A heat pump is an excellent, energy efficient heating and cooling system that works great in a wide variety of climates. Advances in technology have made heat pumps as reliable as a standard forced air heating and cooling system and improved their heating ability in cooler climates. As energy costs continue to rise, many homeowners are replacing their existing forced air systems with energy efficient heat pumps.
If you are the proud owner of a new heat pump, you are probably already aware of the benefits of energy efficient heating and cooling that a heat pump can provide. What you may not know is that a heat pump can take a little getting used to.
When running in air conditioning mode, your heat pump will operate almost exactly like your old central air conditioner. One thing you may notice is that it runs a little longer than your old system did and may run constantly on extremely hot days. Heat pumps are sized for efficient operation during normal temperature ranges. Continuous running is to be expected during abnormally high temperatures.
In heating mode, you will likely notice that the air coming out of the vents is not as warm as with a furnace, especially in very cold temperatures. This is completely normal and not a sign that there is anything wrong with the heat pump. The heat pump will run longer to maintain comfortable temperatures.
Finally, in cold weather a heat pump periodically cycles into a defrost mode to prevent ice build-up on the coils. During the defrost cycle, you will hear a “whooshing” noise and the outdoor compressor unit will be running, but you may not feel warm air coming out of the register.
