Indoor temperatures have a huge impact on the comfort of your home. For this reason, many homeowners find the need to invest in appliances that will help maintain desirable indoor temperatures both in the cold and the hot months. Heat pumps are among such appliances available for sale in the markets. Size of the heat pump and household needs are some of the factors that will get you the most ideal heat pump. However, while providing you with your desired indoor temperatures, your heat pump has to operate efficiently or else you will end up with very high energy bills. For this reason, here are a few ways to make your heat pump more efficient.
Set the Thermostat to the Required Temperature Settings and Leave It
Heat pumps are designed to operate within a specified range of temperature both for winter and summer. Depending on the climate of your area, the temperature may vary. Different manufacturers may also have their own requirements. Your owner's manual should have this information. Set your thermostat at the required temperature and forget it. Many homeowners set their thermostats back at night or when going to work without knowing it's a mistake. Adjusting the settings constantly can result in higher energy costs. This is because frequent and especially drastic changes to your temperature settings may cause your heat pump to use more energy. Besides, if the change is relatively large, the backup heat for electric resistance can engage and this will result in a higher consumption of energy.
Protect Your Outdoor Unit from High Winds
High winds can cause defrost problems, which will affect the efficiency of your heat pump because constant defrost cycles will consume much higher energy. One way to protect the unit from high winds is to place a fence strategically to block the winds. However, make sure the unit is not fenced in because this may cause air to recirculate over the coils, which won't be efficient for your heat pump. Therefore, just erect a considerable length of fence upwind of your coils.
Clean the Filters
A heat pump works by moving or transferring heat inside and outside your home and for this to happen, maximum airflow is required. Filters affect the flow of air. If your filters are dirty or damaged, airflow through your heat pump system will reduce relatively and this will decrease the performance of the system. Besides, if you leave the dirty filters unattended, you might also end up with a damaged compressor.
