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How are people with heat pumps faring? (self.alberta)

submitted 1 year ago by NotAnArdvark to c/alberta

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With the cold weather I was hoping to hear of some experiences people have had with their heat pumps.

What kind of backup heat do you have? Are you using it? Is there some temperature where you just stop using the heat pump, or are you even consciously thinking about it?

Thanks!

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[+] lazylion_ca -8 points 1 year ago (23 children)

From what I understand, you only use a heat pump until the outside temp reaches 0c, maybe -5c. Below that you go back to using the furnace.

One of the big draws of a heat pump is pumping heat "out" of the house in summer instead of running an air conditioner. If you get a chilly spring night, the heat pump should maintain the house temp without running the furnace. Supposedly it does both of these more economically than running an AC and furnace, but it is not a replacement for a furnace.

[–] jadero 9 points 1 year ago (18 children)

Senville claims that some models are good to -30C. Even their "cheap" stuff seems to be good to -15 or -20

[–] AnotherDirtyAnglo 6 points 1 year ago (13 children)

Mine works down to -25 or -30C, then the electric heat coil in the furnace kicks in.

[–] NotAnArdvark 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wow - so you're saying not until around -25 to -30 does supplementary heat kick in? Is there cool air being blown out your vents 24/7 around that temperature?

[–] AnotherDirtyAnglo 4 points 1 year ago

Not at all... It's consistently warm, the system stops running the heat pump when it's not getting enough heat from the outside unit, and turns on the electric heater.