If you have a heat pump to supply your home with cool conditions in summer and cozy warmth during winter, you may have heard advice from various sources that it is better to have the heat pump run all through the night during cold weather. At first, this may sound like a smart idea: you can keep your house comfortable during the coldest period (night), and also take advantage of non-peak hours that won’t place immense strain on local power stations.
The truth about running a heat pump all night
The reality is that it’s usually not a good idea to simply keep a heat pump operating all through the night while you’re asleep. Instead, you should make sure that you have a programmable thermostat and set it to have it lower the indoor temperatures by 8° to 10°F when people are asleep. It will take a few hours for the temperature in your house to drop that much lower after the heat pump switches to these new settings, so the system will have no reason to keep running. It will only then turn back on during the evening if the indoor temperature dips to very cold temperatures (such as below 58°F). You should be able to stay comfortable with a few blankets over your bed during this period.
Of course, you’ll be greeted with a cold morning when you wake up, but the programmable thermostat will help you out here as well. Simply program it to turn back up by 8° to 10°, the regular daytime setting during winter, a half hour before you plan to get up. That way you’ll have a warm house to make it easier to get your day moving.
If you need service for your heat pump or any other heating services, call on Red Rock Mechanical LLC. We’ve served Plattsburgh, NY for more than 23 years.
