Should Covington switch to a heat pump?
A heat pump earns back its extra cost in Covington within a sensible timeframe. $1,000 is what Covington would pay extra to go electric rather than replace the furnace and AC with the same again, once the $2,000 federal credit is applied. That premium is recovered through $258 of lower running costs every year, landing the payback clock at roughly 3.9 years. The window here is reasonable, and it's specific to what Covington actually pays for power and gas.
Covington's weather, in the numbers that matter
Degree days tell the story here: Covington racks up 1363 heating degree days each year (base 65°F), and summers are severe enough that cooling can dominate the annual bill, with 2799 cooling degree days on the cooling side. The 99% winter design temperature here — the cold snap equipment must be sized for, not the seasonal average — is 26.6°F, against a record low of 15.6°F. That puts the seasonal coefficient of performance at 2.99 for the recommended standard unit. Covington's winters don't get cold enough to need the cold-climate premium — a standard unit holds up fine. These numbers come from HAMMOND MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, the closest NOAA station, 18.4 miles out.
What it actually costs to run, year to year
Modelled on a typical 2000-square-foot house, the heat pump draws about 1,154 kWh a year to keep it warm, plus cooling, for a combined electric bill near $479 a year. That compares with roughly 14 Mcf a year of gas at Covington's 17.38 per-Mcf rate — about $737 a year — against a local electricity rate of 13.52¢/kWh. Priced as a standalone purchase rather than against a like-for-like replacement, equipment payback runs about 42.6 years, for a 15-year net position $2,877 ahead.
Electric resistance heat in Covington, compared
Gas isn't universal in Covington — many houses run on electric heat already. Compared with baseboard or electric-furnace resistance heat, the numbers shift in the heat pump’s favor. Switching saves about $478 a year here — a heat pump moving heat rather than generating it needs far less electricity than resistance coils — so the extra $5,500 spent up front comes back in about 11.5 years.
Covington against the rest of the country
Ranked against the other 3206 cities covered, Covington comes in at 2745 for heating severity — 1 would be the coldest place in the dataset — and 2864 by population, where 1 is largest. That's the mildest third of cities covered, where utility rates carry more of the answer than climate does.
What to do with this number in Covington
Covington, Louisiana is home to about 11,686 people, and the figures above are the same ones a local HVAC contractor uses to size and quote a system — this site doesn't guess where a real quote would land, it just tells you whether it's worth asking for one. Given the math above, Covington is a place worth lining up quotes ahead of a breakdown, not waiting for one.
Line up a few local HVAC quotes before you decide.
Reading further on this page's numbers
Every constant behind this page — the 2.99 seasonal COP, the degree-day corrections, the equipment costs — is documented in the methodology guide. The $2,000 federal credit baked into Covington's number is explained, with the before-and-after math, in the tax credit guide.