I know what your thinking "didn't the summer just end?" Yes it did but I wanted to remind you that if your heat-pump system is not running efficiently for the winter season it could really cost you in your monthly utility bills. Here's why...

Your air conditioning system that has been keeping you cool all summer long is getting ready to be reversed and start keeping you warm and cozy this winter. What most people do not realize is that when your heat pump system goes into heating mode in the winter it does not have the heating  capacity that it did in the summer for cooling your home. 

So that loss in capacity can be costly on its own because when the heat pump alone can not keep up the temperature in your home in the winter the ELECTRIC HEAT strips pull in   ( oh no) to make up the difference in capacity. (I just heard the electric meter kick into high gear and the utility company is printing money)  Ladies and gentleman electric heat is very inefficient and costly to run so you want to use it sparingly. 

I get calls all through out  the winter from people who say that there electric bill is much higher than in the summer. This can be linked to many different issues but the #1 issue is the excessive use of their electric heat strips. Ok so how do you reduce the use of your electric heat. Here are some tips:

In some instances you will need the electric heat strips mainly when the outdide temperatures are 40 degrees and below,this is normal because like I said earlier you will not have the capacity that you had in the summer from the ac. 

The #1 energy robber is going to be lack of maintenance on your heat pump system. 

Make sure that your indoor and outdoor coils are clean because this is where the heat transfer happens. Make sure to keep your air filter clean, check it every month and change it as necessary.

The second item would be the refrigerant charge in your system. If your system was low on refrigerant during the summer months you might not have really noticed it and you were able to get by, but in the winter it will really effect your utility bill because the electric heat will be forced to come on much sooner than with a fully charged system resulting in much higher utility bills. We have had customers that did not realize their outside units were not even working and  ran on their electric heat strips all winter. (ouch! That will cost them)

Do yourself a favor, fire up the heat on a 60 degree day and make sure that everything is running before it does get cold. Check to see the out side unit is running and the air blowing out of the fan should feel cool in heating mode. Check the temperature of the air leaving the vents in your house, it should feel warm. Switch your heat pump over to emergency heat and check to see if the heat strips are working, you may get a burning smell the first time they are used that is normal, it's usually the dust from sitting UN used all summer. 

And the last and biggest money saving tip by far is to have Air Technology come out and perform their famous 27 point precision tune up to get your system ready for the heating season. Call today and schedule before the first cold snap hits and our phone is ringing off the hook with customers who didn't check to see if their heat was working this year. If you mention that you read this post here I will give you $15 dollars off our already discounted precision tune up. Regularly $89... for you $74. Thanks for reading and come back often for money saving tips and ideas.