Modern Pool Heating · Owner/operator Henry Manna, Florida Certified Pool/Spa Contractor CPC1460367
Updated October 16, 2026
Short answer
It depends more on your equipment pad than on the heater: the electrical circuit, the pad, the plumbing and whether an old heater comes out move the installed price as much as the model you choose. For reference, the two GulfStream heat pump installs in our gallery, each tied into the customer's existing filter and pump, came in at $3,500–$4,500 and $3,995–$4,995. Those are what those two jobs cost, not a quote for yours. Send us photos of your pad and electrical panel, or call (941) 323-6559, and we'll give you a firm number.
What we usually recommend
If your panel has room for a new 240-volt circuit and there's already a level spot beside the filter, a heat pump install is usually straightforward and most of the quote is the unit itself. If the panel is full, the heat pump has to sit across the yard for airflow, or an old heater has to come out, ask for each of those as its own line so you can see where the money goes. And if you're torn between a 100K-class and a 140K-class unit, we'd usually size for the coldest month you want to swim rather than for the lowest price.
- The biggest swing items are the electrical circuit and breaker, the equipment pad, plumbing changes and removing an old heater.
- Two GulfStream heat pump installs in our gallery, both tied into existing equipment, came in at $3,500–$4,500 and $3,995–$4,995.
- A bigger heat pump costs more to buy and can need a bigger breaker: GulfStream lists a 40 A maximum breaker on the HE110-RA and 50 A on the HE150-RA.
- Heat-and-cool models cost more than heat-only, and cooling can't be added to a heat-only unit later.
- At Florida's average electricity price, a heat pump at COP 5 delivers a million BTU of pool heat for about $9.
Why the installed price is a range, and what our recent jobs cost
A pool heat pump's installed price has two parts: the heat pump itself, and the work of getting it running on your equipment pad. The first part is predictable once the size and model are chosen. The second part is where two quotes for the same heater drift apart, because no two pads are alike. A unit that drops onto an existing slab beside the filter, with room in the panel for a new circuit, is a short day. One that needs a new pad, a long wire run, re-piped plumbing and an old heater hauled away is a bigger job, and it should be priced as one.
For a real reference point, here are the two GulfStream heat pump installs in our gallery that carry a published price. A GulfStream heat pump installed alongside the customer's existing filter and pump came in at $3,500–$4,500; that customer wanted a locally made heater, and GulfStream units are built in North Fort Myers. A second GulfStream heat pump, set on the equipment pad and plumbed into the existing filter and pump, came in at $3,995–$4,995. Those are what those two specific jobs cost. They are not averages and they are not a quote for your pool, and the gallery doesn't record the model or the electrical work on either one.
Two bigger jobs show what happens when the heat pump is only one part of the work. A Hayward heat pump installed in 2025 together with new, clean equipment plumbing came in at $8,500–$9,500. A 2024 rebuild that replaced the pool's plumbing and valves and added a new electric heater, automation and pool solar came in at $11,500–$12,500. Neither number is a heat pump price. They show how quickly the rest of the pad can outweigh the heater.
For current pricing on a specific size and model, call us at (941) 323-6559. The quickest route to a firm number is to send a few photos first; the last section of this page lists exactly which ones.
What moves a heat pump quote up or down
These are the items that separate a simple swap from a full install, roughly in the order they surprise people. Each one should appear on an itemized quote, either as its own line or as a clear statement that it's included.
- Electrical service. A pool heat pump needs its own 208-230 volt circuit, and it's a big one. GulfStream lists 37 minimum circuit amps across its heat-only HE models, with a 40 A maximum breaker on the HE110-RA and 50 A on the HE150-RA. Hayward's HP21405T calls for 42.5 A minimum circuit ampacity with a 50 A breaker recommended. If the panel has no room for a breaker that size, the job may need a subpanel or a service upgrade, and that is often the largest single variable.
- Breaker, wire run and disconnect. The distance from the panel to the heat pump sets how much wire and conduit the job needs, and GulfStream's manual calls for a disconnect within sight of the unit. A heat pump on the far side of the house from the panel costs more to wire than one on the same wall.
- Equipment pad. The HE150-RA weighs 239 lb and has to sit level so its condensate drains evenly. If there's an existing slab with room, it gets reused. If not, a base has to be built: on our Tampa job there was no pad where the heat pump needed to go, so the crew leveled a concrete-block base on the gravel first.
- Existing plumbing. GulfStream heat pumps connect with 2-inch unions. A unit placed right beside the filter needs a few feet of pipe; one placed out in the yard for airflow, like our Hudson job, needs long supply and return runs, and longer runs add friction the pump has to overcome.
- Old heater removal. Disconnecting, draining and hauling away the old unit is labor, and an old heat pump also holds refrigerant that has to be recovered before it's scrapped.
- Access and clearances. GulfStream asks for 12 inches on each side and four feet clear above the unit, outdoors only. A tight side yard, a long carry or a gate the unit won't fit through all add time.
- Automation. If your pad has a controller, the heat pump has to be wired to it. GulfStream's HE line ties in through dry-contact remote thermostat terminals, as on our Siesta Key job where the heat pump shares a pad with a Pentair automation panel. It's a simple connection, but it's still work.
- Bypass plumbing. GulfStream lists a 70 GPM maximum flow, and Hayward 75 GPM for the HP21405T. If your pump moves more water than that, a bypass valve lets part of the flow skip the heater.
- Installation complexity. Permits, coastal sites, long pipe runs and anything unusual about the property. Pool heater work generally needs a permit, and the exact requirements differ between the City of Sarasota, unincorporated Sarasota County and the surrounding municipalities.
100K-class vs 140K-class: what the bigger unit changes
The size step matters less to the installed price than people expect, and more to January comfort than they expect. Within GulfStream's heat-only line, the 110,000 BTU/hr HE110-RA and the 138,000 BTU/hr HE150-RA share the same 31 by 31 inch footprint; the HE150-RA is taller (46 inches against 38) and heavier (239 lb against 215). On our comparison pages both sit in the same relative price tier. The bigger unit costs more to buy, but the pad and plumbing work are the same.
The electrical side is where a size step can change the job. The HE110-RA has the smallest breaker in GulfStream's line, a 40 A maximum, while the HE150-RA allows up to 50 A. On a panel that's nearly full, that difference can decide whether the job needs panel work. Our Punta Gorda job is an HE110-RA: not every pool needs the biggest unit, and on the right pool a smaller heat pump holds temperature just as well for less money up front.
What you shouldn't do is size down only to save money. Heat pumps lose capacity in cool air: Hayward rates the HP21405T at 138,000 BTU/hr at 80°F air and 82,000 BTU/hr at 50°F air. A unit that's barely big enough on paper falls short on the mornings you actually want heat. Heat pumps warm a swimming pool gradually over many hours. Actual heating speed depends on pool volume, heater output, starting water temperature, outdoor air temperature, humidity, wind conditions and whether the pool is covered. Proper heater sizing and the use of a pool cover can significantly affect recovery time.
A larger heat pump doesn't cost more to run for the same amount of heat. Its efficiency is set by its COP at the conditions of the moment, and GulfStream publishes COP 6.1 for the HE110-RA and 6.0 for the HE150-RA at the same test point. The bigger unit simply delivers the heat in fewer hours. Our 100K vs 140K article walks through which pools need which.
Heat-only vs heat-and-cool: where the price difference comes from
A heat-and-cool heat pump is a heat pump with a reversing valve, which lets it pull heat out of the pool in late summer. That hardware carries a premium. On our comparison pages GulfStream's heat-and-cool HE150-TA sits one relative price tier above the heat-only HE150-RA, and the same is true of the HE125-TA against the HE125-RA.
The installation itself costs about the same, because electrically they're the same class of machine: the HE150-TA lists 40 minimum circuit amps and a 50 A maximum breaker, against 37 and 50 for the HE150-RA. You give up a little heating capacity, 135,000 BTU/hr for the TA against 138,000 for the RA at the same test point, and the heating COP is the same 6.0.
The expensive mistake is buying heat-only and wishing later that you hadn't. GulfStream's manual is explicit that the chiller components have to be ordered and built into the unit, so a heat-only RA can't be converted afterwards. Cooling is for the pool only, not an attached spa. If your pool is unscreened, unshaded and sits in the low 90s every August, the premium is usually worth paying. If it's screened and shaded, it usually isn't. Our heat-and-cool guide goes through who needs one.
What it costs to run once it's installed
Running cost is a separate question from installed price, and it's where a heat pump earns its keep. Using EIA's Florida residential average of 15.36 cents per kWh: one million BTU of heat is 293 kWh (1,000,000 divided by 3,412 BTU per kWh), and at a COP of 5.0 the heat pump draws 58.6 kWh to deliver it, about $9.00. At COP 6.0 that falls to about $7.50; at the COP of 4.0 manufacturers publish for 50°F air it rises to about $11.25. The same million BTU costs about $29 from natural gas at 84% efficiency.
Scaled to a real pool, the Department of Energy's heat pump table for Miami lists $1,989 a year uncovered and $409 covered for a 1,000 square foot pool held at 80°F year-round, at 13.01 cents per kWh. Multiply by 0.45 for a 450 square foot pool and by 15.36 divided by 13.01 for today's Florida price, and you get roughly $1,057 a year uncovered and roughly $217 a year with a cover. Most owners heat for part of the year, so a real bill is usually a fraction of that.
For an hourly figure, Hayward lists a rated power input of 8,300 watts for the HP21405T. At 15.36 cents per kWh, that's about $1.27 for each hour the compressor runs at that draw. Our heat pump operating cost article goes deeper, and the cost calculator lets you rerun all of this with your own electric rate.
What an itemized heat pump quote should include
A good quote lets you compare two contractors line for line. Whether we write it or someone else does, it should state:
- The make, model and heating capacity with its test condition, plus the capacity or COP at 50°F air if the manufacturer publishes it.
- Heat-only or heat-and-cool, and the manufacturer's warranty terms in writing, parts and labor stated separately.
- The electrical scope: breaker size, wire run, disconnect, and whether any panel work is included or excluded.
- The pad: reusing an existing slab or building a new one, and where the unit will sit relative to its clearances.
- The plumbing: the tie-in to the existing filter line, unions, valves, any bypass, and where the salt cell or chlorinator ends up. It belongs downstream of the heat pump.
- Removal and disposal of the old heater, if there is one.
- Automation wiring, if you have a controller.
- The permit, startup and a walkthrough of the controls.
How to get a firm price fast
Most of what we need to price a heat pump shows up in a handful of photos, which can save a trip and gets you a number sooner. Attach them to the quote form on our contact page (it takes up to four photos), email them to modernpoolheating@icloud.com, or call (941) 323-6559 and let us know they're coming. The useful ones are a wide shot of the equipment pad showing the filter, the pump and the space where a heat pump could go; the data plate on your existing heater, if you have one, showing model, serial number and voltage; your electrical panel with the door open, so the breaker layout and the main breaker size are visible; the pool pump's label; and the pool's rough dimensions and whether it's screened.
If a quote you already have is one number with no breakdown, ask for one. It's the only way to see whether a low price leaves out the electrical or the pad. We install and service pool heat pumps across Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte & Pinellas County. We're a Florida Certified Pool/Spa Contractor (License #CPC1460367), and we handle the permitting a job calls for rather than leaving it with you.
What this costs
We give a written, itemized price after we have seen your equipment pad. The pad, the plumbing, the electrical service and the gas supply decide most of the cost, so a number given before anyone has looked at them is a guess.
What moves the price
- Existing plumbing: whether the current lines can be reused or need re-piping to reach the new equipment.
- Electrical service: whether the panel has room and capacity for a new 240-volt circuit.
- Breaker and disconnect: a correctly sized dedicated breaker, wire run and outdoor disconnect.
- Equipment pad: whether there is a level pad in the right spot or one has to be poured or built.
- Existing heater removal: disconnecting, hauling and disposing of the old unit.
- Equipment access: tight side yards, long carries and anything that slows the install.
- Automation: tying the heater into an existing controller, or adding one.
- Bypass plumbing: valves that let water skip the heater when it isn't needed.
- Installation complexity: permits, multi-story roofs, long pipe runs and anything unusual about the site.
What recent jobs cost
These are the actual price ranges for specific past jobs shown in our gallery, not quotes or averages. Your price depends on your pad, plumbing and electrical.
GulfStream Heat Pump
$3,500-$4,500The customer wanted a locally manufactured heater, and GulfStream is made right in North Fort Myers, Florida. We installed it alongside the existing filter and pump for efficient, thermostatically controlled pool heating.
See it in the gallery: GulfStream Heat PumpPool Equipment Rebuild
$11,500-$12,500A full rebuild of the pool's plumbing with new valves, a new electric heater and automation, plus pool solar to help hold the heat and lower the operating cost of the electric heater. Completed in 2024.
See it in the gallery: Pool Equipment RebuildHeater & Pool Equipment
$8,500-$9,500Completed in 2025, this customer wanted a Hayward heater and pool equipment plumbing that is clean and aesthetically pleasing.
See it in the gallery: Heater & Pool EquipmentGulfStream Pool Heat Pump Installation
$3,995-$4,995A GulfStream pool heat pump, manufactured in North Fort Myers, Florida, set on the equipment pad and plumbed into the existing filter and pump.
See it in the gallery: GulfStream Pool Heat Pump InstallationReal installations
Recent jobs from our installation library that relate to this topic.
