Heat pump installation in Fort Collins, Colorado

Installs in Fort Collins

Strata Heat Pumps installs heat pumps in Fort Collins, in every ZIP code listed on this page. The online estimate gives a price range and your rebates for a Fort Collins address in about two minutes.

Fort Collins homes and nearby housing patterns

Census figures count 73,332 homes in Fort Collins, with 70,782 occupied. The median home was built in 1992 and has 5.7 rooms. Larimer County has 161,882 homes, a 1993 median build year, and 6 rooms. Fort Collins has a slightly older and smaller typical home than the county. Those differences matter when we measure heating load, existing duct capacity, and electrical equipment.

Fort Collins has 52.9% detached houses and 36.4% homes in multi unit buildings. Larimer County has 64.7% detached houses and 24.1% multi unit buildings. Fort Collins therefore has a much larger share of apartments, condos, and smaller attached homes. A ductless system fits condos, additions, and homes without ducts. Detached homes with sound ducts are strong candidates for ducted or dual fuel equipment.

Nearby towns have a more detached housing mix. Timnath has 81.7% detached homes and 8.9% multi unit buildings. Windsor has 81.9% detached homes and 13.4% multi unit buildings. Loveland has 63.4% detached homes and 24.9% multi unit buildings. Fort Collins has more homes where indoor unit placement, shared walls, and available ductwork shape the system choice.

How Fort Collins homes heat today

Utility gas heats 67.8% of Fort Collins homes, compared with 70.4% in Larimer County and 66.7% across Colorado. Electricity heats 29.1% of homes here, above the county's 23.4% and the state's 25.2%. Gas furnace replacement is a central heat pump use case here, while the larger electric heated share also creates demand for ductless and ducted electric replacements.

Fort Collins has 1.5% propane heat, 0.4% wood heat, 0.3% solar heat, and 0.8% other or no reported fuel. Larimer County has 4% propane heat. The town's lower propane share means gas and electric heating decisions affect more homes. Heat pumps move heat instead of burning fuel, and every heat pump also cools.

Gas use is higher in nearby Timnath at 90.4%, Laporte at 79.9%, Loveland at 76.9%, and Windsor at 77.8%. Electric heat is 8.7% in Timnath, 17.8% in Laporte, 21% in Loveland, and 18.8% in Windsor. Fort Collins has the highest electric heat share among these towns, so a local assessment must start with the current system rather than assume a gas furnace.

Systems for Fort Collins housing

A ducted heat pump suits Fort Collins houses with usable central ducts. This applies to much of the 52.9% detached housing share, subject to a duct inspection. We measure the home and check ducts and the electrical panel before installation. The 33.5% of homes built from 1980 to 1999 form the largest build group, and the example home comes from that group.

Dual fuel fits gas heated homes that have a furnace and ducts in good condition. It keeps the gas furnace for the coldest hours while the heat pump handles heating at other times. That option matches the 67.8% gas heated share in Fort Collins. It also fits the 22.2% of homes built from 1960 to 1979, where older ducts can be small and deserve close review.

Ductless equipment fits homes without ducts, additions, and condos. This matters in Fort Collins, where 16.8% of homes are in buildings with 2 to 9 units and 19.6% are in buildings with 10 or more units. The town also has 8.9% of homes built before 1960. Older homes are more likely to lack ducts or have small ducts, making ductless equipment a direct option.

Sizing heat pumps in Fort Collins

Our estimate tool sizes equipment for an outdoor design temperature of 5°F, an indoor design temperature of 70°F, and an elevation of 5,300 ft. At that elevation, an air source unit loses 18% of heat output. At the design temperature, our sizing uses a coefficient of performance of 2. These inputs are why equipment size should follow a home assessment, not floor area alone.

For the example 2,000 square foot, 2 story, gas heated home built from 1980 to 1999, the design heat load is 2.7 tons. Its electrical requirement is 30 A. A home built before 1960 with the same stated size and heat source has a design load of 3.2 tons. A home built from 2000 to 2009 has 2.3 tons, while a 2010 or later home has 1.9 tons.

Fort Collins has 33.5% of homes built from 1980 to 1999, 18.9% built from 2000 to 2009, and 16.5% built in 2010 or later. Its 8.9% pre 1960 share is lower than Colorado's 16.3%. Still, each construction group needs its own load calculation. We measure the home, inspect ducts, and check the electrical panel before selecting a system.

Fort Collins heat pump prices and rebates

For the example home, our estimate tool puts a ducted heat pump at $15,100 to $27,900 before rebates and $10,200 to $23,000 after rebates. A dual fuel system is $12,100 to $22,500 before rebates and $7,200 to $17,600 after rebates. The price ranges reflect the stated home size, build group, gas heat, and design load. Final equipment selection follows the home visit.

For a gas heated home using a 3 ton ducted heat pump, total rebates are $5,500. The programs in that total are the Xcel Energy rebate ($4,500) and the State of Colorado Heat Pump Discount ($1,000). The State of Colorado Heat Pump Discount applies to every Colorado home on each of the three system types. It comes off the invoice. We file every rebate for the homeowner.

The rebate stack differs by current heat. A home on electric heat has $1,000 for a 3 ton ducted heat pump, from the State of Colorado Heat Pump Discount ($1,000). A propane heated home has $1,000, from the State of Colorado Heat Pump Discount ($1,000). For the stated gas heated dual fuel example, total rebates are $5,500. The federal 25C credit ended for systems installed after 2025-12-31.

How Fort Collins ZIP codes differ

ZIP code 80521 has 15,121 homes and a 1978 median build year. It has 22.1% homes built before 1960, 60.7% gas heat, 34% electric heat, and 43.5% multi unit buildings. This ZIP has the town's largest older housing share and largest multi unit share. Ductless layouts and detailed duct checks deserve special attention there.

ZIP code 80524 has 17,548 homes, a 1991 median build year, and 73.2% gas heat. Its 62.2% detached share is higher than Fort Collins at 52.9%, while its 18.9% multi unit share is lower than the town's 36.4%. ZIP code 80525 has 25,144 homes, 66.7% gas heat, 30.6% electric heat, and 35.1% multi unit buildings.

ZIP code 80526 has 19,463 homes and 71.2% gas heat, with 2.7% built before 1960. ZIP code 80528 has 8,986 homes, a 2005 median build year, and 30.1% built in 2010 or later. Its detached share is 61.4% and its multi unit share is 26.1%. Newer ZIPs still need sizing at 5°F and 5,300 ft, because altitude and deep cold affect air source output.

Fort Collins in numbers

Systems and rebates in Larimer County

• Ducted heat pump in Larimer CountyPrices by home age and the Larimer rebates for this system.
• Dual-fuel heat pump in Larimer CountyPrices by home age and the Larimer rebates for this system.
• Ductless mini-split in Larimer CountyPrices by home age and the Larimer rebates for this system.
• Heat pump rebates in Larimer County$5,500 on a 3-ton gas home, program by program.
• Pool heat pumps in Larimer CountyPool and spa heat pumps: local code rules, running cost and the swim season.

Other towns we install in

• Timnath5 miles away. 2,855 homes, median year built 2015.
• Laporte7 miles away. 1,078 homes, median year built 1976.
• Loveland9 miles away. 35,330 homes, median year built 1993.
• Windsor9 miles away. 14,432 homes, median year built 2007.
• Larimer CountyEvery ZIP code in the county.

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