A heat pump operates slightly differently than traditional forced-air or other heating systems and is designed to provide a high level of energy efficiency. The system has two settings: the first setting provides high powered heat to heat the house quickly. The second heat setting uses less energy to maintain the current heat levels inside your home. Because a heat pump uses this different heating technique, heat-pump thermostats should be managed differently than regular thermostats.

Many heat pumps come with special thermostats, or have the ability to work with a special thermostat. These thermostats use adaptive recovery technology to determine the temperature inside your house. The system works by reading the temperature in each room of the house in the air and on the walls. Over a period of four to eight days, the system learns how quickly your house warms to the desired temperature and precisely uses the exact amount of heat and energy necessary to maintain the desired temperature. This saves energy and money by eliminating heat waste and unit overload.

If your house feels too warm, you may be tempted to use manual setbacks on your heat pump. However, that is not a good idea. When you setback a heat-pump thermostat and the heat turns back on, it uses the first, high-powered heating method, which uses more energy. A heat pump can only save energy when it uses the lower energy setting. A programmable thermostat is a good choice for use with heat pumps to avoid energy spikes.

For more information on what kind of heat-pump thermostats are right for your home, contact us at Smoky Mountain Heating & Air. We supply Asheville-area residents with expert HVAC advice and care and can install a thermostat that will help you save money and energy this winter and in the future.

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.

Smoky Mountain Heating & Air services Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!