Heat pump thermostats |
A standard thermostat tip that can save you energy and money
Many homeowners with fossil fuel systems set their thermostats way back at night to save on energy costs. While this makes sense with fossil fuels, it does not with a heat pump.
Setting a standard heat pump thermostat way back at night will not cut back energy costs, but increase them!
Here's why
A heat pump is designed to run most efficiently at a steady rate, say at a comfortable 68 degrees. When you turn a standard thermostat way back at night (over four degrees), then up again in the morning, you use more energy to heat your home.
What you save in energy costs overnight by an extreme temperature setback is more than lost in the morning recovery period.
Backup heating
Your heat pump has a built-in emergency backup heating system designed to operate only when outside temperatures are extremely cold. When you turn the thermostat down at night then up the next morning, you fool the system into thinking there's a need for emergency heat, and the built-in backup operates. This backup system, which is meant to protect you in a heating emergency, is more expensive to operate than your heat pump.
The setback thermostat
There is however, a way for you to set temperatures back at night while saving both energy and money. That is to install a programmable setback thermostat.
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 | Mercer County Energy Audits |
