Heat pumps lose capacity as outdoor temperature drops and lean on electric strip heat below roughly 35 degrees. In an Oklahoma ice event that is why the bill spikes. It is expected behavior, not a fault – but if strips are running in mild weather, the changeover setting is wrong.

You can handle this one yourself. No call needed.

Related

• Ductwork threaded through a house built for floor grates
• One central return for the whole house
• Water heater vents into the chimney and the furnace no longer does
• Silver-wrapped tape on old duct joints
• Additions still on window units
• Uninsulated walls and an oversized condenser
• Furnace runs but the house never warms evenly
• Electrical panel cannot support a modern condenser

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Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Fix earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.