A heat pump can help keep your home warm in the winter and is one of the best investments Peachtree homeowners can make. Setting a heat pump may seem like a simple task, and it really is, but you should understand how reaching the ideal balance point will improve your heat pump’s performance, and in turn the comfort in your home. Many homeowners get the terms heating and cooling load and heating and cooling capacity mixed up. If you understand each term and how it affects your heat pump’s performance, you can achieve balance and save on your energy bills.

A heat pump works differently than a traditional furnace. It depends on outside air to supply heat to your home. This fact affects the relationship between load and capacity. As the temperature outside goes down, the need for heat in your home (load) increases, and the ability of your heat pump to supply heat (capacity) goes down.

In other words, if the temperature outside is only in the 30s or 40s, your heat pump should be able to supply all of your home’s heating needs. But if the temperature outside dips down into the 20s or below, your supplemental heating system will have to kick in. Avoid using the emergency heat setting since this burns a lot of energy and isn’t an efficient way to heat your home.

One of the easiest ways to find the balance point is to keep track of when your supplementary heating system comes on. Keep a notebook handy and when you hear your furnace kick on, make a note of the temperature outside. Try keeping track for a week or two, and then average out the readings. This will be your balance point when setting a heat pump thermostat.

If you have any questions about setting a heat pump thermostat, please feel free to contact the experts at Powers Heating & Air. We offer a full range of HVAC products and services to keep your Peachtree area home comfortable all year round.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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