During very cold days in the winter, you may notice that your heat pump doesn’t work as well. This is because it’s harder for your heat pump to generate the energy needed to keep your home’s temperature comfortable.
Every house differs in the amount of energy needed to keep it warm; this factor is known as the heating load. Heating loads are influenced by how well the home is insulated, where the ductwork is located and if it is well sealed, and other factors. Heating capacity is how hard the heating system has to work to keep the home warm. Obviously, the bigger the heat pump, the more capacity it has.
When a home is heated by an air source heat pump, it’s ability to warm goes down as the air outside gets colder. That’s because heat pumps draw warmth from the air outside — even cold air — to warm the home. It varies for each home, but at a certain outdoor temperature, the heat pump’s capacity and the home’s heating load meet in the balance point. When that point is reached, and it is colder outside than the balance point inside, additional heating is required to keep the home warm.
At this point, the heating pump’s backup heat system will be triggered by pre-programmed settings on your thermostat. To conserve energy and dramatically lower utility bills, the settings may need to be modified so the backup system comes on at a lower temperature. Consult a professional to ensure that your heating system is programmed properly.
Besides making sure the home and ductwork are well sealed and insulated, homeowners should choose an efficient heat pump. Pay attention when shopping to the COP (coefficient of performance) of the heat pump, which is the measurement of its output compared to its energy usage; also consider the HSPF (heating seasonal performance factor), a measurement of its Btu (British thermal unit) heat output over an entire season as compared to its watt usage.
Contact us at Around the Clock Air Conditioning and Heating. We’ve been serving the Los Angeles area since 1967.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pump and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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