ecobee thermostat + heatpump

[iron]

i just installed an ecobee 3 thermostat with a few room sensors. we have a single stage electric furnace and heat pump and the goal is to heat primarily with wood, but to keep my 14 month old's room at a steady temp - hence the sensors.

in the setup of the thermostat, it prompts for a temperature when to not use the heat pump. the default temp is 35F. our heat pump is older - i think 1999 - so i know it's not going to be operating well in the cold temps. but, how do i determine the actual number to set the thermostat at? the ecobee uses wifi to determine the outside temp, so right now it's 33F and telling the HVAC system to only use the furnace heating elements which is obviously more expensive than a heat pump that can work efficiently.

thanks!

 

[jwfirebird]

have to find manual for the heat pump

they aren't very efficient under a certain temp, as far as I know, you have to run heat coils to prevent compressor freezing, so you are running heat coils outside to prevent running coils inside. more efficient to just run the coils in the duct

don't know for sure, to cold to have one here I was told more efficient to have a propane or oil stove in cold areas