Your first year with a heat pump, sorted.
New heat pumps mostly need neglect-prevention: clean filters, a clear outdoor unit, and one real service visit. Here's the whole first year on one page.
Four things to do while it's new
Register the warranty
Registration windows commonly run 60–90 days, and unregistered warranties often default to shorter terms. Do it the week of install — your installer has the serial numbers if you don't.
Find your filters
Ducted systems have a filter at the air handler or return grille; mini-split heads have washable screens behind the front panel. Know where they are before the first check is due.
Learn what defrost looks like
In cold weather the outdoor unit will periodically pause, whoosh, steam, and drip. That's defrost mode working, not a malfunction. Ice buildup that never clears is the thing to watch for.
Set it and leave it
Heat pumps run best at a steady temperature. Deep nighttime setbacks force expensive recovery (and can trigger backup resistance heat) — small adjustments beat big swings.
The recurring checklist
Everything on this list is a few minutes. The system pays you back in performance.
Monthly: glance at the filters
Check monthly for the first few months to learn how fast yours load up — homes with pets and dust run dirtier. Clean or replace on the schedule your usage sets, not a generic one. A clogged filter is the #1 cause of weak performance.
Seasonally: clear the outdoor unit
Keep 18–24 inches clear around it. Leaves in fall, snow and ice dams in winter (never chip ice off the coil — clear around it and let defrost work), grass clippings in summer. A gentle rinse of the coil when it's visibly dirty.
Seasonally: check the condensate path
Confirm the drain drips when the system runs hard — in cooling season for ducted units, year-round for some setups. A blocked condensate line announces itself as a water stain you didn't want.
Mini-splits: wash the head screens
Pop the front panel, rinse the screens, let them dry, click back in. Ten minutes per head, every month or two in heavy use.
What's normal and what's a call
Long, steady run times (that's how heat pumps work). Supply air that feels warm-not-hot compared to a furnace. Periodic defrost steam and drips. The unit running through the night on cold snaps.
Ice that builds on the outdoor unit and never clears. Backup/aux heat running constantly. Rooms that never reach setpoint. Electric bills far above what was projected. In year one these are usually install issues — which is what the labor warranty is for.
Cold-weather behavior worth understanding in more depth — balance points, aux heat, capacity at low temperatures — lives in the cold-climate guide; mini-split specifics in the mini-split guide.
The service visit that matters most
Book the first annual service with your installer, not a random repair company — year-one problems are usually install problems, and the installer's labor warranty covers them. A real visit verifies refrigerant charge, measures airflow, tightens electrical connections, and checks the condensate path; ask for the numbers, the same way you did at commissioning. While you're at it: if you haven't claimed your rebates yet, some program windows are measured in months — check yours today.
New-owner questions
How often should I change my heat pump filter?
Check monthly at first; most homes settle into cleaning or replacing every 1–3 months. Heat pumps move air more hours per year than furnaces, so filters load faster than you're used to. A dirty filter chokes airflow — the single most common cause of poor performance and high bills.
Do heat pumps need annual servicing?
Yes — and the first annual visit matters most, because it catches install defects while your labor warranty covers them. A real service visit verifies refrigerant charge, airflow, electrical connections, and drainage; a look-and-spray visit doesn't. Ask what's on the checklist.
Why is my heat pump steaming?
That's defrost mode: the unit briefly reverses to melt frost off the outdoor coil, producing a cloud of steam and sometimes a whooshing sound. Normal, expected, and self-resolving. The abnormal version is ice that builds and never clears — that's a service call.
Should I turn my heat pump off at night?
No. Heat pumps deliver heat gradually and efficiently; recovering from a deep setback forces long high-output runs and can trigger resistance backup heat, erasing the savings. Steady temperature, or setbacks of a degree or two at most.
One maintenance reminder per season — that's it
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The heat pump was one phase. What's next?
Water heater, insulation top-up, induction — see what your state pays toward the next phase of the plan.
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