Improve heat pump efficiency

Your heat pump is the most costly appliance, if you can call it that, related to your home. Every time that thing runs, visualize your money floating away through the air because essentially, that's what's happening. Who knew warm or cold air could be so expensive? To keep costs down, your heat pump needs to run as efficiently as possible. Here are a few tips to improve your heat pump's efficiency before those hot summer months hit.

Change the filter monthly

The filter is one of the most important components of the heat pump that relates to its efficiency. Filters collect dust to keep it from clogging the indoor coil on the heat pump. If you neglect to clean or change your filter, you'll pay the price in higher electric bills. Your heat pump will have to work much harder to do what it normally does when it doesn't get enough air flow. Change your filter every month to ensure the best performance.

Keep air flowing

Some people think that cutting off registers (through which the air flows) saves money, but that's not always the case. The air needs to flow properly throughout the rooms of your house. You should never block a register's air flow with any object. No more than two registers should be closed.

Change the thermostat in small increments

In the winter, you should set your thermostat to the lowest setting that you're comfortable at in order to save energy and money. In the summer, it should be set to the highest setting you're comfortable with. Frequently changing the thermostat, and especially drastic changes, cause the heat pump to use a lot of energy. If you need to change the thermostat settings, do it one degree at a time until you're comfortable.

Do you have any money-saving tips for heat pump use?

Photo courtesy butkaj.com, via Flickr.