According to the Department of Energy, 68°F is the sweet spot that balances comfort and energy efficiency during the fall and winter months. When your home is occupied and when family members are awake, a heat pump setting of 68°F keeps the living areas reasonably warm.
Should it be set between 20 and 22 degrees, According to the Energy Department, 68°F is the adorable spot that balances comfort and energy efficiency during the fall and winter months.
While there are occupants in the house, it is advised for homeowners to set their thermostats between 68 and 72 degrees to promote maximum comfort. A pleasant temperature for everyone in the house, regardless of the apparel they are wearing, is between 68 and 72 degrees, which is neither too warm nor too cool.
Keep it low. Don't set your heat pump to the maximum temperature as it won't heat the room any quicker, but it will use more energy. The best way to use a heat pump is to keep the setting low (18°C to 21°C).
Heat pumps operate more efficiently when heating at lower temperatures of below 45 to 50°C, making them a better match for radiant floors or fan coil systems.
Unlike other heating equipment, heat pumps are most efficient when allowed to hold a steady temperature. So, find the right setting and then leave it alone. It is still recommended to set the temperature back if the home is unoccupied for 24 hours or more. Make sure your existing heating system is turned down.
Know your temperatures
There is a middle point that'll help you with both. Set your heat pump temperature to 18 degrees or above to help fight damp and mould, but below 21 degrees to save on power. The higher the temperature, the more energy the heat pump will use, so anywhere between 18 and 21 is the sweet spot.
“Auto” mode could cause your heat pump to heat on a cool summer night or cool on a sunny fall or winter afternoon. To avoid accidentally cooling during the fall and winter, use “Heat” mode. Likewise, to avoid accidentally heating on a cool summer night, use “Cool,” “Dry,” or “Fan,” but not “Auto.”
Heat pumps are designed to constantly run when winter hits and the weather outside gets cold. As temperatures drop below 30 degrees, your home's heat demand matches the production of the heat pump, requiring it to run continuously to move warm air through the home.
If you're cold even though your thermostat indicates you shouldn't be, your furnace likely isn't the problem. In most cases, it's working just fine. It's your home that needs attention. Lack of insulation, severe air leakage, and/or unbalanced ductwork are frequently to blame.
Sleep experts believe the best temperature for great sleep is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. But in addition to making you uncomfortable and interfering with healthy sleep patterns, being too hot at any time of day or night can cause health risks like dehydration and heat stroke.
Setting your thermostat just a single digit higher can help you save 6 percent on your cooling costs, according to the EPA.
People do not need to turn their heat pumps off. Residents should make sure their supplemental home heating systems are on and operating. Set the thermostats to a degree or two lower than heat pumps.
It's natural to think "AUTO" mode would be a more efficient setting. But if you use it, your unit runs the risk of toggling unnecessarily between heating and cooling. Your heat pump will run most efficiently when set to "HEAT" in winter and "COOL" in summer.
On the flip side, running a heat pump all day could lead to unnecessary energy use and higher costs, particularly if the house is empty for long periods or is well-insulated and doesn't require constant heating or cooling.
For winter heating, aim for the lowest comfortable setting, around 68-70°F when occupied. Recommended configuration includes: Set the system to “heat” or “auto” and increase the temperature to 68-70°F during occupied hours. Program the thermostat to lower temperatures to around 62-65°F when away or asleep.
Temperature matters
Heat pumps are more efficient than most other systems, but they can still increase your bill if they aren't used properly. It might be tempting to drop the temperature down to 60 degrees on a hot summer day, but the heat pump will need a lot of electricity to drop in temperature that much.
Set it and forget it. Heat pumps operate most efficiently when holding a steady temperature. Turning heat pumps down when you're away or asleep may actually use more energy than leaving them on. The reason is that they have to work harder to come back to the desired temperature than they do to maintain it.
Ideally, a heat pump should send hot water to your radiators at between 35 and 45 degrees to be most cost effective. Compare this to fossil fuel boilers, which are designed to send water to your radiators at up to 75 degrees. You can still heat your home effectively even at these lower temperatures.
Choose "AUTO" for energy savings and "ON" if you want constant air circulation or improved air filtration. Temperatures can soar or plummet depending on the time of year.
Generally speaking with heat pumps we would aim for a DT of 5-7°c and for gas boilers a DT of 20°c, turn up the pump if the DT is too wide and down if too narrow. Many modulating boilers automatically adjust the pump speed to target dT20, these can be quickly checked, and many have settings for refinement.
Heat pumps do not operate as efficiently when temperatures drop to between 25 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit for most systems. A heat pump works best when the temperature is above 40. Once outdoor temperatures drop to 40 degrees, heat pumps start losing efficiency, and they consume more energy to do their jobs.
Bear in mind that the ideal temperature for a living area is 19-20°C while for a bedroom it's 17-18°C and remember that lowering your thermostat by just 1°C will result in considerable savings. Most importantly, do not turn off your heat pump as this may result in very high electricity bills!
In the colder months, a winter thermostat setting of 68° F should be comfortable for you, your children, and your pets when you are at home and awake. You can then set it lower — say, 63-65° F — while you sleep to save even more.