Does the design of new residential heat pumps cause lights to flicker in the house?
New high-efficient heat pumps often cause lights in homes to flicker. The motors used in high-efficiency heat pumps draw more in-rush current (amps) when they first start (compared with older, less efficient units). This will cause the voltage to drop at your service panel for a fraction of a second. This can sometimes be observed as flicker (dimming of the lights). Q: With the commercialization of variable-speed heat pumps, have the benefits of a programmable thermostat been reduced or eliminated? It seems to me that with variable-speed equipment, the correct operating strategy would be to set the thermostat at one setting and let the unit choose its own speed instead of using a “set up, set down” strategy that could cause the unit to run at high speed more of the time. A: You would get better humidity control by setting the thermostat and leaving it. However, if the contractor oversizes the unit, there may still be a reason to set the temperature higher while you are away. Correct sy
