If your home uses a heat pump, odds are you already know what a terrific money saver it can be when operating at maximum efficiency, and understanding how to program the thermostat properly is a key factor in that process.
Basically, the way a heat pump works is that it transfers heat from the outside to the inside, or vice versa, according to the outdoor temperature and your comfort needs inside your home. In other words, they don’t actually generate heat on their own, and that’s one of the key reasons why they’re so cost-effective. This works particularly well in the Los Angeles area, where winter temperatures seldom drop below freezing.
If you set the thermostat pretty high when you first get up in the morning, or when you return home from work, this can make the pump work harder and faster, unnecessarily wasting energy. If you set it too low while you’re away, you’ll waste more energy if your backup heat is forced to come on. It’s smarter to make gradual temperature adjustments at the thermostat, just two or three degrees at a time, as it’s more cost- and comfort-effective.
In fact, certain heat pumps function best when their thermostat maintains a constant setting. However, if you have a programmable electronic thermostat with adaptive recovery, that’s not a problem. A thermostat with adaptive intelligent recovery control allows you to set the thermostat so that the pump gradually adjusts the temperature from the energy savings setting (while you’re in bed or away from home) to the comfort setting (when you’re up and about in the morning, or home from work at night).
Around The Clock Air Conditioning and Heating has been servicing the greater Los Angeles area’s heating and air conditioning needs since 1967. Contact us with any questions you may have about properly using your heat pump thermostat; we’re always happy to be of service.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pump thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Around the Clock Air Conditioning & Heating services Los Angeles, North Hollywood and the surrounding areas in California. Visit our website to see our current specials and get started today!
Heat Pump Thermostat image via Shutterstock