MaintainlyHow often should a heat pump be serviced?
Heat pump service once a year. The commonly recommended range is every 12 months. Annual servicing keeps efficiency high and protects the compressor. It is seasonal work, best done in spring.
A heat pump runs in both directions and therefore works most of the year, unlike an air conditioner that rests all winter or a furnace that rests all summer. That doubled duty cycle is why it earns a yearly professional look even when nothing seems wrong. Natural Resources Canada advises annual maintenance by a qualified contractor.
Why does a heat pump service matter?
Annual servicing keeps efficiency high and protects the compressor.
What happens if you skip a heat pump service?
Refrigerant charge that is too high or too low costs efficiency and shortens the life of the equipment. A heat pump that cannot keep up leans on its electric resistance backup, which Natural Resources Canada notes is less efficient than the heat pump itself, so the fault tends to show up on the power bill before it shows up as discomfort.
What does the professional actually do?
- Checks the refrigerant charge by measurement, and looks for a leak rather than simply topping up
- Tests the reversing valve and the defrost cycle, which only matter in one mode and so can fail unnoticed
- Cleans the outdoor and indoor coils
- Checks that the auxiliary and emergency heat strips engage and stage correctly
- Inspects the condensate drain and confirms the outdoor unit drains during defrost
- Tightens electrical connections and measures motor voltage and current
How do you choose someone qualified?
Ask what will be measured. A technician who only checks that it blows warm and cold is not measuring the charge.
What does it take?
How do you know a heat pump service is overdue?
- Auxiliary or emergency heat running in mild weather rather than only in a deep freeze
- The outdoor unit encased in ice rather than clearing itself
- Noticeably longer run times for the same comfort
- A power bill stepping up with no change in weather or occupancy
What changes how often you need to do it?
- Coastal salt air is hard on outdoor coils and justifies more frequent attention
- A heat pump used as the primary heat source in a cold climate does far more hours than one in a mild climate
- Units under trees need the coil cleared more often
When should you stop and call someone?
Refrigerant work is restricted by law to certified or licensed technicians in the US, the UK, the EU and Australia. Clearing leaves from around the outdoor unit and changing the filter are yours. Anything inside the sealed system is not.
Does this differ in the US, UK, Australia or Canada?
United States
Technicians who maintain, service or repair equipment that could release refrigerant must hold EPA Section 608 certification, and you can ask to see the card. ENERGY STAR recommends a yearly check-up and a monthly look at the filter.
United Kingdom
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales offers £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, and government guidance is to choose an MCS certified installer if you plan to apply. Anyone working on the refrigerant circuit must hold an F gas qualification. Heat pumps usually run at lower flow temperatures than the boilers they replace, so the annual check should include whether emitters and controls are set up for that.
Australia
What the rest of the world calls a heat pump is sold here as a reverse-cycle air conditioner. Heat pump hot water systems are a separate category with their own servicing needs. The Australian Refrigeration Council says a refrigerant handling licence is required for any activity with a risk of refrigerant emission, including installing, servicing and maintaining the equipment.
Canada
Natural Resources Canada describes cold climate air-source heat pumps as designed to hold their heating capacity at colder temperatures, and recommends annual maintenance by a qualified contractor plus a filter change or clean every 3 months. The defrost cycle matters far more here than in mild climates, so ask for it to be tested. Keep snow clear of the outdoor unit.
What about in Europe?
Germany
Under GEG § 60a, a heat pump installed after 31 December 2023 as the heating system of a building with 6 or more homes must have an operating check after its first full heating season (within 2 years at the latest), repeated every 5 years unless it is remotely monitored. Air-to-air and hot-water-only heat pumps are exempt. Under the EU F-gas Regulation, equipment holding 5 tonnes CO2e or more of fluorinated refrigerant needs a leak check at least every 12 months, with an exemption for smaller hermetically sealed units.
France
Heat pumps and air conditioning of 4 to 70 kW must be serviced at least every 2 years by a qualified professional, who issues a certificate (attestation d’entretien) within 15 days.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a heat pump service matter?
Annual servicing keeps efficiency high and protects the compressor.
What happens if you skip a heat pump service?
Refrigerant charge that is too high or too low costs efficiency and shortens the life of the equipment. A heat pump that cannot keep up leans on its electric resistance backup, which Natural Resources Canada notes is less efficient than the heat pump itself, so the fault tends to show up on the power bill before it shows up as discomfort.
Does a heat pump service differ by country?
Growing in UK (ASHP grants), common in southern US/CA. Service both heating & cooling modes.
When in the year is a heat pump service best done?
This is seasonal work. Plan it for spring, before the weather it protects against arrives.
How we put this together
The figures, intervals and legal points on this page were checked against the sources listed below. The default interval and accepted range are the ones Maintainly uses in its task library. Costs and times are typical ranges and vary by region and by home. Your own manufacturer's instructions come first, and gas, electrical and structural work belongs with a qualified professional. How we research and write.
Sources
- Heating and Cooling With a Heat Pump, Natural Resources Canada. Checked 11 October 2026.
- Maintenance Checklist, ENERGY STAR. Checked 11 October 2026.
- How Much Does Heat Pump Maintenance or Repair Cost?, HomeGuide. Checked 11 October 2026.
- Section 608 Technician Certification, US Environmental Protection Agency. Checked 11 October 2026.
- Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get, GOV.UK. Checked 11 October 2026.
- Find a heat pump installer, GOV.UK. Checked 11 October 2026.
- Qualifications required to work on equipment containing F gas, GOV.UK. Checked 11 October 2026.
- What work requires a refrigerant handling licence?, Australian Refrigeration Council. Checked 11 October 2026.
- Gebäudeenergiegesetz (GEG) § 60a: Prüfung und Optimierung von Wärmepumpen, Bundesministerium der Justiz (Gesetze im Internet). Checked 11 October 2026.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, Article 5 (leak checks), EUR-Lex. Checked 11 October 2026.
- PAC et systèmes de climatisation : entretien obligatoire, Fédération Française du Bâtiment. Checked 11 October 2026.
Next steps
Put this on a schedule so it does not depend on memory. Maintainly keeps this task and 65 others on time for your home's systems, climate and country, and reminds you before each one is due. It is free for one home and needs no account.
Add this reminder to Maintainly