Video · Heat Pumps and Heat Strips
Heat Strips: The Backup Heat Inside Your Heat Pump's Air Handler
Heat strips are electric heating coils inside the air handler that kick in when a heat pump can't keep up on its own. They keep the house warm on the coldest days but use a lot of electricity.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Heat Pumps and Heat Strips
- Length
- 0:34
- Posted
- October 4, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
In a utility room, a young tech in a navy work jacket and shoe covers starts at the air handler, the indoor cabinet of a heat pump system, connecting its condensate drain. That line carries away the water the coil pulls out of the air in summer.
Next he unboxes an electric heat strip kit and works inside the open air handler cabinet to fit it. The strip is a set of resistance coils, the same idea as a toaster, that heats the air as the blower moves it past.
Why it matters in your house
- Heat pump heat strips run on cold mornings, during defrost cycles and in emergency heat mode. If your thermostat shows AUX all day in mild weather, the heat pump itself may need attention.
- Heat strips are sized in kilowatts to match the house and the air handler. Too small and you're cold on the worst nights. Too big and the breaker and wiring have to carry it.
- Heat pump backup heat is expensive to run for long stretches. A heat pump that's working well should carry most of the load most of the winter.
When do heat strips turn on with a heat pump?
When the heat pump alone can't keep up, usually on very cold days or when the thermostat setting jumps several degrees at once. They also run briefly during defrost so you don't get a blast of cool air. Emergency heat mode runs them by themselves. Long stretches of strip heat show up on the electric bill.
Want it done at your place? See Heat Pumps and Heat Strips at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
More videos from the SwiftPro crew
0:46Side Discharge Heat Pump Paired With a Gas Furnace: A Dual Fuel Install
0:39Heat Strip Replacement in an Air Handler, Tested Before and After
1:31Heat Pump Air Handler Swap in an Attic Near 100 Degrees
0:13Attic Air Handler Replacement, Seen From the Duct Side
0:34Dirty Furnace Filter or Tired Furnace? Why Heating Bills Climb
0:29Why Is My House So Dusty? Start at the Floor Register