Home Automation RC-100B - Manual (Page 5)

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ABOUT HEAT PUMPS...
A heat pump is a mechanical refrigeration system that operates in two
modes, heating and cooling. In cooling mode, the heat pump takes
indoor heat and pumps it outside, just like a standard air conditioner.
In heating mode, the process is reversed: the heat pump takes outside
heat and pumps it inside. Although it feels cold outside, the air still
has heat in it that the heat pump can use as a source of heat. The fact
that the heat pump moves heat from one place to the other (as opposed
to creating heat directly from electricity or gas) is the key to it's
remarkable efficiency. A heat pump usually produces over 3 times
more heat per watt of electricity than standard electric heating.
While some heat pumps use outside air as their source of heat, others
use the heat available under the ground or in a water well. These are
called air-source, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps,
respectively. The RC-100 is capable of controlling all of these types of
heat pumps.
In extremely cold conditions, the heat pump may require assistance
from another source of heat, known as "auxiliary heating". Auxiliary
heating is less efficient than the heat pump, so it is best to use the heat
pump instead of the auxiliary heat.
For normal and most efficient operation, the RC-100 should be in
HEAT
or AUTO mode so that it can properly control the auxiliary heat.
The heat pump is used first, auxiliary heat is used only if necessary.
In EMERGENCY HEAT mode, the RC-100 will turn the heat pump off
and use the auxiliary heating only. This mode may be used if the heat
pump has failed.