Guides / Updated 2026-11-09
When the heat strips should run, and when they should not
The first real cool nights are here. Emergency heat will warm a Winter Garden house. It should not be the setting you leave on until morning.
What that switch does
Emergency heat, or auxiliary heat, runs the electric strips and skips the heat pump. The air feels hotter. The meter runs harder. Use it if the outdoor unit is iced over or the heat pump will not start. Turn it back to heat once the pump can carry the house.
A short run is normal
On a colder night the strips may kick on with the heat pump for a few minutes while the room catches up. That is backup, not a failure. Strips that run for hours, or a thermostat stuck in emergency heat, are the repair. Gas furnaces are not part of this work. TXT Home Services repairs heat pumps and the electric strips that back them up.
If the lights dip when it starts
Heat strips are a heavy load. A breaker that opens, or lights that dip hard, when the heat comes on is electrical, not a thermostat habit. EL EC13015890 covers that. Leave the tripped breaker off and call (407) 906-3142. You hear the price before the work starts.