Note: Before you dive into the specific brand review, we highly recommend you to read our elaborate Heat Pump Buying Guide in advance, there are several crucial steps you need to take before you even start to think about the brand.
The York brand is nearly 150 years old and has stood for HVAC engineering and innovation. Fortune Global 500 company Johnson Controls acquired York in 2005. Today, York heat pumps are identical in all but name to Johnson Control brands Coleman and Luxaire.
This York heat pump buying guide covers all models, their efficiency ratings, prices and features or pros. We cover York cons too. See our heat pump buying guides for all major brands that make it easy to compare the heat pumps you’re considering.
Features and Pros
There are a few York features that make this brand unique (though it shares these features with Luxaire and Coleman models).
York Climate Set is a series of settings that can be adjusted to your climate. It’s available on the Affinity Series. For example, in humid climates, longer, lower-capacity cycles remove more summer humidity than high-capacity cycles, so the unit can be tuned for that purpose. The settings make it easy for the technician to tune the Affinity heat pumps to normal, dry or humid settings.
The LX YHM heat pump with 16 SEER/9 HSPF efficiency is the variable-capacity model in the mid-level efficiency range. Most variable-capacity, aka modulating, heat pumps are 19+ SEER models. This heat pump gives you the option of lower cost than premium-efficiency models but the maximum climate control and indoor comfort that a variable-capacity compressor system provides.
All Affinity Series heat pumps feature technology York calls QuietDrive. The units are built with fans that have angled wings for quieter operation. The base pan is composite rather than steel, so it reduces vibration noise.
In recent years, more heat pump brands are offering longer warranties on critical parts. York now offers a lifetime warranty on its Affinity Series compressors.
The Affinity Series models are communicating heat pumps when paired with the Affinity communicating control. It’s an upgrade that costs $400+ but when it works properly, it delivers the most efficient and precise performance. See our Communicating vs. Non-communicating Technology guide for the pros and cons of communicating HVAC systems.
York Heat Pump Cons
While we listed communicating technology as a feature, at this point, we do not recommend it. Communicating systems cost more and have a higher rate of mechanical issues. Components sometimes stop communicating, and diagnosing and repairing the issue proves to be a challenge. Some heating and air conditioning companies steer clients away from communicating systems for fear they will have to invest time and money doing warranty repairs.
Unique Features and Model Analysis
| Model | SEER | HSPF | Compressor | Communicating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affinity YZV | 20 | 11 | Variable | Optional |
| Affinity YZH | 18 | 10 | 2-Stage | Optional |
| Affinity YZF | 16 | 9 | Single-Stage | Optional |
| LX YHM | 16 | 9 | Variable | No |
| LX YHJF | 14.5 | 8.5 | Single-Stage | No |
| LX YHE | 14 | 8.2 | Single-Stage | No |
Quick Take-Aways for Models
When you’re looking for the most cost-effective heating, the strategy is to find the balance between furnace cost and energy costs. Let’s use the zone map to identify efficiency levels for each that strike that balance:
|
Zone
|
Suggested SEER and HPSF
|
Cost-effective Models
|
| Zones 1 & 2 (hot) | 18-19 SEER/9.5-10 HSPF |
Affinity YZV
|
| Zone 3 & 4 (moderate) | 14-15 SEER/8.5 HSPF |
YHM, YHJF, YHE, Affinity YZF
|
| Zone 5 (cool) | 15-17 SEER/8.5-9.5 HSPF |
Affinity YZH
|
| Zone 6 (cold) | (18 SEER/9.5 HSPF) or (AC + Furnace) | Affinity YZV or (AC + Furnace) |
| Zone 7 (very cold) | (18 SEER/9.5 HSPF) or (AC + Furnace) | AC + Furnace |
| Plan to move in the next few years | 13-14 SEER/8 HSPF | YHE |
Note: In Zones 6 and 7, the coldest zones, a system with an efficient gas furnace and small central air conditioner is also a good option.
Selected Contractor Feedback
Great Build Quality
They do not build many heat pumps like the York anymore. With manufacturing being outsourced, most companies now use equipment that barely meets the standard. However, York products are still of the same superior build as in yester years. The company even offers a paint job akin to that of a vehicle for its high-end Affinity heat pumps. These are some of the best heat pumps. They hardly require any part replacement throughout their lifetime. A York purchase is definitely money well spent by any customer.
Extracted Tags from Customer Feedback
Very High Level of Efficiency
The high-end Affinity YZH is definitely worth purchasing. Upon installation, the owner will start seeing the electric bill drop drastically by almost half. A heat pump is a huge consumer of electricity. Consequently, it is essential that one is getting value for money. These heat pumps are optimized for efficiency. As a result, owners can expect to recover a large chunk of their initial investment in a short while.
Reasonable Warranty Terms
The company offers a ten-year warranty on all parts including the compressor. In addition, one can upgrade this to a lifetime warranty with a few tweaks. This is quite thoughtful of the company. The offer for a lifetime warranty is very rare in the HVAC industry.
York Heat Pump Prices By Model
In order to offer an objective and equal comparison, we set the baseline below:
Each model includes: 3 ton outdoor condenser, 1300-1400 CFM air handler, programmable heat pump thermostat.
| Models | System Only | System Installed |
|---|---|---|
| Affinity YZV 20 SEER | $2,580 | $6,050 |
| Affinity YZH 18 SEER | $2,140 | $5,220 |
| Affinity YZF 16 SEER | $1,750 | $4,780 |
| YHM 16 SEER | $1,595 | $4,525 |
| YHJF 14.5 SEER | $1,385 | $4,155 |
York Heat Pump Prices By Size
Before installing your heat pump, an HVAC contractor needs to size your system by “Manual J” calculation. This will take into accounts factors like where you live, how much insulation you have, windows types and directions, and everything else. Then you will get a right-sized heat pump unit ranging from 1.5-ton to 5-ton.
Each Unit includes: York 14 SEER 3-ton outdoor condenser, 1300-1400 CFM air handler, programmable heat pump thermostat.
| Heat Pump Size | Home Size | System Only | System Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 ton | 600 - 1000 sf | $1,210 | $4,150 |
| 2 ton | 1001 - 1300 sf | $1,430 | $4,550 |
| 2.5 ton | 1301 - 1600 sf | $1,620 | $4,870 |
| 3 ton | 1601 - 1900 sf | $1,850 | $5,150 |
| 3.5 ton | 1901 - 2200 sf | $2,125 | $5,495 |
| 4 ton | 2201 - 2600 sf | $2,350 | $5,770 |
| 5 ton | 2601 - 3200 sf | $2,865 | $6,595 |
York Submitted Prices and Feedback By Reader
| Brand & Model & SizePriceHome LocationHome Size |
|---|
| Affinity Series$5,359Moseley3600 sqft |
| I have been using this York heat pump for about two years, and I love how it works. It perfectly fit in the strict budget that I had, and although it’s slightly expensive, I am impressed by the performance, and I am glad I got value for my money. Though it is not the top of line heat pump, it totally works wonders. I will buy another one from York not only because of its price but also because of how efficiently it works. I would recommend this heat pump to my friends and colleagues. |
| 3 ton YZF 10.0 HSPF$3,900Boiling Spring, SC2300 sqft |
| I moved into a new home over three years ago, and I had many of my family friends recommend to me the York brand. At first, I stayed reluctant about it because I already had another heat pump though it was an old one. I bought my York affinity series pump in 2014, and I was impressed by the performance It. I was utterly shocked by York and its reliability. I did maintenance on the heat pump about two months ago. I usually perform my maintenance on all most of the units I have every four months, but this heat pump is completely different. The only one thing I don’t like about it is it is somehow large. I wish it was a little bit smaller. However, I would recommend this heat pump to a friend just as my family friends did to me. |
| 4 ton YHJF$5,200Vinton, VA2900 sqft |
| So far I do not have any issues with my York unit .absolutely everything is working efficiently. However, The issue I have at this point is that it requires three ten by ten filters that are so hard to find and mostly I have to make orders. It is unreasonable to manufacture an equipment that requires filters that are rare to find. Otherwise, a Great unit that heats and cools evenly and well |
| Latitude Series$4,280Olympia, WA2400 sqft |
| I brought duel fuel application recently, and so far I am fully satisfied with the performance of the system and also the decibel levels. Despite this, the only complaint I have is that the unit started being noisy after some time which is so irritating. I, however, added some detergent and surprisingly i worked amazingly well. The price is somehow high, and I feel I didn’t get value for my money especially after the noise issue. I have had better heat pumps before and with the current technology, such noisy pumps shouldn’t be an issue. |
| 2.5 Ton 13 SEER$5,600LA1900 sqft |
| I pay more than $2000 for the installation. After checking others’ price I found my heat pump is a little overpriced. I didn’t compare bids from different contractors. But Rene tell me that the installation parts is the most important factor for the long-term peace of mind. Hope so. |
| THGD 7.7 HSPF$4,800Scottsdale, AZ2200 sqft |
| I had this heat pump for a condominium I have. The system continues to run efficiently, and I have made considerable savings on my electricity bill. However, to my disappointment, I learnt that my ten-year warranty had been reduced to five years because I did not register the warranty within sixty-one days of purchase on the York website. I was not happy about that but the savings I make with this heat pump are totally worth it. |
How to Get the Best York Heat Pump Prices?
- Firstly, keep in mind that installation quality is always the most important thing for heat pump project. So never sacrifice contractor quality for lower price.
- Secondly, remember to look up the latest tax credit and rebates.
- Thirdly, ask for at least 3 bids before you make the decision. You can click here to get 3 free estimates from your local contractors, and this estimate already takes rebates and tax credit into consideration and filter unqualified contractors automatically.
At last, once you chose the right contractor, remember to use the tactics from this guide: homeowners tactics when negotiating with HVAC dealer to get the final best price.
