Does your Sacramento project qualify for SMUD support?
SMUD’s heat-pump rebates depend on the customer account, home, contractor and equipment. Its residential requirements include an active SMUD account and individual metering. A Sacramento address on its own does not confirm eligibility.
Ask whether the proposed installer participates in SMUD’s network and who submits the rebate. Keep the full installed price and the conditional incentive separate when comparing offers. Check current program requirements for your property before making an incentive part of your budget.
SMUD: Heating and cooling rebates · Source checked 2026-09-18
Common question
Who handles the HVAC permit for your address?
The City of Sacramento lists residential HVAC work for one- and two-family dwellings within its minor-permit categories. Have each proposal identify the permitting authority, who obtains the permit, and who arranges the required inspection.
This city process does not establish the rules for unincorporated Sacramento County, West Sacramento or another nearby jurisdiction. If your project also changes electrical equipment or adds other work, ask how that scope is handled instead of assuming one routine change-out description covers the whole installation.
City of Sacramento: Minor permits · Source checked 2026-09-18
Check the company named on the proposal
California’s Contractors State License Board provides a public lookup for contractor licenses and home-improvement salesperson registrations, including license status and complaint disclosures. Ask for the business name and license number, then compare the record with the company shown on your quote.
If a salesperson or another company presents the offer, clarify which business will sign the installation contract and be responsible for the work. Keep that identity clear as you compare equipment, price and the service you expect after installation.
California Contractors State License Board: Check a license · Source checked 2026-09-18
Compare the proposed heating arrangement
In the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 survey estimates for Sacramento, about 55% of occupied housing units used utility gas as their main heating fuel and about 41% used electricity. These citywide estimates include rental homes and have sampling uncertainty. Electricity does not identify a particular type of heating equipment.
Start with the fuel and model on your own system. If one proposal keeps that arrangement and another changes it, ask each company to separate retained equipment, removal, new equipment and any proposed electrical or gas work. That makes the difference in scope easier to compare.
Census ACS 2020–2024 via MCDC: house heating fuel · Source checked 2026-09-19
Make the quote fit your property
The 2020–2024 Census survey estimates put about 59% of Sacramento’s housing units in detached one-unit homes and about 32% in buildings with two or more units. These approximate figures include occupied and vacant units. They do not show whether a particular home has shared heating or cooling equipment.
Describe your actual property, the rooms served and access to the equipment. If a system or outdoor space is shared, ask who can authorize the proposed work. Have each company state which equipment and spaces its quote covers, so you can compare the same project.
Census ACS 2020–2024 via MCDC: units in structure · Source checked 2026-09-19

