Quote:
Originally Posted by blender
Some heat pump notes:
If sized and operated properly they are very efficient. One of the biggest issues is they are often too big for the space they are heating/cooling. They are at their best when they run steadily to maintain a set temperature. If they are too big they cycle off and on and waste power.
|
In Calgary's climate the requisite heating capacity is significantly more than cooling, so it's not uncommon that either
1) the cooling capacity is grossly oversized and you get short-cycling as you described, or
2) you quite deliberately undersize the heating capacity and leave the deficit for a "back-up" gas-fired or electric (resistive) furnace.
Option 2) isn't so bad really, as you need the additional heat source for peak conditions anyway, but it means deliberately less use of the heating cycle and not taking advantage of outdoor conditions where the heat pump's COP could be significantly better than the thermal efficiency of your furnace.