Before starting up your reversible air conditioning, it is necessary to take a few precautions. what good practices to have in order to make the best use of your equipment.
The difference between the indoor and outdoor temperature must not exceed 5°C.
What is Afpac?
Afpac is an association whose purpose is to bring together all the players in the heat pump sector, such as design offices, distribution, manufacturers, installers, maintenance companies, but also consumers. . It now has 70 members grouped into several colleges, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
I am one of the founding members of the association. At the time, the heat pump market was still weak or even confidential, but we knew that we had to be attentive to the qualitative development of this market. This was an opportunity to create two things. The first is a certification for machines with the NF PAC standard, which requires passages in an independent laboratory and the publication of verified and validated figures. The second is the creation of the Quali’Pac accreditation for installers since transferred to Qualit’Enr.
What precautions should be taken before starting up your air-air heat pump in the summer?
The installation must first be carried out by an RGE (Recognized guarantor of the environment) Quali’PAC craftsman. Then, you have to make sure that the interview is carried out. Part of the maintenance can be done by the customer: he can remove insects stuck to the back of the exchanger on the outdoor unit, and also clean the terminal unit filter. But it is also strongly recommended to call on a professional for annual maintenance. The ideal is to carry out this maintenance before the commissioning of its installation, in the spring or in the fall.
The heat pump is a rotating machine so it is necessary to check that everything is working correctly to ensure that its performance is maintained over time.
Is the interview compulsory?
There is a maintenance obligation every 2 years beyond a certain power. This maintenance is essential to ensure the proper functioning and life of its equipment, especially since the air-air heat pump is a reversible system that operates practically all year round. We advise individuals to take out an annual maintenance contract with their installer or a specialized company via the Synasav website.
As part of the “energy sobriety” plan, the Government has just recalled that the ideal temperature for air conditioning is 26°C maximum. What do you think?
The fixed temperature for heating is 19°C, but we know that the majority of people warm themselves between 20 and 22°C. The public authorities have urgently taken this decision not to turn on the air conditioning until it is 26°C inside, but we know that they will not be followed.
The concept of comfort used by the public authorities only takes into account the dry temperature, that is, that which is read by a thermometer. It does not satisfy the qualification of comfort which takes into account the dry bulb temperature, the wet bulb temperature, and the air velocity at the level of the skin. In summer, you can have a high temperature with low humidity, and withstand the heat very well.
We must trust the proper use of devices by individuals who are sensitive to their energy aspect. An air-air heat pump installation is very often equipped with an occupancy/vacancy thermostat and a presence sensor can be added to save money.
What we recommend is to pay attention to the delta between the outside temperature and the inside temperature to avoid thermal shocks. Precisely, what temperature difference to respect between the inside and the outside?
The difference between inside and outside must not exceed 5 or 6°C. But it’s not linear since it implies that when it’s 40°C, the inside temperature should be 35°C. We know that this difference will not be monitored because there is no control, except in buildings open to the public, administrations, etc.
When should you start your heat pump: only when you are at home or all the time, all day or only a few hours?
The idea is to set a set temperature of 24°C for example. When you are away, you have to accept that the temperature increases by a few degrees in the room. If your heat pump is equipped with a programmable thermostat, it is possible to anticipate and set a set point so that it cools a room 30 minutes before the arrival of the occupants.
If we telework, we can leave the heat pump running permanently. If you leave for the weekend, the set point can be increased. On the other hand, if you go on vacation for a month, don’t forget to turn off your heat pump.
Should it be turned on in all the rooms in the home with an indoor unit or only those that are occupied?
The idea is to have indoor units equipped with presence sensors. When a person is in a room, the heat pump switches to “occupancy” temperature. As soon as the room empties, it switches to “unoccupied” temperature. This presence sensor can be installed on all accessories. It is more than recommended to save energy.
While the heat pump is running, should the shutters be kept closed or open?
The shutters are a protection against the sun. They can therefore be closed, but not completely. It is especially important that the windows are closed so that there is no interaction between the outside air and the inside air.
Do you still need to ventilate your home from time to time?
When you have air conditioning, you tend not to open your windows at night. If you have a house without controlled mechanical ventilation, you have to open it, but if there is one, the air is renewed by ventilation. It is therefore not necessary to ventilate in addition to its CMV.