Need Advice...New to HP's

[plh_in]

I live in a house w/ a two yr old heat pump. Have always had NG before this. The heat pump has a progammable tstat that I do not use. I leave it set at 67 all the time [for winter months].

My question is how I should be operating the heat pump. Temps where I am regularly fall below 20.

1- how do I tell if the aux heat is ever on?
2- whats the diff between aux and emergency heat?
3- the heat pump seems to run forever and a day.....should I manually switch to aux heat? ..... or switch to emergency heat ???

The upstairs stays fairly comfortable but the basement is rather cool. What can I do to make things more comfortable throughout the house? It seems like when I change the tstat to a higher temp, the heat pump can never get to the desired temp!!

Basically, how should I be operating the heat pump, etc.

Thanks for any advice, I have 0 experience w/ heat pumps!

[mattison]

You shouldn't have to do anything. Your stat should have a light on it that will let you know you're in aux or emergency. The difference between the 2 is that aux will automatically come on when either the heat pump can't keep up or when the heat pump shuts down due to defrost or low ambient temps. Emergency is for if the heat pump isn't operating properly or it's just to cold outside and it can't keep up.

Glad to see your not using the stat as a progamable because it's a waste on a heat pump.

[Ed Imeduc]

Matt said it all here Dont program it for sure What you save on the set back it takes to bring the temp back up.
On most tstat with the heatpump if the pump cant keep up with the heat when the tstat drops more than 2o below the setting the AUX strips should come on.

ED ;)