Its that time of year when that alarm blasts off and the thought of pulling back the covers and stepping into the new day becomes a little harder. It sure felt like winter this morning as I crawled out of bed. And the rest of the week is looking cold.
“Weather Forecast today by the Met Service – Issued at: 04:42am Thursday 7-Jun-2018
A strong cold southerly flow covers New Zealand today, then a ridge of high pressure builds over the country on Friday. The ridge becomes slow moving over the North Island during the weekend, as a cold front spreads north across the South Island.”
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and give us a call on
Free Phone: 0800 JSR RAC (0800 577 722)
(and the list below will also come in handy in the future.)
If you are lucky to already have one installed these next steps should help you navigate the oncoming winter months.
Getting the most out of your Heat Pump this Winter
1. Using the control units function settings.
Well when it comes to setting the temperature the best thing to do is not ramp it up to the highest setting to heat up your room quickly. The best way is to utilise the setting controls that come on the remote. (or if you are tech savy what about the app’s that you can set on your phone!) Set your clock up correctly and then set up the timer to turn on 15 minutes before you step out your warm cocoon of blankets. At a reasonable temperature (The recommended temperature is 18ºC or 20ºC for children, or the elderly, and 16ºC for bedrooms overnight).
2. Maintenance, do I really need it?
When it comes to this question, most people who own their own properties will probably forget about this side of things, where as Rental and Commercial properties will come under regulations that cover this, but the short answer is YES, if you neglect the units (indoors and out) then when you really want them to perform, you may find they fail to deliver and will cost you a bigger repair bill.
3. Keeping the unit maintained.
So you can do one of two things – DIY (do it yourself) OR give JSR Refrigeration & Air Conditioning a call on Free Phone: 0800 JSR RAC (0800 577 722) and one of our service technicians will come out and service it for you.
DIY (yes I am being nice and giving you free tips, but why would you want to spend time cleaning when we can do it for you at the price above?)
Every three months remove the filter from the indoor unit and give it a good vacuum. Be careful not to damage them and replace the correct way.
On the outdoor unit to check that its not become overgrown by your garden (or weeds if its anything like my garden!) and clear of any debris. (a soft hand brush is good for this) Inspect for corrosion of the unit and any loose panels (keep those pesky rodents from making a home in it!) – or contact JSR as I suggested above, and spend your time doing something more interesting.
The often forgotten element, the Outdoor Unit.
Heat Pumps should be elevated 4 to 8 inches above ground level to allow for proper drainage, if you think your outdoor unit is not raised sufficiently, contact our Service Department. The outside unit needs good airflow, as much winter sun and as little frost as possible. They need to be protected from elements that might cause corrosion, such as sea spray.
Keeping the running costs down.
Heat pumps are efficient in cold weather compared to other electricity powered heating units,but the heat pump’s running costs depend on how long you use it and its energy output. ( It also depends on where you live – some heat pumps do not perform as well in the cold, so if you regularly get below -5ºC outside, you need to choose one that will perform well, or the unit will spend excess energy defrosting).You can check out your units running costs by going to energywise.govt.nz and entering the fields on their calculator.
Other useful tips for keeping the you and the house warm are:
- Close doors and curtains to keep the heat in as the sun goes down (or when you get home if you work all day like me) and use draught stoppers (tape and the sausage type that you place in or on the door) on your outside doors. I actually have this type on ours as we have porches to stop the rain.
Winter ideas to keep the drafts out
How to make a Double Door Draught stopper (click for instructions) - If you can, get your house insulated. The better insulated your home, the better it will hold the heat and the more energy efficient the heat pump will be.
- Make sure your windows are sealing correctly, use that draft tape on them if needed.
- Slippers – yes keeping your tootsies warm will help keep you feeling toasty!
Until next time keep warm, hope you enjoyed reading these tips – JSR Marketing