How do I know if I have a single stage heat pump?

Conventional heating systems, like a furnace, are typically located inside the home and only produce heat. Heat pump systems include a unit located outside of the home and look very similar to an air conditioning (AC) unit. The difference between the two is, a heat pump provides both heating and cooling instead of just cooling.

So how can you tell whether it's an AC unit or a heat pump? Here are some tips:

•  Since an AC unit needs to be paired with a heating system, try to locate a furnace or alternate system (e.g. oil, propane, boiler, etc.) in your home. If you can't, it may be a heat pump.

• Set your thermostat to heat mode and once you feel warm air coming out, check to see if the outdoor unit is running. 

• Find the manufacturer name and model number on the outdoor unit, and search the web for more information like a product description.

• Check for a yellow EnergyGuide label on the outdoor unit and look for the words "heat pump".

• Turn the power off to your system, then remove the thermostat display from its base. Check the wires terminals labeled O/B and L - no wires indicates you likely do not have a heat pump.

To participate in Smart Advantage, your heat pump must be single stage. A single stage heat pump operates the heating/cooling at one, full speed and can best be described as either "on" or "off". A multistage heat pump has more than one level of output to operate the heating/cooling such as "High" or "Low".

Still not sure? Turn the power off to your system and remove the thermostat display from its base and check the Y wire terminals. If there's only one wire leading into Y, it's a single stage heat pump. If there are wires leading into both the Y and Y2 terminals, it's a multistage.