This phenomenon is known as short cycling. When a heat pump short cycles, it’s having trouble heating or cooling your home. The unit can’t maintain the set temperature, so it restarts over and over again. Whenever your heat pump has a problem, always check your air filter first.

Heat pump is a device which pumps heat from, one or more low temperature sources to one or more high temperature sinks simultaneously, with the help of an external source of energy. The most common examples of heat pumps are air conditioners and freezers etc.

Your heat pump has a “reset” button – press that button and it will “reboot” the motor. If the first reset doesn’t change anything, turn it off for 30 minutes and then turn it on again. If none of these fixes work, you may have to call in professional help.

Your electric bill will naturally be higher in the coldest months of the year. This is because your older heat pump needs help keeping your home as warm as you would like it to be. It usually accomplishes this with supplemental heat (electric resistance heat, also known as the Auxiliary/Emergency Heat).

Heat pump running constantly in summer In the summer, your heat pump might run constantly when your unit is struggling to reach a low set temp during those triple-digit heat waves. But if it’s not very hot and your HVAC heat pump is not cooling, you probably need a service call.

Why heat pumps are a good choice in warm climates Since heat pumps move heat instead of using combustion to generate heat, they work best when outdoor temperatures stay above freezing. Any colder than that and it’s particularly difficult for a heat pump to warm your home.

Our Top Picks for the Best Thermostat for a Heat Pump with Auxiliary Heat

1. Emerson Sensi WI-Fi Smart Thermostat for Smart Home, DIY, Works With Alexa, Energy Star Certified, ST55.
2. Wireless Wi-Fi Thermostat, 7 Programmable.

It would require work to locate a superior option for year-round comfort than an air-source heat pump. As a plus, heat pumps require less energy to run when it comes to heating than most other systems, such as furnaces. …

These two stages in the HP (heat pump) thermostat for heating gives the thermostat the ability to run two different sources for generating heat. Typically only with air source systems which are more common and prevalent than water to air heat pumps or geothermal heat pumps.