Keeping Cool With Your Heat Pump This Summer

Maine’s summers are getting hotter. A heat pump can help make the temperature rises more comfortable with their ability to air condition. If you have a heat pump, here are a few tips to stay comfortable and maximize savings this summer: 

Match the summer mode to the weather and your needs: 

During the summer months, it’s helpful to understand the various settings of your heat pump so you can find the one that’s most comfortable for you. There are three heat pump modes for summer: “Fan,” “Dry,” and “Cool.” “Fan” uses the least energy and may suffice when you need a little relief, but it won’t cool the room, so be sure to turn it off when you leave the room. When it’s warm and muggy, “Dry” mode can reduce the humidity and make the room feel more comfortable, and it uses less electricity than “Cool” mode. “Cool” mode is the best choice for lowering the temperature and humidity on the hottest days. Lastly, although we do generally recommend running your heat pump continuously– rather than turning it on and off– we do make an exception to this rule on days where the weather outside is beautiful and you want to open up your windows. In this instance, we recommend turning off your heat pump temporarily. Lastly, while we do not recommend using “Auto” mode for the heating and cooling function, we do recommend using “Auto Fan” mode to control air circulation because that tends to be the most efficient setting for that function.

Optimize fan speed: 

When it comes to optimizing your heat pump’s fan speed, we recommend starting off with the fan set to “Auto Fan” (not to be confused with setting your heat pump to “Auto mode,” which we do not recommend). If the “Auto Fan” setting doesn’t spread the heated or cooled air far enough, consider setting the fan to the lowest speed and increasing the speed until it meets your needs.

Optimize air flow direction: 

It’s easy to redirect airflow on a heat pump – begin by pressing the “Set” button on your heat pump (for Fujitsu heat pumps) or the “vane” direction setting (for Mitsubishi heat pumps). Each time the button is pressed, the airflow direction changes its movement. To optimize the cooling effect of the heat pump, try directing the air flow at occupants. We also recommend directing airflow away from obstructions that may block your heat pump’s airflow, such as a sofa or a stairway.

For more tips on operating your heat pump, visit www.efficiencymaine.com/heat-pump-user-tips