Since the new thermostat does not have a menu selection for Aux delta it will be on the board. You will have to pop the cover and find the little jumper. It should have several positions to select the Aux delta.
Minimal heat demand - heat pump vs. resistive backup (big setback)
- Thread starter TmanP
- Start date
Popped it off the wall and checked the back - do you think that'd be below the plastic plate covering most of the board? Or is it possible there's no such adjustment on this model?
You need the resistance heat to come on with the heat pump runs a defrost cycle. Otherwise the heat coming into the room will be very cold. Most heat pumps have defrost cycles.
Maybe cut open the walls adjoining other apartments and remove all the insulation so they end up heating your apartment??
Maybe cut open the walls adjoining other apartments and remove all the insulation so they end up heating your apartment??
Check out this installation guide. You may be able to get into Tech Settings and set the Swing Temp which affects the Delta. You need to press the + and - buttons for 3 sec. to enter Tech mode. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...-625-IM-M-Installation-Manual-Alitho-1823.pdf
Keep in mind the heat strips need to come on whenever the heat pump goes into defrost mode. In defrost it runs like an AC and to prevent blowing cold air it turns on the heat strips.
Obviously defrost is dependent on the outside temp.
Obviously defrost is dependent on the outside temp.
A defrost cycle is controlled by the outdoor unit (or perhaps by other internal logic depending on how the controls are set up). It has nothing to do with the wall thermostat. There is a separate W wire connection to outside which allows the outdoor unit to bypass the thermostat and force the heat strips on.
There should be thermostats which are smart enough not to go into aux heat while raising the temperature after setback.
Then why pull the wire if the system will never go into aux heat?
Do
Did you read the original post? Large setback is going to call for aux heat, I’d remove that option to save money.
I wouldn't expect a single apartment, surrounded by other climate controlled spaces, could significantly alter the internal temp of their space alone by more than 10 degrees anyway, but who knows.
I know there are many different heat pumps and thermostats but I set mine back 63 at night and up to anywhere from 66 to 70 when I get up.
It does not take long to heat our 1500sf house using only the hp. Costs are low.
It does not take long to heat our 1500sf house using only the hp. Costs are low.
I learned a lot reading this thread. I'm interested in heat pumps but didn't really know about the bit about the aux heat with resistive strips or gas, and the delta at which this will be activated.
Thank you all for that.
How does the emergence of things like this affect this equation, going forward:
https://aciq.com/residential-produc...-extreme-heat-series/aciq-24-ahd-aciq-24-hpd/
It says that it will efficiently generate heat down to -22F. Yet, on the product listing, it does show the corresponding resistive heating coil.
https://aciq.com/residential-produc...igh-efficiency-heat-pump-extreme-plus-series/
The coils are right below the compressors.
Thank you all for that.
How does the emergence of things like this affect this equation, going forward:
https://aciq.com/residential-produc...-extreme-heat-series/aciq-24-ahd-aciq-24-hpd/
It says that it will efficiently generate heat down to -22F. Yet, on the product listing, it does show the corresponding resistive heating coil.
https://aciq.com/residential-produc...igh-efficiency-heat-pump-extreme-plus-series/
The coils are right below the compressors.
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I tend to think outside the box. So OP you are in an apartment thats not yours so you can't do much to change much. Sounds like you have a very "tight" well insulated home, I do as well...
I live between North and South Carolina in the South with mild winters. When I lived mid to upstate most homes even condos and some apartments used gas to heat. Early heat pumps didn't do all that well mid to upstate going back 20+ years and is why gas was preferred, and the fact gas was not expensive, However now that I am on the coast just 3 hours west ( not as cold nights ) heat pumps are the norm so my experience is I have little faith in heat pumps in areas that actually get cold! Cool nights a heat pump is Okay, Cold nights not so much!
I'm no expert but I for sure would suggest what ever you do DO, do not use the heat strips unless you must!
Personally I would simply keep it as low as comfortable and just leave it at that and don't overthink it. However if at home and get cold bump it up a degree.
However one cold winter ( with my trusty heat pump doing its best ) I purchased one of those $40 oil filled space heaters ( uses 600 watts on low I think )
With my tight house I am amazed how simply running that oil filled space heater on low how much it helps! I also purchased a smaller one for the home office that I may only use a week out of the year when it gets cold as in 32F outside.
When the temp drops below 50 outside ( or so ) I just let that 600W heater run on low downstairs and I keep my HVAC system LOW like 60F to 63F and it seldom comes on.
Yes its that 600watt heat is pulling electric $ but i'm not loosing anything from inefficient ductwork.
I have a home office / den with a day bed. I have a mid size home but my life is 85% to 90% in my home office so I keep that room at a perfect temp and the rest of my home cold and can keep that room warm with a even smaller electric oil heater I think I paid $30 for.
I have actually thought about adding some of these wall mount inexpensive flat electric heaters in each room as it would look better than my $40 oil heater and I like the idea of loosing heating only the room I want warm.
I have never tried this brand of heater below ( link ) but for around $100 a room may be away to heat a few room and turn the heat pump almost off? Just a thought...
Heater link below
https://amazeheaters.com/
I live between North and South Carolina in the South with mild winters. When I lived mid to upstate most homes even condos and some apartments used gas to heat. Early heat pumps didn't do all that well mid to upstate going back 20+ years and is why gas was preferred, and the fact gas was not expensive, However now that I am on the coast just 3 hours west ( not as cold nights ) heat pumps are the norm so my experience is I have little faith in heat pumps in areas that actually get cold! Cool nights a heat pump is Okay, Cold nights not so much!
I'm no expert but I for sure would suggest what ever you do DO, do not use the heat strips unless you must!
Personally I would simply keep it as low as comfortable and just leave it at that and don't overthink it. However if at home and get cold bump it up a degree.
However one cold winter ( with my trusty heat pump doing its best ) I purchased one of those $40 oil filled space heaters ( uses 600 watts on low I think )
With my tight house I am amazed how simply running that oil filled space heater on low how much it helps! I also purchased a smaller one for the home office that I may only use a week out of the year when it gets cold as in 32F outside.
When the temp drops below 50 outside ( or so ) I just let that 600W heater run on low downstairs and I keep my HVAC system LOW like 60F to 63F and it seldom comes on.
Yes its that 600watt heat is pulling electric $ but i'm not loosing anything from inefficient ductwork.
I have a home office / den with a day bed. I have a mid size home but my life is 85% to 90% in my home office so I keep that room at a perfect temp and the rest of my home cold and can keep that room warm with a even smaller electric oil heater I think I paid $30 for.
I have actually thought about adding some of these wall mount inexpensive flat electric heaters in each room as it would look better than my $40 oil heater and I like the idea of loosing heating only the room I want warm.
I have never tried this brand of heater below ( link ) but for around $100 a room may be away to heat a few room and turn the heat pump almost off? Just a thought...
Heater link below
https://amazeheaters.com/
Since this thread has gotten some recent interest, here's an update a year or so later:
My winter bills ended up being in the $60-80 range - averaging 15 kWh or so per day. Of that, $30ish is fixed costs and the remainder variable costs. That includes an electric water heater (50 gallon), fridge, fan, dishwasher (couple loads a week), stove (fairly minimal use), and washer/dryer (couple loads a week). Summer bills are a bit higher, around $100, since I keep the a/c set low (68-70 when home) and the south-facing windows pick up a lot of sun load. I pay just over 8c per kWh (a great rate!) in winter, and 9.6c the rest of the year.
How it played out last winter was that the apartment typically sat in the low-mid 60s with the thermostat off (at night/on cloudy days), or into the 70s when sunny. Omaha's climate is that of a sunnier and slightly warmer Chicago - average winter highs in the low-mid 30s but cold snaps certainly substantially lower.
I typically bump it up to 70-72 when I'm home in the evenings and on weekends, then set it down to 60ish to sleep (I like to sleep cold). EmHeat/Aux heat did run during the setback, but I found that it satisfies the stat dramatically faster than letting the heat pump churn away.
I did notice that the thermostat needs to be set higher than I'm used to given the heat pump's output temp is quite low, so 68-70 can feel kinda chilly when it's running (compared to a gas furnace).
Thanks, all, for the discussion.
Here is a graph from my bill:
My winter bills ended up being in the $60-80 range - averaging 15 kWh or so per day. Of that, $30ish is fixed costs and the remainder variable costs. That includes an electric water heater (50 gallon), fridge, fan, dishwasher (couple loads a week), stove (fairly minimal use), and washer/dryer (couple loads a week). Summer bills are a bit higher, around $100, since I keep the a/c set low (68-70 when home) and the south-facing windows pick up a lot of sun load. I pay just over 8c per kWh (a great rate!) in winter, and 9.6c the rest of the year.
How it played out last winter was that the apartment typically sat in the low-mid 60s with the thermostat off (at night/on cloudy days), or into the 70s when sunny. Omaha's climate is that of a sunnier and slightly warmer Chicago - average winter highs in the low-mid 30s but cold snaps certainly substantially lower.
I typically bump it up to 70-72 when I'm home in the evenings and on weekends, then set it down to 60ish to sleep (I like to sleep cold). EmHeat/Aux heat did run during the setback, but I found that it satisfies the stat dramatically faster than letting the heat pump churn away.
I did notice that the thermostat needs to be set higher than I'm used to given the heat pump's output temp is quite low, so 68-70 can feel kinda chilly when it's running (compared to a gas furnace).
Thanks, all, for the discussion.
Here is a graph from my bill:
The resistive heat should be pegged to outdoor temperature, it should be possible to have it enable/disable based on outdoor temperature.
B. 60 is waaay to cold for me to function or sleep.
I’ve had it as cold as 45 in the house with the heat off for sleeping, as long as you have blankets and proper clothes still get toasty
No kidding! We keep ours at 67-69 24/7. I only drop it down if we'll be gone all day. I refuse to be uncomfortable in my own house. 60k Btu 95% furnace though, it doesn't struggle.
I find it mostly depends on what you are doing, and how you are dressed. We did months of campervan living/traveling in the spring in New Zealand and Australia, and we were rarely hooked up to shore power, so some nights it would be in the 32-40F and the often in the 40-50f range, and maybe 10-15F above that in the van.
But we were never cold, and slept very well, as we had some good warm bedding, and wore some warm socks, sweat pants and a hoodie, and we were active. Get up, and make breakfast, and go for a hike, walk, go see some stuff. Since turning up the thermostat wasn't an option, there was no point in not wearing clothes for the temperature that it was.
Anyways for me, it was the first time living in a climate that had very rare freezing events, and it sure makes the heating system requirements quite low, compared to home where freezing almost every night is expected for 5 months, and the odd -25F night plus some wind can happen.
One thing to note - there are heat pumps available that heat well down to -25f or so. I have multiple friends in Saskatchewan who use heat pumps and the heat strips are only needed when it gets colder than that.
It can get down to -40 or even a bit colder but….the actual amount of time it is that cold is minimal on an annual basis. There’s good equipment that will do the job in cold climates but it can take some research.
It can get down to -40 or even a bit colder but….the actual amount of time it is that cold is minimal on an annual basis. There’s good equipment that will do the job in cold climates but it can take some research.
