It’s So Easy to Install This Window Heat Pump I Saw at CES

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Gradient’s advanced window unit can heat and cool 500 square feet of your home. And you won’t need an electrician.

Jon Reed is a senior editor overseeing coverage for CNET’s home, energy and utilities category. Jon has over a decade of experience of writing and reporting as a statehouse reporter in Columbus, Ohio, a crime reporter in Birmingham, Alabama, and as an mortgage and housing market editor for TIME’s former personal finance brand, NextAdvisor.

Jon now leads coverage and strategy on CNET’s Energy category and aims to help readers take charge of their home’s energy usage and costs. Jon has first-hand experience testing home energy products such as portable power stations, home battery solutions and smart thermostats. Jon has showcased his expertise live on TV for news networks and his written work is often cited in major publications such as This Week in CleanTech, NASDAQ and MorningBrew’s newsletter.

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The Gradient All-Weather 120V Window Heat Pump I saw at CES 2025 was blowing crisp, cool air onto the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center, sitting on a makeshift window at a booth shared with the other home electrification companies BioLite and Copper. 

This isn’t your dad’s window air conditioner. That noisy old thing couldn’t keep you warm at all, much less when it’s below zero outside. That’s why Gradient’s big window heat pump is so much larger — and more expensive. 

Read more: Best of CES 2025 Winners, Awarded by CNET Group

Rather than sitting inside the window and taking up all of the space, like most window units, the Gradient unit straddles the bottom of the window, with the outdoor and indoor units hanging below, like a horseback rider’s legs dangling from the saddle.

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See all photos A powerful heat pump for small spacesThe All-Weather model was designed to boost the heating performance of Gradient’s primary model meant for moderate climates. The moderate climate model can keep a home warm when the mercury outside drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The All-Weather model, built to meet the needs of the New York City Housing Authority, is rated for weather down to minus-13 degrees.

Gradient’s heat pump can heat and cool up to 500 square feet, with 9,300 BTUs of cooling power and up to 9,000 BTUs for heating. But perhaps the coolest part is that this big device (it weighs 140 pounds) can run off a standard 120-volt outlet — no electrical work needed. A Gradient rep told CNET by email you won’t need to hire a professional to help install it. The All-Weather 120V Window Heat Pump can be installed on your own. 

Mist, Wi-Fi and more heat pump perksThe unit has some nifty features. The outdoor unit has a diffuser that turns any condensate into mist, meaning no water is pooling up underneath it or dripping onto the ground below. The heat pumps are Wi-Fi enabled and can be controlled either from the app or from a touch thermostat on the indoor unit. 

The heat pump also doesn’t block the view of the window. Because it hangs below, you can still open and close the window, see outside and use the top of the heat pump as a small table surface.

So far, Gradient’s heat pumps have been mostly available only to specific buyers — namely the New York City Housing Authority. But company reps told me business customers can buy direct from Gradient. A few units were made available to individual consumers through a distributor in the New York area, but those quantities were very limited, and the company mostly sells to businesses. A Gradient rep said the company believes that’s the fastest way to scale up electrification, and it means you might see these heat pumps in businesses, schools or multifamily housing. 

The All-Weather model has an MSRP of $3,800 — a lot more than your typical window AC, but for something with a lot more capability. And because it doesn’t require any permitting, ductwork or electrical work, expect the installation cost to be a lot smaller than other ways to heat and cool your home.

Correction, Jan. 29: Updated to clarify that direct-to-consumer sales are limited to one contractor.

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