Fall is well underway in Southwest Ohio, which signals that winter’s not far behind. Do not wait until the winter season to discover heat pump trouble. In the colder months, heat pump trouble is common yet easily avoidable by following these tips for improving heat pump performance.
What Are Heat Pumps?
Heat pumps are an energy-efficient means of transferring heat energy from one place to another, using the heat-exchange properties of refrigerant. In the summer, they transfer heat energy inside your home outside. In the winter, they extract heat energy from the cool outside air and transfer it inside your home. Because climates influence heat pump performance, you’ll want to consider our Dayton area climate when purchasing a system.
Heat pumps are powered by electricity and are typically three times more efficient than a gas furnace, when it comes to converting energy into heat. However, in sub-freezing temperatures, extracting heat energy from the outside air is more difficult, and as a result, most heat pumps come with a backup heating system. This is usually an electric heating element but can be a gas furnace in a dual-fuel system.
Tips for Addressing Heat Pump Trouble in Winter
- Set your air handler fan to “auto” while operating the system, so the fan isn’t blowing constantly.
- Improve your home’s energy efficiency with better air sealing and insulation. Reducing your home’s heating load in this manner will delay the point at which the heat pump switches to emergency heating.
- Monitor the heat pump’s back-up heating system. Using the back-up heating system can reduce energy efficiency by as much as 25 percent. If you have a gas furnace backup, consider using it instead of the heat pump when natural gas prices are significantly lower than electricity rates. While the heat pump is more efficient, the relative cost of energy may make the furnace a better choice.
- Follow manufacturer’s guidelines for changing filters and cleaning coils and other components of your heat pump. Dirty filters and coils significantly degrade airflow and heat exchange in your heat pump.
To learn more expert tips about operating heat pumps in colder weather and other issues related to home comfort, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services. We’ve been serving the Dayton area since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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