No boiler, furnace or electric-resistance heating system manufactured today can deliver greater heating efficiency than your air source heat pump. So, if your heating bills are suspiciously high, the settings for your heat pump may be the culprit.
Why Balance Point Matters
When outdoor temperatures fall below your heat pump's balance point zone (typically 32 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit), your normally efficient heat pump becomes incapable of keeping up with your household's heat loss and shuts down, switching the system to emergency heating. Usually, this is an electric heating coil, which is very expensive to operate, though some homeowners have a gas furnace backup, which is much cheaper to operate (due to the low cost of natural gas currently).
Your heat pump's balance point is determined by both your household heating load and the unit's heating capacity. When your house's heating load exceeds the system's heating capacity, as it does when it cannot keep up with falling outside temperatures, it has exceeded the balance point.
You can lower your heat pump's balance point by ensuring that your home's envelope is tightly sealed and well insulated. When it isn't, heat escapes too quickly, pushing your heat pump's capacity to the breaking point sooner than necessary. If you aren't sure where to begin with sealing and insulating your home, you might want to consult with an HVAC professional about having a thorough energy evaluation done on your home.
This home energy evaluation, sometimes called an energy audit, will include a review of your previous year's energy bills, a calibrated blower door test, thermographic scans, attic and basement inspections, and a final, detailed report suggesting ways to improve the energy efficiency of your Fort Wayne area home. By implementing the recommended energy-efficiency upgrades, you can lower your heat pump's balance point and allow your heat pump to operate efficiently in lower outside temperatures.
To enjoy more comfortable and consistent temperatures within your home, and lower both your heating costs, being able to set a lower balance point for your home's heat pump is often the best place to begin. For more information, or to set up a home energy consultation today, contact your Fort Wayne professionals at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about balance point and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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