What is auxiliary heat?
What is auxiliary heat?
Auxiliary heat on your thermostat refers to your backup heating system within your heat pump, otherwise known as electric resistance heating. This is because when the temperature inside your home drops below the goal temperature you’ve set the thermostat to, your thermostat energizes auxiliary heat.
Is auxiliary heat more expensive?
Auxiliary heat can handle more extreme temperatures since it uses electric heat strips. What this means, unfortunately, is that it’s more expensive than the conventional heat provided by a heat pump. While a gas furnace is not as efficient as a heat pump, it is more efficient than a heat pump using auxiliary heat.
What’s the difference between regular heat and emergency heat?
In normal mode, a heat pump works by pulling in heat from the outside. The heat pump setting’s emergency heat will usually switch on and off automatically during brief periods when the outside air gets too cold. The system will bypass the main heat pump and be forced into auxiliary mode.
Should you use auxiliary heat?
Basically, auxiliary heat uses electric resistance heating to heat your home. Since electric resistance heating is much less efficient than your heat pump, you only want it to be on when necessary. To recap, auxiliary, or emergency heat should only be on when the outside temperature is below freezing.
Is auxiliary heat bad?
Is AUX heat bad? The short answer is no. In fact, aux heat is a critical mechanism that keeps your heat pump properly running when the outdoor temperature drops. Since this type of unit doesn’t work the same as a furnace, it can get cold.
How often should auxiliary heat come on?
When should my auxiliary heat come on? When outside temperatures drop below 40 degrees. While undergoing the defrost cycle. When there is a 3 degree difference or more in the current temperature in your home and the thermostat setting.
When should you switch to emergency heat?
It is used when there is something wrong with first-stage heating (the Heat Pump itself). In other words, if you notice your house is cold and it isn’t heating properly and you went outside and noticed that a tree fell and crushed your heat pump, that would be a good time to switch to Emergency Heat.
When should you put your heat pump on emergency heat?
When Should I Switch My Heat Pump Thermostat to Emergency Heat? [FAQ] Short answer: You should only set your heat pump’s thermostat to “emergency heat” when your heat pump stops heating altogether. And in that case, you should also call a professional for help.
Why does my thermostat say auxiliary heat on?
Yes, the auxiliary heat is the electric back up that supplements your heat pump. When the thermostat sees that it is about 2 degrees below the set point and calling for heat, it will turn on the auxiliary heat to help the heat pump capacity. A heat pump is rated at two outdoor temps.
How to stop auxiliary heat from coming on?
Lower The Set Heat Temperature. More often than not, the aux heat is coming on because the temperature in the home is…
Should I use emergency heat?
Short answer: No. Switching your thermostat to emergency heat or “em heat” just because it’s cold outside will just raise your energy bills like crazy. Don’t use emergency heat mode unless your heat pump stops heating your home altogether. If that happens, contact a professional heat pump repairman for help.
What causes auxiliary heat to come on?
That’s because when the signal from the thermostat comes to start things up, it thinks it’s going to a gas or oil furnace and goes right to the higher setting, causing the auxiliary heat to come on and stay on until the desired temperature is achieved and stays there.
