Folks, as it is 14 degrees outside this morning, I have been wondering about something. I am stuck with a heatpump at least for a while, so getting rid of the unit of course would solve my problem but since that is not an option, let me ask a question. When it gets this cold outside, the compressor outside will still run and one of the emergency or backup heat strips generally will come on to supplement the heat that doesn't exist. These heater strips are typically 5Kw and 10Kw. The system will use first the 5Kw and the 10Kw as necessary, which means a total of 15Kw if you kick on the emergency heat. THe only advantage of the emergency heat is the compressor is not running and you get heat that is around 120 degrees or maybe a little less. So, I am wondering on days when the temperature is so cold that the heatpump can't really extract warmth from the outside air, would it make sense to switch to the emergency heat? Would this save me any money? I imagine it will come down to how much electricity is being used and that may be the simple answer, but I am curious if anyone has explored this question and has any thoughts?
Thanks,
