a ton up to $8,500 for whole-home systems, cold-climate equipment required.
25C for 2025 jobs30%, with a $2,000 combined annual limit for heat pumps, on 2025 returns only.
An 1,800 sq ft two-story house in a cold climate. The 80% gas furnace and 3 ton AC come out; a 3 ton cold-climate ducted heat pump and air handler go in on the existing ducts, with new circuits for the heat pump and the strip heat. A 2-zone cold-climate mini split serves the finished bonus room and an office, on about 50 ft of line set. Clamp priced it at $23,071 job cost before markup, 76 person-hours.
| Line | Job cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 3 ton cold-climate heat pump and air handler1 ea | $7,020 | |
| 2-zone cold-climate mini split2 ea | $4,320 | |
| Set the ducted heat pump and air handler1 ea | $2,600 | 28.0 |
| New circuits: heat pump, strip heat, mini split3 ea | $1,743 | 12.3 |
| Set the outdoor unit and 2 heads1.75 ea | $1,663 | 14.0 |
| Condensate drains3 ea | $900 | 4.5 |
| Line sets92 lf | $782 | |
| Remove the furnace, AC and coil3 ea | $675 | 3.8 |
| Permits1 ea | $675 | |
| Run the line sets80 lf | $560 | 7.3 |
| Start-up and airflow check1 ea | $550 | 3.0 |
| Backup strip heat1 ea | $300 | |
| Refrigerant, nitrogen, fittings1 ea | $285 | |
| Install the strip heat1 ea | $285 | 2.2 |
| Cap the furnace gas line1 ea | $225 | 1.2 |
| Strip heat circuit cable34.5 lf | $147 | |
| Breakers3 ea | $133 | |
| Outdoor unit wire and conduit34.5 lf | $112 | |
| Disconnects2 ea | $70 | |
| Mini split circuit cable34.5 lf | $28 |
The job
Every line priced
The job in Clamp, and the estimate it prices: $23,071 at job cost, by trade. Illustration of the Clamp app.
What it means
Every system, line by line
Clamp reads the zones and head sizes or the tonnage, what comes out, cold-climate or standard and dual fuel from the words, and prices the equipment, line sets, drains, circuits, start-up and permit, with labor hours on each line.
Heads, line set and circuits are what move a heat pump quote; the equipment brand moves it most.
Questions
How much does it cost to install a mini split?
In Clamp's catalog, a 12,000 BTU single-zone mini split is $4,554 in job cost before markup, about 16 person-hours, with the line set, drain, circuit and permit. That's a ballpark price range of $5,921 to $9,109. Cold-climate equipment adds about $900.
How much does a ductless mini split cost per zone?
Clamp's catalog prices 2 zones at $7,186, 3 at $10,053, 4 at $12,835 and 5 at $14,492 in job cost before markup, one outdoor unit each. Each head after the first adds about $2,484 on average, from $2,866 for the third to $1,657 for the fifth.
How much does it cost to install a heat pump?
A 3 ton ducted heat pump replacing an old one on the same ducts is $10,698 in job cost before markup in Clamp's catalog, $12,518 cold-climate, and $12,955 replacing a gas furnace and AC with new circuits. The ballpark price ranges add your markup.
Is a heat pump cheaper than a furnace and AC?
About the same on a like-for-like changeout: at 3 tons, Clamp's catalog prices a heat pump and air handler replacing an old heat pump at $10,698 and a gas furnace and AC at $10,834 in job cost before markup. Switching a house from a furnace and AC to a heat pump is $12,955, because of the new circuits and the capped gas line. Dual fuel with a new furnace is $11,584; adding a heat pump to a furnace that stays is $7,684.
Is there a tax credit for heat pumps in 2026?
No federal credit. The IRS says the 25C credit isn't allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. What's left is state HEAR rebates (up to $8,000 where offered, and since May 29, 2026 not for replacing a gas furnace) and utility programs such as Mass Save.
Sources & provenance
- Clamp's catalog, priced by script Clamp (research)
- FAQs for modification of sections 25C, 25D, 25E, 30C, 30D, 45L, 45W and 179D under Public Law 119-21 IRS (official source)
- Instructions for Form 5695 (2025) IRS (official source)
- Technology Transitions final rule fact sheet US EPA (official source)
- Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump Specification, version 4.0 NEEP (research)
- 2021 International Residential Code, M1401.3 Equipment sizing International Code Council (official source)
- DOE efficiency standards: what you need to know Trane (research)
- Mini split air conditioners Senville (research)
- Air source heat pump rebates Mass Save (research)
- Program Notice 26-2 US Department of Energy (official source)
- Mechanical permit fee schedule, unincorporated Multnomah County City of Portland, Permitting & Development (official source)
- Mini split installation cost Filterbuy (research)