September is fast approaching, and with it, a return to the school season. Consider class in session now for all you need to know about your home’s heat pump.
We cover the importance of working with a contractor for selecting your home’s heat pump, the differences between SEER and HSPF ratings, and what maintenance and repair look like for these highly-efficient forms of heating and cooling your home.
Curious to know all about your home’s heat pump? Read on for more insights!
1. Work with a contractor from the beginning.
These days, heat pumps are incredibly energy efficient and can save YOU money on power and gas bills. There are many heat pump models available on the market and it can be challenging to choose the right one for you.
When you begin searching for a heat pump for your home, build a relationship with a contractor who can guide you through every step of the process. The input of your contractor will be extremely valuable when it comes to choosing the right heat pump to meet your needs.
The size of the heat pump, for example, will be important in providing sufficient heating and cooling to all of the rooms in your home. Your contractor should be able to give you advice about the proper sizing.
Many people are tempted to keep their heat pump small to save a little money up front. Our advice? Don’t approach your heat pump installation this way. It will increase your energy costs over time and cause you to need more frequent repair and maintenance on your system. Again, your contractor will know what sizing is ideal for your home comfort needs.
2. Understand the SEER and HSPF ratings.
These ratings will you how efficient the heating and cooling systems are in the heat pump.
SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. By law, a heat pump has to have a SEER rating of at least 13, but the rating scale goes as high as 21. The higher the number, the more efficient the cooling provided by the system.
Higher HSPF ratings, in contrast, show how efficiently the heat pump will heat the home. HSPF stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. HSPF ratings are required to be at least 7.7 but can go up to 10.
Depending on the climate you live in, one or the other of these ratings will be important for your home comfort levels.
3. Troubleshooting heat pump problems.
Unexpected problems with your heating and cooling equipment are generally stressful. Having a few go-to double-checks for your heat pump can go a long way towards reducing your stress response when something is not performing as expected.
Consider a scenario where your heat pump is not giving out any heat. The first thing you want to check is that your thermostat is set to ‘heat’. Also make sure that the circuit that supplies power to the heat pump how not blown, and make sure that the power on the pump itself is switched on.
If you discover that the power to the pump has been switched off, you will need to let it run for a few minutes to fully power up.
If these checks do not work, you may need to restart the motor. Your heat pump has a ‘reset’ button which, when pressed, will reboot the motor. If the first reset you try has no effect, turn it off for 30 minutes and turn it on again.
A professional can assist you if these checks do not yield any different results.
For now, we are going to say ‘class dismissed’ on our tutorial session on your home’s heat pump.
We hope that you have learned a few new insights from our top three tips. We want them to be valuable to you in terrific home comfort in your home – all year round!
