I recently ourchased a new home with a Rudd heat pump AC/Heating system. I
have always had gas or oil heating. The thermostat has an slide switch
that can be put on Cool-Off-Heat-EM heat. What is the EM heat position? I
was told if you want the house to heat up faster to use this position? When
would this be used? Also when the thermostat reads AUX heat I guess the
heat pump is running as well as the elements in the heat exchanger? Should
the air be warmer in this position?
Electronic Programmable Thermostat
Summary: Electronic programmable thermostats have a switch setting called auxiliary. This setting switches the heat pump into emergency heat or electric-resistance-coil heating. This is an expensive way to heat your home and should only be done when the heat pump breaks. If this happens, call a service technician.
DEAR TIM: We moved to a house that has a heat pump. There is a selector button on the thermostat that says auxiliary. When temps are below 40 degrees, should we move the selector button to auxiliary? Our heat pump runs constantly at temps below 40 degrees. Paula C., Somerset, KY
DEAR PAULA: The selector button that says auxiliary is a switch that allows you to bypass the heat pump. If you switch the heat pump into this mode, the heat pump creates heat strictly by using the electric resistance coils inside the air handler unit portion of the system. The air handler is often in your basement and sometimes an attic. The duct work connects to this tall rectangular metal box that is about the size of a water heater.
Creating heat in the auxiliary mode is the most expensive way to heat your home. The switch is there in case the heat pump malfunctions and doesn't work well. It allows you to create heat until such time as a service technician can come to your home and fix the heat pump.
Your heat pump is operating constantly below 40F because you are very close to the balance point of a heat pump. Just below 40F, a heat pump is extracting every last ounce of heat that it can get from the outdoor air. It runs constantly to get the small amount of heat that is outdoors. As the temperature drops into the twenties, teens and below there is less and less heat in the outdoor air. This means the electric resistance coils inside the air handler get hotter and hotter to generate the heat your home needs. Think of these coils as a giant electric toaster.
Heat pumps are very efficient machines when the outdoor temperature is in the 50 - 59F range. But in the dead of winter in cold locations, a heat pump just doesn't get much heat from the outdoor air. If you lived further south such as southern Tennessee or northern Georgia, the heat pump would really help keep your energy costs down as the climate is more moderate the further south you go.
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Comments:
Thad Steward 19 Dec 2007, 17:29
Mamoon 18 Nov 2008, 16:37
I was told not to use programmable thermostats with my heat pump and doing
so I can adversely affect the life of heat pump as well as damage it since
it has something to do with 2 degree differential in temps and programmable
ones have a higher degree differential. It did not make sense to me but
basically, can I use a programmable thermostat with my heat pump and if
yes, do you have any recommendations make/model wise? Thanks.
Jack Fields 21 Jun 2009, 14:31
I purchased a Miller Heat Pump and a Coleman Electric Furnace last spring.
I live in a 70X14 Norris Mobile and the AC runs good early day but as we
hit mid afternoon to late afternoon it becomes less efficient. We are
using a programable thermostat which we did not get an instruction book.
We have the temperature set at 68 but the temperature will get as high as
77 to 80 degrees by late afternoon early evening. What do you suggest?
Would a regular thermostat work better than the programable one?
Melanie 12 Jan 2010, 17:57
I have a programmable thermostat for a gas furnace. Over the past couple
of weeks I have noticed that the thermostat shows one degree warmer than
what it is programmed to heat to. Should I be concerned? Thanks in
advanced.
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