There are a few reasons why contractors may be reluctant to embrace heat pumps. First, there is the matter of installation. Throw in limited experience and knowledge about heat pumps among the contractors we surveyed, and it isn't hard to see why they might hesitate. Installation complexity can lead to some not-so-favorable conditions, including timings that stretch on for too long and result in troubleshooting that can be done only when a system is turned off and the outside ambient temperatures are more like what you'd find in a sauna. If heat pumps are taking much longer to install and troubleshooting them takes longer, too, then, from the viewpoint of the contractor, is this really a good deal? Second, in the not-so-ambiguous world of regional heating, in which the Sandy Valley area sadly finds itself, heat pumps can be thought of as less efficient at producing the kind of heat that overcomes frigid temperatures compared to other types of systems like gas furnaces. And, where profits are concerned, if contractors can't make a sufficient amount of money on the installations—and we've already established that they might think installation is unduly arduous—then why promote the damn things?