My monthly electric bill is huge.. am thinking that it might be my furnace is not set properly? (true or not?) usually keep it around 68. Seems like its in an 'auto' mode (which might make sense), but since i have both the heat pump and an oil furnace (serving as aux heat), am thinking that i might be better served if the oil were being use more when it gets colder? (true or not?) how do i determine and set the temp levels so that my aux heat will kick in if the outside temp falls below 40 degrees? According to one sheet of instructions i have on the unit, it appears that there are three ways to set the 'Balance Point Temperature'...(capacity, Economic, and Comfort)... how do i figure out what it is set and what is the best way for me to set it for both cost and comfort (I live in Maryland where we have mild winters...not the heavy cold weather that New England gets). I believe that i have a thermostat similar to: http://www.docs.hvacpartners.com/idc/groups/public/documents/techlit/omtstat-1.pdf

Hi Demetrio
Furnaces turn on and off based on what they're told by your thermostat. The thermostat, in turn, will control the furnace based on:

1. The temperature AT the thermostat.
2. What the internal heat sensor thinks the temperature of the air is.

So, if your idea of 68 degrees is what the thermostat thinks is 71 degrees (thermostat reads three degrees high), then when the air by the thermostat gets to about 65 degrees (by your account), it'll think it's 68 degrees and shut the furnace off.

Also, if the thermostat is, say, near a source of local heat, like a lamp, a big piece of electronics, a fireplace, or that place that you habitually set down your coffee, then the air right next to the thermostat may be warmer than the rest of the room, and fool it into thinking it's at it's target.

The sensor is usually inside the housing for the thermostat. If it hasn't been dusted in a while, then it can be hard for air to get inside to affect the sensor, though this would generally cause it to lag on readouts and run the temperature higher than you wanted.

If you have a digital readout, and the system is saying , hey, target is 68, and the readout gets to 66 and the system cuts off the furnace.... my only other guess is that the unit may have features that are trying to prevent overshoot - i.e. by the time the temp at the thermostat actually gets to 68, most of the room is more like 73. That'd depend on your particular thermostat. At that point, you may want to call customer service with the manufacturer and tell them the issue. There may be ways to adjust the unit to get behavior closer to what you seek.

Good Luck!

DH

Clean the flame sensor with a green scotch brite pad. Check all ground connections from the circuit board to the furnace cabinet. Check for a proper ground to the electrical box. Make sure polarity has not been reversed.

If you have it cleaned twice a year they should be able to find this problem. It is one of two thinkgs. There is a limit switch on the fan at the top (inducer) this may be weak and causing the inducer run frequently. The other is there is another limit switch it is a main limit on the fire wall it is also weak and that is why the main blower is running it is trying to cool that limit.

easy way to fine the high usage is to turn everything off and watch your meter and have someone start turning thing back on and watch for the most usage of power

any furnace with a blower will go on your electric bill but it really should'nt draw enough power to raise your bill noticably unless it's running constantly.

It sounds like you may have issues with the furnace. A qualified professional can go over the system and the house to let you know if the system and unit are properly sized. The poor performance of a furnace can be a sign of carbon buildup in the furnace.
Good luck, hope this helps.
Matt

Be sure the filter is new and clean
Check Chimney/vent to be sure it is not plugged or iced up.
Also if it has a drain be sure it is not kinked or plugged and draining correctly

Most likely the cause is that the furnace is firing too hot. When a furnace is installed and set up, the manifold gas pressure and fan speed has to be set by the technician so that the temperature rise through the furnace is a maximum of 50 deg F (i.e. if air enters the furnace at 68 deg F it come out no hotter than 118). The target temperature rise on any gas furnace is anywhere between 30 and 50 deg F. If the furnace runs too hot, either the manifold gas pressure must be turned down or the fan speed must be turned up to keep in this range.

Um Yeah IF its that cold out then of course its goona be runnin like crazy, I mean its sucking the heat out of your house like crazy when its that Freakin cold. I suppose its set a 68deg or warmer???