Should I turn off my heat pump at night?

No, your heat pump should not be turned off at night – instead, your heat pump should be set to operate during a series of demand and setback cycles. Turning your heat pump off when you are asleep (or away) may result in more energy being used than if the heat pump was left on. This is because the heat pump will have to work for longer to bring a colder room air temperature back up to the desired temperature.

Whereas, if the system is set to maintain desired room temperatures that only fluctuate between a couple of degrees, the heat pump can operate more efficiently.

Using Setback Controls

Instead of turning your heat pump off, you should use the setback controls on your heat pump controller. Doing this means that the system is ‘energised’ when you are at home and ‘setback’ to a lower temperature at night and during times when you are away. To find out how to effectively use setback controls, visit our blog here to learn how setback controls can help heat pump operation.

Recommended temperature setback timings

The infographic below shows an example of typical temperature setback timings that you can set for your heat pump.

 

As the diagram shows, during the night and the middle of the day, your room temperatures are approximately a degree or two lower than the temperature set during the energised periods when you will want your room temperatures to be warmer, for example first thing in the morning and in the evening. It is important that the difference in temperature between the setback periods and energised periods is not too large, hence the recommendation of just a couple of degrees difference.

If you are unsure about how to set this schedule, please speak to your heating engineer or heat pump installer.

Please click here to find out more about setback controls and how they work with heat pumps. You can also watch the video below to learn more about how your heat pump operates.

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