01/21/2026
ATTENTION TO CUSTOMERS WITH HEAT PUMPS!
A heat pump is basically an air conditioner that can work in reverse to heat your home. It moves heat around from one place to another. In winter, it moves heat from the outside to inside your home.
But when it gets below 30°F outside, your heat pump struggles to extract heat from the outside to meet the heating requirements you have set on your thermostat.
To make up the cold weather, your heat pump starts using a backup heat source to supplement its heating efforts. Most heat pumps use a strip of electric heat coils (like ones in a toaster) as a backup.
Yes, your heat pump will be running longer when it gets super cold outside especially with the upcoming weather.
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 your heat pump has now become an electric furnace.
Doesn’t make sense does it? With the impending weather, please remember to switch to emergency/aux IF NEEDED.
Don’t turn your thermostat to emergency heat unless you have to.
“Emergency heat” mode does not mean, “Turn this on when it gets really cold outside.” It means “turn this on when your heat pump stops heating altogether.”
JC HEATING & COOLING
(806) 374-7350
