Why Is My Heat Pump Using So Much Electricity?
Common causes of high energy consumption and how to reduce it
Understanding your heat pump's energy use
Heat pumps are significantly more efficient than traditional boilers, but several factors can cause higher-than-expected electricity consumption. Here's how to diagnose and reduce it.
The most common causes
1. The electric backup element is doing most of the work
Your heat pump has two heat sources: the compressor (efficient, typically 250–400% efficiency) and an electric backup element (100% efficiency). If the backup element is running frequently or at full power, your electricity use will be much higher than it should be.
Check in the app: go to Energy graphs and look at how much of your consumption is from the compressor vs the electric element. If the element is dominant, something is preventing the compressor from keeping up.
2. Outdoor temperature is very low
At very low outdoor temperatures (below –5°C), the compressor works harder and the backup element assists more. This is normal behaviour — consumption will naturally be higher during cold spells.
3. Hot water demand is too high or scheduled inefficiently
Heating a large volume of domestic hot water is energy-intensive. If your hot water is set too hot, or the backup element handles all hot water production, costs rise quickly. Try activating SmartControl to shift hot water heating to cheap electricity hours.
4. Heat curve is set too high
If your heating curve (the relationship between outdoor temperature and flow temperature) is set too high, the heat pump produces unnecessarily hot water, reducing efficiency. An installer can optimise this for your building.
5. Filters are blocked
Blocked filters reduce airflow and force the system to work harder. Check and replace filters annually.
How to track your consumption
Open the Qvantum app and go to Statistics → Energy. You can view daily, weekly, and monthly consumption broken down by heating, hot water, and backup element. Compare this to outdoor temperature to understand the pattern.
Quick wins to reduce consumption
- Enable SmartControl to shift operation to cheap electricity hours
- Lower the hot water setpoint by 3–5°C if you're not running out
- Check that the backup element maximum is not set higher than necessary
- Replace filters if overdue
Still high after checking all of the above?
Contact support with your serial number and a screenshot of your energy graph. We may be able to identify a misconfiguration or fault remotely.
Email: support@qvantum.com