Derek Cole of Simmons explains that heat pumps work down to around 0°F, so you shouldn't switch to emergency heat just because it's freezing outside. Emergency heat uses electric resistance strips and costs far more to run. Only use it if your heat pump breaks or gets buried in snow.
Hey, what's going on? Derek Cole here with Simmons, and it's going to get cold. We're going to have freezing temperatures, below freezing temperatures, uh, the next few nights into next week. Do not— I've, I've heard this from homeowners, and I just want to make sure you don't do this. If you have a heat pump, you do not need to turn your thermostat to emergency heat when it's below freezing outside, the heat pump can still get heat out of there. Actually, there's heat in there until like, what, 0 degrees? So the heat pump can still function, but the heat pump going into defrost cycle, uh, making that loud noise, you see that steam when it defrosts and gets rid of some of that frost and the, and the stuff on the outdoor unit, that activity is normal. So don't, don't believe or don't think that the unit is working too hard, uh, and you want to switch it to emergency heat so you can, you know, stop it from working. If you do that, if you switch it to emergency heat and you have heat strips, your electric bill will be out of sight because that is the most expensive way you can heat is to turn off the heat pump, turn on the heat strips or backup heat, emergency heat, and only heat the home that way. So you don't need to do that. The only time I would ever suggest you switch over to emergency heat is if something is wrong with the heat pump or snow's covering the heat pump. But you never switch your thermostat right over to emergency heat just because it's below freezing outside.
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