Residential Heat Pump: Maintaining Efficiency

Opting for a residential heat pump might be one of the best moves you can make to keep costs down in the long run.

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The ever-present choice for homeowners: turn on the heater, or put on a jacket?

Keeping your family warm in the winter can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars if you live in a cold climate, and when the summer comes around, turning on the AC is twice the temptation. Opting for a residential heat pump might be one of the best moves you can make to keep costs down in the long run.

The Simple Steps of Heat Pump Maintenance

If you’re taking the step of adding a residential heat pump to your home heating and cooling system, it’s likely that you’re doing so in a reach for higher energy efficiency as well as saving money. Installing a heat pump is a surefire way to reducing your carbon footprint – but it doesn’t stop at installation. Proper maintenance of your new heat pump is essential when it comes to keeping your energy usage down over the years, along with your month-to-month heating and cooling bills. Don’t let your investment become an unsightly expenditure in your side yard – make sure you keep it up to keep costs down. Here are a few simple maintenance tips necessary to protect your pump.

• Check the filter. This task is simple and does not necessarily need to help of an HVAC technician. Make sure the filter is clean, and if it’s dirty – change it! It’s that easy.
• Check the ducts, blower and coil. Make sure to inspect these when you first install your heat pump so you know what the innards of the unit looks like when it’s clean and sealed, that way you’ll know what’s amiss if you take a look under the hood.
• Check for leaks. Refrigerant and air may be escaping through loosely sealed or poorly fitted ductwork. If your bills are staying high when the heat pump is running frequently, double check.
• Check the electronics and mechanics. The thermostat, belts and motors should be in tip-top shape to keep your heat pump efficiency rolling.

If you find anything wrong with the ductwork, electronics or mechanisms within your residential heat pump, it’s a wise choice to call on the help of an HVAC contractor, especially if you’re not the handiest tool in the box. It’s a smarter move to call an a technician with more knowledge and experience than it is to risk damaging your heat pump. Remember: maintenance is key, but the maintenance should be done right. Checking on your heat pump is the first step. Fixing it is the next.