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Unnecessary Strains You’re Putting on Your Heat Pump System

Your heat pump is designed to run efficiently and consistently, even in Ontario’s unpredictable climate.
But certain habits and home conditions can put unnecessary strain on the system, forcing it to work harder than it should.
Over time, this leads to higher energy bills, reduced performance, and costly repairs.
Here are the most common ways homeowners unintentionally stress their heat pump systems.
1.
Constantly Adjusting the Thermostat
Treating your thermostat like a volume knob doesn’t help.
Heat pumps are built to maintain steady temperatures, not handle constant up-and-down changes.
What happens:
The system works harder to recover temperature swings
Efficiency drops
Components wear out faster
Big temperature jumps won’t heat your home faster, they’ll just make your system miserable.
2.
Blocking Airflow Inside Your Home
Furniture placement matters more than people think.
Blocking vents or returns restricts airflow, forcing your heat pump to work harder to circulate air.
Common mistakes:
Placing couches or beds over vents
Closing too many vents in unused rooms
Dirty or clogged air filters
Poor airflow is one of the fastest ways to reduce efficiency.
3.
Ignoring Regular Maintenance
Skipping maintenance is basically asking for problems later.
Dust buildup, worn parts, and minor issues can quietly strain your system over time.
Consequences include:
Reduced efficiency
Higher energy costs
Increased risk of breakdowns
Routine maintenance keeps your system running the way it’s supposed to.
4.
Letting the Outdoor Unit Get Buried or Blocked
Your outdoor unit isn’t decorative.
It needs space to breathe.
Snow, ice, leaves, and debris can block airflow and force the system to work harder.
Watch for:
Snow buildup around the unit in winter
Leaves and debris in warmer months
Objects placed too close to the unit
If your heat pump can’t move air properly, performance drops quickly.
5.
Poor Insulation and Air Leaks
Your heat pump can’t win against a house that leaks heat.
Drafty windows, poor insulation, and air gaps force your system to constantly replace lost heat.
This leads to:
Longer run times
Higher energy consumption
Uneven indoor temperatures
Your system ends up doing double the work for half the result.
6.
Running the System with Dirty Coils
Indoor and outdoor coils play a huge role in heat transfer.
When they’re covered in dirt or debris, efficiency drops and strain increases.
Symptoms include:
Reduced heating or cooling performance
Longer run cycles
Increased energy usage
Clean coils = less effort for the system.
7.
Oversizing or Undersizing the System
If your heat pump isn’t properly sized for your home, it’s always going to struggle.
Undersized systems:
Run constantly
Struggle to maintain temperature
Oversized systems:
Short cycle frequently
Wear out faster due to constant starts and stops
Proper sizing isn’t optional.
It’s critical.
8.
Ignoring Strange Noises or Performance Changes
Small issues don’t stay small.
If your system starts making unusual noises or behaving differently, ignoring it just gives the problem time to get worse.
Examples:
New or louder sounds
Inconsistent heating or cooling
Sudden drops in performance
Early fixes are always cheaper than late repairs.
9.
Using Emergency Heat Too Often
Emergency or auxiliary heat is there for extreme conditions, not everyday use.
Relying on it too often:
Increases energy costs significantly
Puts extra strain on your system
Reduces overall efficiency
If your system constantly switches to emergency heat, something’s wrong.
Final Thoughts
Most heat pump strain doesn’t come from extreme weather, it comes from everyday habits and overlooked issues.
The good news is that many of these problems are easy to fix once you know what to look for.
By improving airflow, maintaining your system, and addressing home efficiency issues, you can reduce strain, lower energy costs, and extend the life of your heat pump.
Your system will still work hard.
It just won’t feel like it’s being punished for existing.
From the initial contact we had an excellent experience with this company and all its personnel. Dave Gergley was an excellent, helpful, sales person and solicitous of our needs. He recommended only what was required and did not up sell or make any suggestions for products that we did not need, such as a new A.C. He explained the rebate process and basically outlined how to get the best furnace at the lowest price. When it was time for installation, the technicians could not have been more considerate, careful, attentive to detail, obviously committed to safety and optimum functioning of the appliance they were setting up. We have been perfectly satisfied with the functioning of the furnace and all aspects of acquiring it from the initial contact with Dave through to the installation process and follow ups inquiring about our satisfaction. Also they initiated the rebate process and contacted the appropriate inspection agency to carry it out. We highly recommend this company for all heating and cooling needs and we will contact them again when it is time to replace our A.C.
Twintech was excellent from the initial quote and throughout the install. They had a competitive rate for hot water tank and ended up buying the tank from them, had them remove the old tank and install the new one. The day of install they were prompt and out in about 2 hours. Professional , courteous really great guys. We took a look at my 30 year old furnace and they were able to offer some suggestions for future there too.
Ever since I turned on my furnace on Oct 2018 I hear a humming sound when the furnace fan kicks in. I called Adamson Air System who installed my furnace 7 years ago and couldn't figure it out the problem. I just wasted money to the guy who couldn't figure it out. I found Twin Tech via Amana / Goodman website. I checked the reviews from previous Twin Tech customers. I called Greg and was onsite on time this morning Sunday, Nov 25 2018. He figured it out what's wrong with the furnace and explained what the previous installer (adamson air system) did wrong when they installed it. His knowledgeable about his job. He recommend to replace the fun motor because the sound is not normal when it's running. Looking forward to see him again to replace the fan motor.
Our house is over 22 years old and I had been researching furnaces and A/C brands for a while and thought it was time to take the plunge. After calling three different companies to come in and quote the job, this one won me over. From the first visit from Dave all the way to the end of the install by Greg, Grant, and Piotr, I was glad to have picked this company. Dave was very knowledgeable and really took the time to explain what kind of quality installation I was going to get as well as showing me some of their previous work and certificates.
I was also surprised at how quick the installation took and how nice everything looked afterward, I mean it's only a furnace right? They even re positioned the furnace so that I have easier access to my filter and humidistat, awesome! If you are looking for a company that cares about their customers and is proud about the quality of work they do, along with a great and competitive price, then stop right here because you found it.
Once our AC Unit started to fail, I called our past Heating & Cooling provider for support. The response was we needed a new motor for our Furnace. It was time to check their Quote against the marketplace, I reached to other providers online. One of the owner of Twintech (Greg), called me and offered a preliminary Quote and recommendation online. The others needed to set an appointment and came to measure and spend 1 hour before offering a quote. Then I asked Twintech to come finalize their quote to make sure their recommendation was aligned and met our needs.
Twintech was professional throughout the process, easy to deal with (Web, Phone and in Person), price right and met their commitment. Their team expedited the process and installation, arranged for a energy assessment for available rebates and most importantly, delivered on their commitment and managed to do a few extras. They installed a New Furnace, AC unit and Nest thermostat in a day, remove all older units, left the house and outdoors clean and without any debris. Great to be able to support a Local Company, Neighbour and Professional team - Well Done Team Twintech !!!
In October 2018, I contacted Greg at Twintech to do a furnace cleaning. Greg discovered that my furnace, installed in 2006 by another company, had been installed incorrectly, leading to restricted air flow. The heat exchanger was also defective. As well, my furnace was too large for the size of my house.
In my opinion, the biggest concern most of us have as consumers is that we have no idea of the quality or knowledge and experience of the technicians any heating and cooling company will send into our homes. I could have avoided having my 2006 furnace installed improperly (leading to early replacement), had I known about Twintech then.
With Twintech you get it all. Because Twintech is a smaller company you can rest assured that the only technicians who will work in your home are Greg and his twin brother Grant who are co-owners and fully licensed and certified with over 30 years of experience in installing and servicing heating and cooling equipment. They are both friendly and personable and answer all your questions. Their workmanship is outstanding. We had a 2 stage, variable speed Goodman furnace installed. My wife and I noticed a difference in the heating and even temperature of our 2 storey home almost immediately. Our old furnace always heated too much on the main floor and too little upstairs. We are also impressed with how quiet the furnace is.
Twintech's office manager, David Gergley, is equally friendly and not only gave us a competitive quote to replace our furnace (we sought other quotes), but also went above and beyond my expectations when he made arrangements with an energy audit company so that we would be considered for a grant from Enbridge and IESO.
Needless to say, I give Twintech a 10 out of 10 and highly recommend them!
Clean, Fast and Efficient Work. Between all the quotes I received Twintech was a few dollars less and offered the best warranty.
They did an excellent job. Everything was very well explained. At the end of the job everything was very well cleaned up.
Twintech offered me a competitive price but more importantly great sales and installation service. They did everything with attention to detail and quality workmanship that is hard to find in this day and age. Dave who first game to visit me answered most of my questions and probed about my needs. For the technical/install questions he was unable to answer he quickly had Greg and Grant the owners answer for me. They did not cut corners on the installation or do anything to simply save time. They stayed into the early evening to complete the job and removed all my old components and even fixed up mistakes other workers ahd made in the past. I would highly recommend them and use them again if the need arises in the future. If you are looking for service or new equipment I would highly recommend Twintech be on your list of Heating companies to get a quote from and ask your questions to.
The company epitomizes high quality service: from the initial client interaction with Dave to the installation and follow up with the technical team. One of the key features I look for is the ability of a technical person to talk to and not talk down to the customer when responding to questions and I had quite a few, all of which were very professionally addressed. I was also quite impressed with the follow up service, promptness, the obvious competence of the team who left no stone un-turned to ensure I was a satisfied customer. Thank you guys.
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We are very happy to recommend this company to everyone. Our furnace broke down on Sunday morning. We phoned them and before noon Grant the owner showed up. He worked on the furnace for about a hour not wanting to give up to fix the problem. The furnace was 17 years old. I was the one talking about replacing it. End result was the next day it was all done. On the Sunday Bob came over with heaters to warm up the house. We decided to replace the water heater at the same time. Thanks Grant for the excellent work. Thumbs up.
Right on time. Explained how to work the HRV in a different way so the house would not be so dry. Changed my whole house water filter for me as well. Friendly, helpful, caring service!
Very pleased with the professional service that TwinTech Heating and Cooling provided in replacing my furnace. I got several quotes from different service providers. Their price was excellent and they explained the features very well. We are very glad we went with TwinTech and highly recommend their services.
We were new homeowners in need of a second opinion. TwinTech Heating & Cooling were Amazing and professional. Very knowledgeable and great service all around. Recommend to anyone looking for honest and reliable services. Treated with respect and care. Thank you Greg, Mitch and Bob!
TwinTech is an excellent and honest company! I called them for a second opinion after being told by another company that I needed to replace my furnace. Turns out this was not the case at all! I did not need a new furnace. TwinTech did not push to make an unnecessary sale and saved me from a huge expense. Bob and Mitch were extremely professional and above all honest! I definitely recommend TwinTech!
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