Installing a heat pump can be a very energy-efficient way of heating your home and creating hot water. Heat pumps can be better than other heating systems due to using less energy than the amount of heat that they produce.
If you’re wondering if you should leave your heat pump on all the time then take a look at our top heat pump energy saving tips to find out how to save energy and money when using a heat pump.
Keep a constant temperature
Heat pumps run at their most efficient when they are kept at a stable temperature, they have a lower flow temperature than a boiler so can take slightly longer to heat a room than a boiler. Don’t be tempted to turn your heat pump up super high as this won’t heat your home any quicker, but will cost you a lot more to produce the energy.
Set timers for your heating and hot water
It is best to set timers for your heating and hot water to make sure you are only heating your home when you need it.
Only heat what you need
Don’t be tempted to just heat your whole home to a certain temperature, it is better to control each room individually. Turn off radiators in rooms that you aren’t using and only turn radiators on in rooms that you will be spending times in.
In warmer months, you may be able to reverse your heat pump to deliver cold air to rooms in your house, if it is fitted with an HVAC system.
Doing so and, continuing to heat hot water for your home, can help you run your heat pump efficiently over the summer without having to shut the system down.
Install a smart thermostat
If you want more flexibility around warming your home, getting a smart thermostat can give you more control over your heat pump wirelessly from your smartphone.
Being able to control your heat pump from your smartphone can save energy and money by giving you the flexibility to make sure your heat pump doesn’t come on too high if no one is going to be home as you can control it wherever you are.
You can also use smart thermostats to increase the temperature in your home to a comfortable level for when you’re going to arrive home.
Save the emergency heat for real emergencies
Many heat pumps will have an “EH” or emergency heating setting. This is recommended to be left for real emergencies as by turning on this setting you are resorting to a secondary heating source which could be oil, gas or electric. This is likely to be expensive and add a lot to your bills.
You also want to avoid using the heating and hot water at the same time, this could cause the EH option to trigger and cost you lots more on your energy bills.
Check your heat pump filter
You should regularly clean your heat pump filter, ideally every 2 – 3 months to ensure that there is no buildup and to keep it running effectively. If your filter is blocked or dirty, the heat pump will have to work harder to push air through so will become less efficient and cost more to run.
Find out how to clean your heat pump filter.
Monitor your heat pumps pressure
Make sure that your heat pump stays at the desired pressure. Each heat pump will have different requirements and you should have been made aware of this when your heat pump was installed.
Regularly check the pressure gauge to ensure it stays at the required level. If the pressure does drop below the ideal range you can top up the pressure.
Keep your heat pump clean
If you have an air source heat pump you want to keep the area around the outside unit as clear and clean as possible. Avoid letting any debris or leaves build up in front of your heat pump system. You need to make sure that the area in front of your heat pump is clean as the heat pump needs access to the outside air to function efficiently.
Get your heat pump serviced regularly
To keep your heat pump running efficiently year-round, you will need to get a local installer round to check that the unit is performing optimally. Regular maintenance is likely to work out cheaper than emergency work and will make sure your heat pump is running efficiently.
Air source heat pumps will need to be serviced more regularly than ground source heat pumps due to being exposed to the elements. Air source heat pumps should get serviced once a year to ensure it is clean and to avoid any unwanted breakdowns due to wear and tear.
Make sure you are on the best electricity tariff
As heat pumps use electricity, getting the cheapest deal possible is important to keep costs low when running a heat pump. Run a comparison to make sure you are on the best deal and the lowest price per kWh.
To keep running costs as low as possible you want to make sure you don’t fall onto your provider’s standard variable rate.
(In the current climate the SVR could be the best rate you can get. Do continue shopping around for when new deals come to the market.)
Check your insulation
To get the most out of your heat pump, check that your house is properly insulated to ensure that the heat being produced isn’t escaping through poorly insulated walls or the roof.
Also check that the pipes from your cylinder and properly insulated to make sure that you aren’t losing excess heat from the pipework that could be heating your home.
Get efficient radiators
Installing large radiators or underfloor heating can make using a heat pump more efficient as they can give out more heat into a room without having to work harder due to the large surface area.
Smaller radiators need to operate at a higher temperature to bring a room up to the desired temperature in comparison to larger ones. This means that the compressor would need to be working harder, and would end up using more electricity to heat the room to the same temperature.
Find out what kind of radiators work with heat pumps.
Check for draughts
A lot of heat can escape through drafty windows or doors, letterboxes or keyholes. Make sure your rooms are as airtight as possible with good double glazing and draft exclusion measures to keep as much heat as you can in the house and not make the heat pump work harder than it has to.