Expert HVAC guidance for Polk County, FL homeowners from Top Notch Air Conditioning & Heating
Florida winters are mild compared to the rest of the country, but Polk County still sees cold snaps with overnight lows in the 30s–40s that require reliable heating. Most Florida homes use heat pumps that provide both cooling and heating — the same system that cools your home in summer reverses to provide efficient heating in winter. Optimizing your heat pump for Florida winter means proper thermostat settings, ensuring the reversing valve functions correctly, and maintaining the system so it is ready when cold weather arrives. Call (863) 875-5500 for a heating inspection.
Nearly all Florida homes are equipped with heat pump systems rather than the gas furnaces common in northern states. A heat pump is a refrigeration system that can run in reverse — in cooling mode, it moves heat from inside your home to outside; in heating mode, it reverses the refrigerant flow and moves heat from outside air into your home. Even when outdoor air is 45°F, there is enough heat energy in that air for a heat pump to extract and use for heating.
Heat pumps are exceptionally well-suited for Florida's climate. In heating mode, they deliver 2–4 times more energy in heat than the electricity they consume — a coefficient of performance (COP) of 2–4 vs. 1.0 for electric resistance heating. For Polk County's mild winters, where heating loads are modest and outdoor temperatures rarely fall below 35°F for extended periods, a heat pump handles all heating demands efficiently without supplemental heat.
Where homeowners sometimes encounter issues is during the occasional severe cold snap — the few nights each winter when temperatures drop to the mid-30s or lower. Below about 35–40°F, heat pump efficiency decreases and most units activate a supplemental electric resistance element (emergency heat or auxiliary heat) to maintain setpoint. This is normal, expected, and not a sign of a failing system. The important thing is that this should be infrequent — if your system is running in supplemental heat regularly during mild winter weather, that warrants investigation.
Set your thermostat to 68–72°F when home and 65°F when sleeping or away. Avoid large temperature setbacks (dropping below 65°F) as heat pumps are less efficient at recovering from large temperature deficits than gas furnaces. Small, consistent setbacks are more efficient with heat pump systems.
Florida homes often have significant air leakage around doors, windows, and attic penetrations that are tolerated in summer because the AC handles it. In winter, those same air leaks let in cold air that the heat pump must counteract. Weatherstripping doors, sealing window gaps, and checking attic hatch seals can meaningfully reduce heating costs.
Most ceiling fans have a reverse mode (clockwise rotation in winter) that pushes warm air that collects near the ceiling back down into the living space. On Florida's high-ceiling homes, this can meaningfully reduce heating load in the main living areas. Run fans on low speed in winter reverse mode.
Clean filters are as important in heating mode as in cooling. Restricted airflow reduces heat pump efficiency and can stress the system's electrical components. Check your filter monthly even in winter — Florida's dry-season air carries dust and pollen year-round.
Florida's winter sun is a genuine heating asset. Open south- and west-facing window coverings during sunny daytime hours to admit solar heat, and close them after sunset to retain warmth. This simple habit can reduce heating load by 10–15% on sunny winter days.
Request a heating mode check during your fall maintenance visit — verify the reversing valve, check heating capacity at low outdoor temperatures, and confirm the auxiliary heat element is functioning correctly but not activating unnecessarily during mild weather. Top Notch Air Conditioning & Heating's Yeti Club members receive this check automatically.
Florida homes are typically designed for cooling efficiency rather than heating insulation — which means winter heating can be surprisingly inefficient in older homes with inadequate attic insulation or leaky ductwork. The same ductwork leaks that rob cooling efficiency in summer also rob heating efficiency in winter, wasting conditioned air in unconditioned attic spaces.
If your home struggles to maintain comfortable temperatures on cold winter nights despite a properly functioning heat pump, ductwork leakage is a likely culprit. Top Notch Air Conditioning & Heating can perform a duct leakage assessment as part of a service visit — ductwork sealing or replacement can recover 20–30% of wasted heating and cooling energy in leaky Florida homes. Our Energy Saving Tips for Florida guide covers this topic in more detail.
Most Florida homes use a heat pump — a single system that provides both cooling in summer and heating in winter by reversing the refrigerant cycle. Heat pumps are exceptionally efficient for heating in Florida's mild winters because they move heat from outdoor air (even in cool temperatures) rather than generating heat electrically. A properly functioning heat pump should keep your home comfortable through all but the coldest Polk County nights.
For heating in Florida winter, most homeowners find 68–72°F comfortable. Setting your thermostat to 68°F when home and 65°F when sleeping provides comfort while minimizing energy use. Unlike the North, Florida winters have minimal heating hours — the cost difference between 68°F and 72°F is small, so prioritize comfort within reason.
Emergency heat (also called auxiliary or backup heat) is a secondary electric resistance heating element that supplements or replaces heat pump heating when outdoor temperatures are too low for efficient heat pump operation. In Florida, this should rarely activate — our winters are typically mild enough for the heat pump to handle alone. If your system is running in emergency heat frequently, the heat pump may have a reversing valve issue or refrigerant problem that warrants a service call.
Your central heat pump is almost certainly more energy-efficient than space heaters for whole-home or multi-room heating. Space heaters make sense for spot-heating a single room when you want to avoid heating the whole house — but for heating two or more rooms, the heat pump wins on efficiency. In Florida, where heating hours are minimal, the cost difference is small, but the heat pump remains the better choice for comfort and efficiency.
Heat pumps in heating mode supply air at 90–100°F — significantly warmer than room temperature, but cooler than the 120–130°F that a gas furnace produces. This is normal and efficient. If the air from your vents feels noticeably cold in heating mode, there may be a refrigerant issue, a reversing valve problem, or the system may be going into defrost mode (which temporarily reverses to clear frost from the outdoor coil — a normal but brief cold-air period).