What is The Heat Pump Emergency Setting and When Should I Use It?

If you use a heat pump in your home, you’ve likely noticed a setting labeled “emergency heat.” While most people understand that they shouldn’t be using this setting all the time (hence the word “emergency”) many people are a little unclear about what this setting does and when it’s okay to use it.

Today, we’re going to break down the emergency heat setting to help you better understand this function of your heating system.

What is the Emergency Heat Setting?

Turning on the emergency heat setting.

The emergency heat setting is a third-level backup heat source that kicks in when your heat pump can’t draw in outdoor air and heat it (like it typically does) or rely on the secondary heat source, which is usually electric heat or a furnace. If both primary heat sources fail for some reason, that’s when you turn to the emergency heat setting.

Designed to keep the home warm in the event of a heat pump breakdown or malfunction, the emergency heat setting is something few homeowners know about.

When Should You Use the Setting?

As its name would indicate, the emergency heat setting is meant for use during a heat emergency. Good examples include a cold snap that’s so frigid your heat pump stops working or a furnace breakdown that happens right in the middle of winter.

While you could use the emergency setting for an extended period of a disaster or emergency, it’s designed to act as a stand-in heat source while you wait for your local HVAC specialists to arrive and repair your main heat pump.

Emergency Setting Drawbacks

In any situation other than a real emergency, the emergency heat setting is inefficient and laborious. If you used it under normal circumstances – when you could be using your heat pump or secondary heat source, instead, you’ll quickly see skyrocketing heating costs, since the emergency setting is expensive to operate.

Because of this, you should only use the heat pump emergency heat setting when you need a backup heat source. In addition to being expensive, it’s also somewhat hard on your HVAC system and can cause other components to wear out prematurely.

Understanding Your Heat Pump’s Settings

When it comes to understanding your heat pump’s settings, knowing the ins and outs of the emergency heat setting is critical. In addition to saving you money by ensuring you’re not using it all the time, being familiar with the emergency setting also allows you to turn it on when you need to.

In light of that, it’s critical to understand how this unique built-in feature can help you heat your home and keep your family safe in the event of a cold snap or serious main heating system mechanical failure.

You can hopefully avoid any unexpected failure and long wait for service by scheduling HVAC maintenance in the fall.

To learn more about your heat pump and how to manage your entire HVAC system for increased efficiency, contact the professionals at Enhanced Heating & Air Conditioning. Your Delaware heating and cooling experts, we’re here to help you with all your HVAC needs.

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