Get to Know Your Heating System (and Avoid Costly Emergency Strip Heat) This Winter

What Kind of Heating System Do You Have?

Follow these steps to determine the type of heating system in your home:

• Start by checking to see if your thermostat has an emergency/ auxiliary heat mode.
• If it doesn’t, you most likely have a gas, oil, or all-electric furnace in your home.
• If it does, you most likely have a heat pump as your primary heating source with gas or electric auxiliary heat.
• If you’re still unsure about what kind of heating system you have, look at the outside unit to check for the make and model number so you can look it up.

What Is Emergency Heat and Why Should You Avoid It?

Knowing how to operate your unit efficiently can help you save money during the winter. If you have a heat pump system, you should only adjust your temperature setting in two-degree increments or less when the system is in heat mode.

If you change it by more than this, the emergency heat setting will activate and run until the thermostat is back within two degrees above the room temperature. The emergency heat will also automatically turn on when your heat pump goes into its defrost cycle when the coil temperature outside reaches freezing temperatures.

When outside temperatures dip below freezing, your heat pump produces less heat, causing it to rely on emergency/ auxiliary heat to maintain your home’s temperature. You want to avoid using the emergency auxiliary heat setting unless there’s a true emergency because it uses far more energy, driving up your electricity bill.

If you notice that your emergency auxiliary heat setting is operating when outside temperatures aren’t below freezing, we recommend having a professional inspect your system.

Do you still have questions about how to operate your system efficiently? Contact one of our knowledgable energy specialists for assistance by calling 800.222.3107.