Understanding One's Heat Pump
Heat pumps are great energy saving tools in mild weather but do they work as well in severely cold weather? Will they be equally energy efficient when there is no ambient, hot, air outside to pull in? If one has a heat pump there are some simple things one can do to increase energy efficiency at home or where ever.
Heat pumps are a little different than the average heating and air systems. Before installing a heat pump ask yourself one question, do I live in an area that is primarily below 32 degrees during winter months? If the answer is yes the heat pump may not be an economical purchase. If you already have a heat pump learning how to use it efficiently is a good ideal.
Typical heat and air units work by having two separate units that must be switched on at the thermostat either heat or cooling. The air compressor works to pull ambient air from the inside of the home cooling it. The heater however is either electric or gas depending and will operate one of these according to the thermostat setting.
The heat pump is just a little different in the way it uses the compressor to not only remove ambient air from the home but put it back in when used in heat mode. The heat pump uses a reversing valve to reverse the air flow.
The reversing valve is switched when the thermostat is put either in heat or cool mode. The main difference is there is an added setting, emergency heat. This setting is not just for emergencies but to assist the unit when there is little ambient air flow outside, [32 degrees or less], to heat the home.
The heat pump will pull ambient air from outside the home and bring it inside, this works well until the temperature falls below 32 degrees. At this temperature there simply is no ambient air outside. The heat pump will then switch on Emergency heat this will be either gas or electric. This will not happen right away so cold air flow will move through the vents before it switches over. This in turn makes the heat come on more often.
My suggestion would be if one has a heat pump and the weather is going to be 32 degrees or below to switch the thermostat to emergency heat. This will manually bi-pass the compressor automatically which will make it warmer inside the home.
Simple things to remember when one owns a heat pump:
- Heat pumps do not run as hot as electric or gas heaters, usually around 95 degrees.
- They may need to be switched to emergency heat during 32 degree or colder days to work efficiently.
- Keep the filter and coils exceptionally clean.
Doing these simple tasks will help one stay warm and not have near as many complaints about the heat pump. So understanding your heat pump helps.
