With the cold season fast approaching, some are wondering if a heat pump is efficient enough for heating all winter long. The answer to this question directly depends on the type and model of your heat pump. You might be surprised, but some heat pumps can reach temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius!

It is possible to use wall-mounted pumps in heating mode. A heat pump is a heating (and air conditioning) system that reverses its cooling cycle to warm the place. It absorbs the hot air coming from outside to send it inside your house. It is thus a perfect heating system to use in winter, until it is very cold outside. In fact, some units will be able to heat up to -15ºC, -20ºC or even -30ºC. There are 2 possibilities:

If, according to the manufacturer, your wall-mounted heat pump can operate at 5°F (-15°C) or lower, we recommend that you leave it running all winter. The secret is to use your heat pump as priority heating this winter. Sometimes, when the outside temperature is very cold, your machine may not be able to heat up enough. In which case it will do defrost cycles and wait for less extreme temperatures to be able to heat again. At this time, it is recommended to set your heat pump one degree above your electric baseboard heaters. In other words, you can ask the heat pump to reach a certain temperature (example 22°C) and ask your main heating (electric or other plates) for a temperature 1°C lower than that requested by the heat pump. (example 21°C). Thus, when the heat pump can no longer provide heat to your home, the baseboards will take over, until your heat pump can . The secondary heater will activate when the heat pump cannot find enough heat. This way you will get the most out of your heating throughout the winter.

If, according to the manufacturer, your wall-mounted heat pump cannot operate at -15 ºC (5 ºF) or lower, we recommend that you stop it when the outside temperature is below -10 ºC. To do this, remove the batteries from the remotes, turn the circuit breaker « off » on the electrical panel, and place the check valve near the compressor « off » outside. You can restart your heat pump when the outside temperature is at 0°C by carrying out the previous operations in reverse order.

Heating and saving

By the way, did you know that the cheapest way to heat your home is to use a combination of heating systems? To reduce your heating costs during the winter, choose the most economical heating duo in Quebec to date: it is the heat pump, combined with an electric heating system, such as electric baseboard heaters.

Adding a heat pump to your electric furnace can save you hundreds of dollars a year in heating costs… if used correctly.