I receive this distress call routinely and sometimes 4-5 times a day. Dayton area residents are complaining of unusually high electric bills. One of my first questions is what type of heat source is in the home? The homeowner’s reply helps me determine if I can be of assistance to them. Typically the answer to my question is “all electric”. Aha! Easy solution… well, not necessarily.
I begin asking further questions to discover precisely what type of heating system is installed. Many are baseboard heat, some are electrical ceiling radiant heat, but some are electric furnaces. While fairly rare, it’s the electric furnace I grow concerned about and may be able to provide additional assistance. Many are often neglected with years of deferred maintenance (which can significantly contribute to elevated electric bills), but quite a few are attached to another likely culprit of their energy bill crisis… an air to air heat pump.
Heat pumps have grown in popularity over the years due to their reported high efficiency in mild climate zones with moderate heating and cooling needs. Heat pumps are essentially air conditioners that can work in reverse. While in the summer an air conditioner helps cool the home by taking the heat from inside and disposing it outside. With a few modifications, a heat pump can capture heat from the outside and pump it inside. Believe it or not, there is heat in cold air! Heat pumps are quite good at extracting this latent heat… to an extent. At between 35-40°F many heat pumps reach a balance point. Not much more heat can be extracted effectively or efficiently. At or around these temperatures, the heat pump must run constantly to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. As the outside temperature continues to drop, a secondary source of heat must be engaged. Here is where the electric furnace comes into play. A series of heating elements (much similar to a toaster oven) are energized to help maintain the set thermostat temperature. Some heat pumps continue to run inefficiently while the “auxiliary” or “emergency” heat source is activated. Other heat pumps are more efficiently shut down or turned off by automatic controls within the system and the heat source is now solely reliant on the electric furnace.
Most Ohioans live in a relatively “moderate” climate area. However, 3-4 months of the year can become quite extreme in regards to sub-freezing temperatures. These are the times where any heating system is taxed. The amount of heat loss from the home rises in proportion to the drop of temperatures outside. A heat pump in operation at sub-freezing temperature is effectively wasting electrical energy while the electric furnace compensates. Of course an electric furnace will use a significant amount of energy while running. This fact is typically reflected in the sudden surge on the electric bill. Manufactures can make heat pumps run at different levels of efficiency, but typically they are inefficient at temperatures below 50°F. In many northern climates, heat pumps were often installed at the encouragement of local utilities. For various reasons (as stated here), they were found to be unsatisfactory and many have been disconnected as heat pumps and are used only as air conditioners during the cooling season.
Over the recent months, energy costs and electric rates have increased. This is a portion of the reported high utility bills. The other portion may indeed by the inefficient use of heat pumps combined with deferred maintenance of the electric furnace. Change your air filters regularly, have the system “tuned” and repaired by a qualified technician, and make sure all the heating elements in the furnace are operating within specifications. A dirty furnace filter and fan can reduce the system efficiency substantially and thereby increase your utility bills. If your heat pump system appears to be operating erratically, producing strange noises, or simply not performing as it should, a qualified inspector or technician should be consulted to help determine the problems and needed repairs. If you have experienced a sudden spike in utility costs, a heat loss and energy assessment may be beneficial to help identify needed maintenance and repairs… even in an “all electric” home. For more information on infrared thermal inspections, heat loss surveys, and our various inspection services, please visit http://DaytonThermalinspection.com
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