TROUBLESHOOTING
STAGING
Second Stage - Auxiliary Heat
Most heat pump systems have an Auxiliary or Second Stage
electric heater or gas furnace. Heat produced by a heat pump
is economical but may not always have the capacity to maintain
a comfortable room temperature setting. Auxiliary/Second
Stage heat is usually less economical but the added heat
capacity assures the system can provide enough heat to satisfy
the thermostat setting. Digital thermostats have a built-in
function that computes the optimum time (approximately 0-30
minutes) to use Auxiliary / Second Stage heat in addition to the
Heat Pump heat.
Typical operation:
In moderate weather with a low temperature setting (low
demand) the thermostat may use only the heat pump
to maintain temperature.
In colder weather or higher temperature settings (higher
demand) Auxiliary Heat is used occasionally to supplement
the heat pump.
In very cold weather (very high demand) when Heat Pump
performance is low Auxiliary Heat is used frequently to maintain
comfort.
The thermostat automatically adjusts to optimize comfort and
economy using the lowest stage practical to make setpoint.
The key to reducing energy costs and minimizing Auxiliary or
Second Stage is to set the thermostat to the lowest comfortable
heating temperature.
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