Air-Conditioning Heating Directory

Archive for January 6th, 2010

You made a wise choice and invested in a heat pump air conditioner. You now have an extremely efficient heater for the winter months, with the added benefit of cooling during summer. So how do you use your new purchase effectively?

Close windows and doors

This is often overlooked and doing so can save a lot of money on electricity bills. Heat energy can transfer through your doors and windows into, or from, the air outside quite readily. Close your windows and exterior doors and your air conditioner will run much more efficiently.

Use the correct mode and set the temperature correctly

Select the correct mode. The sun symbol means heating, the snowflake symbol means cooling. A drop of water is the dehumidify or dry mode. It really isn’t rocket science. For heating purposes, we usually recommend 23?C. For cooling, we usually recommend 21?C.

It is a hot day and you want it nice and cool indoors. The temperature inside is currently 28?C and you select 21?C on your controller. The system will then provide cooling until the temperature reaches just below 21?C. Your heat pump will continue to run until the air temperature in the room is the same as the temperature on the controller and then switch over into power saving mode. When the temperature rises to 22?C, the system automatically starts cooling again.

If you set it to 16?C, it will run and run and run (kind of like the Energizer bunny) and may never actually reach the desired set point. The more you run your appliance, the more it costs you in electricity.

You will find your own happy medium somewhere around those figures, but we do highly recommend 23?C for heating and 21?C for cooling.

Correct vane positioning

For cooling, have the vanes pointing horizontal. Cool air falls naturally towards the ground. By forcing cool air across the room at a high level, you improve the effectiveness of your heat pump.

For heating, have the vanes pointing down towards the floor. Warm air rises naturally. By forcing the air downwards and letting it rise makes it much more efficient. By pointing the vanes down, you also eliminate the cold feet problem that many people have reported.

Dehumidifying or ‘dry’ function explained

The dehumidify or ‘dry’ function works by extracting water moisture from the air. It does this by running in the cooling mode. The moisture or humidity in the warm air condensates on the cold surface of the coil and runs away down the drain as a liquid.

Running your heat pump in dry mode during winter does not work. Cold air doesn’t hold much moisture. 3What you need to do is run it on heating to keep the room temperature high and allow the moisture to evaporate. Once you have the room extra warm and the air feels humid, switch the system to dehumidify for a short period before repeating the cycle.

Maintaining your heat pump

Use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner and clean any dust off the case on a regular basis. Remove the filters and disinfect and clean them with warm water once every two to three months. By keeping your air conditioning system clean, you will save money and run effectively and efficiently.