Heat pumps are a cost and energy-efficient way to control the temperature of your home, but if you want to realize their full benefits and continue to enjoy a comfortable home, it’s worth taking steps to ensure yours is working as efficiently as possible. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to get the most out of yours.
Keep Your Settings Consistent
Your heat pump will have an easier time keeping your home at a steady temperature than it will heating or cooling it to that point. That means that turning it on and off during the course of the day or regularly changing the temperature will significantly increase the amount of energy needed, making the pump significantly less efficient over time.
Don’t Rely On Auto Mode
You’d be forgiven for assuming that the auto mode on your heat pump would be the most reliable and efficient setting, but that’s rarely the case. It can often result in your heat pump unnecessarily switching between heating and cooling your home. Setting it to cool in summer and heat in winter will deliver higher efficiency. Your heat pump may also have an automatic fan speed setting, however, which is fine to use as it doesn’t have the same issue.
Avoid Using The Lowest Fan Speed
This may seem counterintuitive, but heat pumps are more efficient when running at higher fan speeds. Of course, higher fan speeds generate more ambient noise and air movement which you may find unpleasant, but going as high as you’re comfortable with is the best choice for efficiency.
Optimize Air Flow
To get the most out of your heat pump, you’ll want to give some consideration to airflow. It’s generally very easy to adjust the direction that air flows out of the unit, and it should be set so that it is going in a way that covers the most space possible. You should also make sure that there aren’t any items of furniture or other household items obstructing the flow of air.
Get Regular Maintenance
As with all HVAC systems, it’s essential that your heat pump receives regular maintenance from a trained professional. This doesn’t just ensure that it will continue to run as efficiently as possible, but also extends its life, allows for early identification of problems, and prevents dust, dirt, and grime from building up internally.
Keep Everything Clean
Whilst it’s no substitute for maintenance, which will ensure that even the parts of your pump you can’t access are clean and in good working order, keeping the external components such as vents clean is also important for getting the most out of your system and preventing dirt from impacting your efficiency or causing other problems.
Avoid Competition With Other HVAC Systems
If you have another HVAC system in addition to your heat pump, it’s more efficient to rely on one at a time, with the other serving as a backup. Using both systems at the same time will result in neither of them working as efficiently as they would otherwise, making for very poor efficiency overall. It’s far better to just run your heat pump alone.
Don’t Worry About Being Perfect
Whilst it’s never a bad thing to want to be efficient, it’s important that you and your family are comfortable too. Assuming that your pump is in good working order, the steps above will make the most difference, so there’s no need to stress more than that. Of course, if your heat pump does have a genuine issue, you may need to speak to an expert.
If In Doubt, Contact A Professional
If you’ve considered all of the above and done all you can, and you’re still not satisfied with your heat pump’s performance, the next thing to do is to contact an HVAC professional with a thorough understanding of how to get the most from your system.
Here at Hoot, our experts can take care of your heat pump servicing needs as well as giving your system a thorough checkup, making any necessary repairs and adjustments to ensure that your pump is running as efficiently as possible. Call us today at 410-658-6564.
