How Much Electricity Does A Heat Pump Use?

Every person in the world needs to reduce their energy consumption in the home. Doing this will not only lower your energy bills but also reduce your carbon footprint. There are both gas and electric heaters as well as heat pumps (such as air source and geothermal heat pumps) available in the market. Gas is not a sustainable fuel and produces large amounts of CO2 released into the environment. Electric heaters are better for your home and help lower your carbon footprint, but they consumer too much electricity, while heat pumps can help lower energy bills in addition to reducing your carbon footprint. Then, do you know how much electricity you need to use for your heat pump?  

Do Heat Pumps Use A Lot Of Electricity?

Heat pumps are an excellent choice over boilers. They use low amounts of electricity compared to other heating solutions for your home. They also have a high energy efficiency that can be up to 500%. That means you can use 1Kw of electricity to produce 5Kw of heat for your home. That level of energy efficiency ensures that you reduce your impact on the environment and lower energy costs. Bear in mind that the cost of heating your home using gas is two times that of using electricity.

How Much Electricity Does A Heat Pump Use?

Heat pumps are highly efficient, as mentioned above. Energy efficiency is calculated by measuring the energy used and the energy produced. For a heat pump, you measure the amount of electricity used and the heat produced. On average, most homes need 12,000KwH of heat annually. That number is affected by the size of your home, the number of people, and the amount of water used.

The efficiency of your heat pump will determine the amount of electricity you use to produce that heating energy. If you have a pump with a 300% efficiency, you will have three units of heat energy from one unit of electricity. That means 120000KwH of heat can be produced with only 4000KwH of electricity. From that figure, you can calculate the amount of money you spend on heating your home annually. You only need to multiply the cost per KwH by 4000KwH.

How To Reduce The Power Consumption Of My Heat Pump?

Here are some essential tips to help you reduce the power consumption of your heat pump and hence your costs every month.

Do Not Vary Temperature

Sometimes, people lower the temperature in their homes when they are going out and raise it when they come back home. The assumption is when you do that, you will lower the amount of power your heater consumes. That is not the case; in reality, your heater uses less electricity when it remains at a constant temperature. So make sure that you do not alter your heater settings unless it is necessary.

If you lower the temperatures at night, it will not save you money. You can reduce your heater's power consumption to a certain point if you vary the temperature by only one degree. If you lower it more than that, it will not have the same effect.

Restrict Flow Temperature

During the installation, your water heater installer most probably set a high water heating temperature to ensure you are comfortable in your home. However, the high water heating temperature is usually higher than what you need. You use large amounts of electricity to heat the water to that high temperature, which reduces its efficiency.

To reduce the energy consumption in your home, lower the starting temperature to its maximum. That is especially effective if you have radiators or floor heating, which work well at low temperatures. You could also use an external sensor to set water heating temperature. It will adjust the water heating temperatures according to the warmth outside.

Manual Electric Heater Activation

All heat pumps use an electric backup heat source automatically switched on when the system cannot get enough heat to heat the heating water to the required temperature. That can increase your energy consumption and raise your electricity bills. To ensure that that does not happen in your home, make sure you manually activate this electric heater. That will ensure that you know it is on and can monitor the amount of electricity it uses.

System Maintenance

One of the best ways to reduce consumption is regular system maintenance. Good maintenance ensures excellent system performance and improved efficiency. That said, you are not legally obligated to maintain the heat pump, as is the case with conventional boilers. Bear in mind that traditional boilers, unlike heat pumps, are subject to air conditioning regulations. Depending on the company that installed your heat pump, you will get a maintenance contract.

Maintenance contracts offer 6-month or annual inspection services for your system. You can also regularly check your system for strange noises, cold air, and dirty filters. All air/water and air/air heat pumps should have their filters cleaned regularly. If the filters are dirty, it will make the air in your home unbreathable, and the dust and mold particles could make you sick. Use water to clean your heat pump filters, but ensure you check the manufacturer's instructions first.

Add Solar Panels

You can reduce the power consumption in your home by using solar panels. Installing photovoltaic panels will ensure that you do not have to pay your power company for the electricity used. Remember, solar power is sustainable, eco-friendly, and is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Monitor Consumption

It is essential to keep a close eye on your consumption. A sharp increase in your energy costs can be an unpleasant surprise, especially if you are on a budget. Monitoring consumption will ensure that you notice spikes when they occur and find their course. If your heat pump is damaged, that can increase consumption. Damage can make the heater work harder, lower efficiency, and increase consumption. It will also help you find areas in the home where energy is wasted.

Your heat pump is an essential part of your home. It is better than traditional boilers and uses less electricity. With good maintenance, your heat pump can serve you a long time, help lower electricity bills and reduce your carbon footprint.