What is emergency heat and how does it work?
Emergency heat is designed to get you over the hump and keep your home warm, but it is still important to have your primary heat pump checked and repaired.
Can I use emergency heat instead of my HVAC?
Emergency Heat Should Be Enough to Get You Through: Emergency heat is not a substitute for a fully-functioning HVAC system, and you should not treat it that way. If you need to activate your emergency heat, you also need to call your HVAC technician for repairs.
How long should you use emergency heat?
You should use emergency heat for the shortest period of time possible. Your HVAC System May Not Have an Emergency Setting: If you live in a southern climate, where temperatures rarely drop below 40 degrees, your HVAC system may not have an emergency setting at all.
Can I Run my heat pump on emergency heat?
If you have an all-electric heat pump, then the answer is a definite YES! It is much more expensive to run your heat pump on Emergency Heat. And as the name implies, should only be run in an emergency until your heat pump can be repaired.
Will my heat pump automatically switch 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.
Does emergency heat run constantly?
Emergency heat=using the electric heat strip constantly OK, so when you turn your thermostat to emergency heat, your heat pump will stop trying to extract heat from outside to heat your home inside. Instead it will use ONLY the backup heat strip to heat your home.
How do you know if your emergency heat is on?
Emergency Heat Mode Comes with a Red Indicator Light: When you turn your emergency heat on, you will see a red indicator light. This light tells you that your HVAC system is now operating in emergency mode, and it will remain on until you deactivate your emergency heat.
Does emergency heat cycle on and off?
Emergency heat is a supplemental heating source for heat pumps, generally in the form of electric resistance heating at the indoor unit. When you turn on the emergency heat setting on your thermostat, the compressor and heat pump shut down entirely, allowing the heat pump's electric heat strips to turn on.
How long does it take for emergency heat to kick on?
Aux heat kicks in when the heat pump is working but there's a difference (typically 2 – 3 degrees) between your thermostat setting and the actual indoor temperature....Em heat vs. aux heat.Normal heat pump at 30 degrees for 1 weekEmergency heat at 10 degrees for 1 weekHours use per day12 hours24 hours + 12 hours5 more rows•Nov 8, 2021
Why is my emergency heat coming on?
The thermostat is calling for a 3° or higher temperature rise. Most heat pumps are designed to automatically switch to AUX heat when the indoor temperature is 3 degrees colder than the thermostat setting.
Why won't my emergency heat come on?
Check your power source—a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse could be the reason for your furnace failure. Reset your breaker or replace the fuse to see if that restores heat. Check your filter—if it's so dirty that your system is struggling to move air through it, your furnace could overheat and shut down.
At what temperature does a heat pump switch to emergency heat?
35 degrees FahrenheitThe Emergency Heat or Auxiliary Heat setting is the second stage of your heating system that is used when the temperature is too low for the heat pump to be able to remove heat from outside, typically below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can I use emergency heat all winter?
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.
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.
Why is my emergency heat blowing cold air?
Defrost mode basically means your heat pump temporarily switches to cooling mode. This forces the outdoor coils to heat up, melting any frost or ice that has built up. And because the heat pump switched to cooling mode, it will blow cold air into your home for a few minutes.
What is the lowest temperature a heat pump will work?
Heat pumps do not operate as efficiently when temperatures drop to between 25 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit for most systems. A heat pump works best when the temperature is above 40. Once outdoor temperatures drop to 40 degrees, heat pumps start losing efficiency, and they consume more energy to do their jobs.
What Is Emergency Heat?
The Emergency Heat setting is for precisely as its name implies – emergencies. While heat pumps are without a doubt very energy efficient and reliable, they can only warm your home when outside temperatures are above a specific limit.
When Should You Use Emergency Heat?
Like we’ve already said, Emergency Heat is for emergencies. You might be tempted to run this setting on freezing days, but we don’t recommend doing that unless the system turns it on automatically.
How Does Emergency Heat Work?
Most heating systems have more than one heat source installed, one as the primary source and another as a backup or secondary source. When your system switches to Emergency Heat, a red indicator light will come on to let you know that you are using the backup heat source.
Is EM Heat More Expensive to Run?
The answer to this depends on the type of heat pump you own. All electric heat pumps are indeed very costly to run. But if you have oil or gas heat as your backup system, the answer will depend on the efficiency of your system and the cost of the fuel.
5 Things You Need to Know About the Emergency Setting on Your HVAC System
Before you click that button for EM heat on your thermostat, you should know a few basics.
Final Thoughts
Emergency Heat is a backup heating source that your heat pump uses when it cannot keep up with your heating needs or breaks down. While many people switch this system on whenever they feel that the temperatures outside are too low, this is not wise since the EM Heat system is more expensive than a traditional heat pump.
What to do before emergency heat?
Before you go for the emergency heat, make sure your furnace is still on and functioning normally. Check Your HVAC System for Damage Before Pushing the Emergency Setting: Before you activate your emergency heat, be sure to check your HVAC components for damage.
What is an emergency setting on an HVAC system?
The emergency setting is not for when you feel a little cold – it is truly designed to protect you from extreme cold weather. Here are 10 things you need to know about the emergency setting on your HVAC system. Emergency Heat is Just What is Sounds Like: Under normal circumstances, your main heat pump should have no trouble keeping your home warm ...
What to do if your HVAC is not flowing?
The last thing you want to do is press the setting only to find out that the heat is still not flowing. Checking your emergency settings should be part of normal routine maintenance for your HVAC system, so ask your technician to inspect it thoroughly.
Why is the red light on my heat pump?
An Illuminated Emergency Heat Indicator Could Signal a Problem with Your Heat Pump: If the red indicator light is on but you did not activate emergency heat, there could be a problem with your heat pump. If the HVAC system detects an issue with the heat pump, it may illuminate the emergency light to let you know.
What happens if your heat pump stops working?
If your main heat pump stops working during a string of subzero days, your normally warm home could quickly become dangerous or even uninhabitable. In situations like this, the emergency heat setting on your heat pump thermostat could literally be a lifesaver. No matter what kind of heating system you use, the emergency setting on your thermostat ...
What does the red light on my HVAC system mean?
This light tells you that your HVAC system is now operating in emergency mode, and it will remain on until you deactivate your emergency heat. Make a habit of looking at your HVAC system and watching for ...
What happens to HVAC in winter?
All kinds of things can happen in the winter, from fallen trees crushing HVAC units to leaking water encasing them in a block of ice. Knowing what is going on will make your service call easier and allow you to get back to regular heat as quickly as possible.
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
A heat pump works by capturing heat in the outside air and transferring it to the air inside your home. This is a rather complicated process that operates almost like a reverse air conditioning system.
What is Emergency Heat on a Heat Pump?
If your heat pump is properly installed and the right size, it should have no problem keeping your home warm. Heat pumps work by capturing heat from the outside and bringing it inside to your home. This can be quite efficient under most circumstances.
How Does the Emergency Heat Usually Work on My Heat Pump?
Under normal operating conditions, your heat pump will only engage the emergency heating system when needed. If your heat pump cannot gather enough heat units from the outside air to heat your home, it will automatically start the emergency heat system.
Is Auxiliary Heat the Same as Emergency Heat?
The thermostat on some heat pump systems doesn’t indicate emergency heat but uses the term auxiliary heat. These are just different words for the same system. You may also hear the emergency heat system on your heat pump referred to as heat strips.
Can I Use a Programmable Thermostat with My Heat Pump?
Many people are familiar with programmable or setback thermostats. These devices allow a schedule to be created in the thermostat that will automatically lower the temperature in your home when no one is normally there. The thermostat can be programmed to bring your home back to a comfortable temperature just before you normally arrive home.
When Should I Turn on Emergency Heat?
Under normal circumstances, you should never have to manually engage the emergency heat settings on your heat pump thermostat. The controller and thermostat work together to manage the heating system for the most efficient operation possible.
When I raise the Thermostat Setting the Red Emergency Heat Light Come On
This is not unusual on most heat pump systems. If you raise the thermostat setting manually more than a few degrees, the heat pump controller tries to comply immediately. The heat pump controller will fall back on the emergency heat system to help raise the temperature quickly.
What is supplemental heat?
The supplemental heat is also referred to as second-stage or back-up heating, with first-stage being the Heat Pump only. Emergency Heat is when you use your supplemental heat (2nd stage) by itself, without the use of your heat pump (1st stage heat). Different systems and thermostats have different ways of determining when ...
Can you use gas heat as a backup?
Now if you have Gas or Oil heat for your backup system, then the answer isn't so clear. It depends on the cost of your fuel, the efficiency of your heating system, compared to your electric rate and so on. But it is safe to say that the price increase won't be as much as an all-electric system.
Do you have to switch your thermostat to emergency heat?
The two stages will work together in the colder months, and it is not necessary to switch your thermostat to Emergency Heat. So now we know that Emergency Heat is basically when you use your supplemental heat by itself.
Can you run an all electric heat pump on emergency heat?
If you have an all-electric heat pump, then the answer is a definite Yes ! It is much more expensive to run your heat pump on Emergency Heat. And as the name implies, should only be run in an emergency until your heat pump can be repaired. Now if you have Gas or Oil heat for your backup system, then the answer isn't so clear.
Can an outdoor heat pump run on a call?
On a call for heat, no signal will be sent to the outdoor Heat Pump. Only the indoor unit and the back-up heat will run. On all-electric systems, this will provide enough heat to keep you going until the Heat Pump can be fixed. Gas/Oil/Hot-water system should provide plenty of heat.
Do heat pumps work in cold weather?
Many people think that Heat Pumps don't work in cold weather and they are supposed to use the Emergency Heat whenever it gets really cold...
