Climate: a cooling market as much as a heating one
NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Medford's airport count about 61 days a year at or above 90°F, about four times Portland airport's 14.6, and cooling degree days about 1.8 times Portland's. The summer (June–August) average daily high is 88.1°F. Winters are not mild either: about 64 nights a year at or below freezing, more than Salem or Eugene, although nights at or below 10°F average only 0.3 a year.
| NOAA station | Heating degree days (base 65°F) | Nights at or below 32°F | Nights at or below 10°F | Days at or above 90°F | Cooling degree days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medford Rogue Valley Airport | 4,203 | 63.9 | 0.3 | 61.2 | 908 |
| Portland Intl Airport (for comparison) | 4,104 | 31.7 | 0.0 | 14.6 | 508 |
What it changes:
- Read the cooling ratings as closely as the heating ones. SEER2 is a seasonal average; EER2 is the efficiency at a hot-afternoon test condition, which is closer to a Medford July. Ask for both for the exact model pairing.
- Size for the cooling load, not only the heating load. Ask which summer and winter outdoor design temperatures the load calculation used; a system sized only for heat can struggle through a run of 100°F afternoons.
- Ducts in a hot attic lose cooling. If the ducts run through the attic, ask whether they will be sealed and insulated as part of the job.
Which utility serves you
- Pacific Power's service map labels Medford, Central Point, Eagle Point and Rogue River. Pacific Power customers are in Energy Trust territory for heat pumps.
- Ashland is different. The City of Ashland runs its own electric utility, so Ashland electric customers are not in Energy Trust's heat pump column. The city lists its own incentives: $1,500 for a forced-air heat pump (variable speed, HSPF2 8.5 or higher) and $900 for a ductless heat pump (HSPF2 8.5 or higher), with a “2x multiplier” for income-qualified households. It must replace the main heating system, and the city requires a home energy review before installation. City of Ashland residential incentives.
- Gas: Avista. Avista's Oregon tariff lists its Medford District gas service area as including Medford, Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, Gold Hill, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Rogue River, Shady Cove, Talent and White City. Avista customers are in Energy Trust territory for gas.
How Energy Trust of Oregon works, in two lines. Its residential heat pump incentives are “only available to residences serviced by PGE and Pacific Power,” and they require the heat pump to replace electric heat. Its gas furnace incentive ($1,600 for a 95% AFUE or better furnace) is only for homes whose gas comes from NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas or Avista — and only for a single-family rental, an attached home or an income-qualified household; the 2026 Oregon sheet lists no gas-furnace incentive for an owner-occupied detached house. So the utility named on your bill decides which column you are in. The three-question rebate checker walks through it.
Licensed heating and cooling contractors registered in Jackson County
Counted from the State of Oregon's CCB Active Licenses dataset (g77e-6bhs), filtered to businesses whose registered name indicates heating, cooling, mechanical, refrigeration or sheet-metal work. The CCB record has no trade field, so this is a name filter: a general contractor or a plainly named firm that installs furnaces will not appear, and the true number is higher. For scale, the same dataset held 2,536 active licenses of every trade registered in Jackson County on 29 September 2026. Registered address is where a license is held, not where the business works.
| Registered city | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Medford | 19 |
| Central Point | 13 |
| Ashland | 3 |
| Eagle Point | 3 |
| Talent | 3 |
| White City | 3 |
| Gold Hill | 2 |
| Phoenix | 2 |
| Rogue River | 2 |
| Shady Cove | 1 |
- 23 of 51 have been licensed for 10 years or more; the middle (median) licensee has been licensed for 7 years.
- 2 show no bond amount and 1 show no liability-insurance amount in the published record. That can mean an exempt or non-residential license type rather than a lapse, so ask, and check the CCB’s own search.
Open every Jackson County licensee in the lookup → The lookup shows each one's CCB number, years licensed, license expiry, bond and liability insurance. Verify any license at the CCB's own search before you sign — this is a dated copy of a public record, and appearing in it is not a recommendation.
51 licensed businesses registered in Jackson County appear in the state record (dataset g77e-6bhs, state copy dated 2026-09-13, pulled 2026-09-23, 1,042 rows statewide).
| Business | City | CCB # | Years licensed | License expires | Bond | Liability insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Climate Collaborative | Ashland | 260500 | 0 | 03/09/2028 | $15,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Ashland Heating And Cooling Llc | Ashland | 240686 | 4 | 05/18/2028 | $20,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Atlas Heating & Air Llc | Ashland | 233442 | 6 | 12/01/2026 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Accu Temp Mechanical Llc | Central Point | 168508 | 20 | 04/05/2028 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| All Mechanical Plumbing Solutions Inc | Central Point | 229008 | 7 | 12/09/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Brooks Heating & Air Llc | Central Point | 237204 | 5 | 08/11/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Calculated Comfort Llc | Central Point | 209466 | 10 | 01/25/2027 | — | $1,000,000 |
| Glacier Heating & Air Conditioning Inc | Central Point | 164149 | 21 | 04/21/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Longs Heating Air Conditioning And Electric Llc | Central Point | 257016 | 1 | 06/04/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Rogue Mechanical Insulation Inc | Central Point | 148896 | 25 | 09/04/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Stone Heating & Air Inc | Central Point | 224159 | 7 | 01/11/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Summit Heating And Air Conditioning Llc | Central Point | 253731 | 2 | 10/25/2026 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Three Sons Hvac Llc | Central Point | 261179 | 0 | 04/09/2028 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Titan Heating & Air Conditioning Llc | Central Point | 179541 | 19 | 12/13/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Uncle Jays Heating & Cooling Llc | Central Point | 261990 | 0 | 05/29/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Van Row Mechanical Inc | Central Point | 186028 | 17 | 05/26/2027 | $80,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Air Systems Of Southern Oregon Llc | Eagle Point | 251548 | 2 | 11/07/2026 | — | — |
| Baumers Heating & Air Conditioning Llc | Eagle Point | 193410 | 15 | 03/16/2027 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Ronin Plumbing And Mechanical Llc | Eagle Point | 244951 | 3 | 03/15/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Indigo Heating & Air Inc | Gold Hill | 233002 | 6 | 12/17/2026 | $80,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Rogue Climate Control Llc | Gold Hill | 261875 | 0 | 05/21/2028 | $25,000 | $500,000 |
| Advantage Plumbing And Mechanical Llc | Medford | 194158 | 15 | 06/06/2027 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Air Express Heating And Air Conditioning Inc | Medford | 240792 | 4 | 04/20/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Allied Comfort Pro Llc | Medford | 196577 | 14 | 04/16/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Applied Refrigeration Technology Inc | Medford | 133020 | 28 | 10/29/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Bain Heating & Air Llc | Medford | 260045 | 0 | 02/09/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Curtius Plumbing And Mechanical Inc | Medford | 134304 | 27 | 03/30/2027 | $80,000 | $1,000,000 |
| D & S Heating & Air Conditioning Llc | Medford | 193995 | 15 | 05/11/2027 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Jennings Plumbing & Mechanical Llc | Medford | 192073 | 16 | 10/12/2026 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Kaufmann Plumbing & Mechanical Llc | Medford | 183280 | 18 | 07/21/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Medford Heating & Air Conditioning Inc | Medford | 164549 | 21 | 05/25/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Michaels Heating & Air Conditioning Inc | Medford | 177843 | 19 | 08/22/2027 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Nathan Perry Heating & Air Conditioning Llc | Medford | 198929 | 13 | 02/05/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Oregon Heating And Repair Inc | Medford | 77367 | 35 | 12/13/2026 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Pacific Heating & Cooling Inc | Medford | 83268 | 34 | 06/23/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Southern Oregon Heating & A/C Inc | Medford | 34907 | 12 | 07/19/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tnt Mechanical Llc | Medford | 251607 | 2 | 05/29/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Total Climate Llc | Medford | 259619 | 0 | 01/07/2028 | $80,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Trademark Tek Heating And Air Conditioning Inc | Medford | 238407 | 5 | 11/04/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Trinity Heating And Air Inc | Medford | 239571 | 4 | 02/04/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Gnome Comfort Llc | Phoenix | 254205 | 2 | 11/21/2026 | $25,000 | $500,000 |
| Rogue Heating And Air Llc | Phoenix | 243694 | 4 | 12/12/2026 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Parkers Heating & Air Conditioning Llc | Rogue River | 214450 | 9 | 03/31/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Rite Way Heating & Air/R Llc | Rogue River | 133051 | 28 | 05/06/2028 | $20,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Complete Heating & Air Llc | Shady Cove | 252469 | 2 | 07/29/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Creature Comforts Hvac Llc | Talent | 249136 | 2 | 01/10/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Jahnke Heating & Air Conditioning Inc | Talent | 56243 | 38 | 06/21/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| National Heating & Air Conditioning Inc | Talent | 135158 | 27 | 05/05/2027 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 541 Cooling And Heating Llc | White City | 255555 | 1 | 03/13/2027 | $25,000 | $2,000,000 |
| A Team Heating And Air Conditioning Llc | White City | 252162 | 2 | 07/08/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Rogue Refrigeration Llc | White City | 232195 | 6 | 08/17/2028 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 |
What it should cost
The installed-cost ranges on this site are Portland-metro figures, and no primary source publishes separate ones for Medford. Treat the cost page as a starting point, get the equipment and the total in writing, and compare like with like. Up to three quotes from CCB-licensed contractors is the fastest way to a local number.
“Oregon requires a heat pump now.” Not for a replacement. Section N1105.8 of the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code applies to new dwellings where split-system air-conditioning is installed; it is the same statewide, Medford included. The code language is here.
Four questions before you sign anything
- What is your CCB number? Then check it. Hesitation is an answer.
- Which equipment, exactly? Manufacturer, model number, and the AFUE, HSPF2 or SEER2 rating in writing. Every rebate on this page turns on the exact rating.
- What is the total installed price — permit, electrical, duct changes and haul-away included — before any rebate?
- Who pulls the permit? If the answer is “we don't usually,” that is the answer.
Something not working right now? Start with the troubleshooting guide; the air-conditioning guide covers the five-minute checks before a summer call.
Other regions
Each regional page is built from the same state license record, the utility that serves the area, and the NOAA station nearest the population centre.
Portland metro: Happy Valley, Milwaukie, Clackamas, Oregon City, Gladstone, Damascus.
Sources. Utility territory: Pacific Power service-area map (labels, not boundaries); City of Ashland, Electric; Avista Oregon gas tariff, service area sheet (effective 6 July 2016, the current published sheet). Rebates: City of Ashland; Energy Trust of Oregon Residential Incentive Information Sheet PI 0320I v2026.5 (revised 9 September 2026) and Energy Trust’s service-territory page, both read 29 September 2026. Climate: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal product, retrieved 29 September 2026), stations USW00024225 and USW00024229. License facts: State of Oregon CCB Active Licenses open dataset g77e-6bhs (the site's filtered copy, state copy dated 13 September 2026; county totals for all trades counted from the live dataset via its Socrata API on 29 September 2026). Utility pages read 29 September 2026; programs change without notice. This page is general information, not a bid, a code ruling, tax advice or a recommendation of any contractor.