Guides · 2026-08-14
Does a dirty heat pump actually cost you money?
Every heat pump savings estimate — including ours — assumes the machine performs the way it was designed to. That assumption is doing a lot of work, and it quietly expires as the equipment fouls.
This is not a scare story about catastrophic failure. It is about a gradual loss of the efficiency you paid for, which shows up on a bill rather than as a breakdown.
What actually gets dirty
Three surfaces matter. The indoor coil collects a film of dust and biological growth that insulates it, so less heat transfers per pass. The blower wheel accumulates a layer on each blade, which reduces airflow and changes the fan's effective geometry. The outdoor coil collects pollen, seed fluff, dryer lint and road grit, which restricts the air the unit needs to extract heat from.
Filters are the part owners know about, and cleaning them is worth doing. But a clean filter in front of a fouled coil does not restore the coil.
Why it shows up as electricity, not as a fault
A heat pump does not announce degraded heat transfer. It compensates. The compressor runs longer and cycles differently to hit the same setpoint, and the room reaches temperature, so nothing looks wrong.
What has changed is the ratio of heat delivered to electricity consumed — the COP — which is the exact quantity every savings calculation rests on. A lower effective COP moves your real saving down from the figure you were quoted, without any visible symptom.
The signs worth acting on
Longer run times for the same comfort, weaker airflow from the indoor head, a musty smell when it starts, visible dust on the blower wheel behind the louvre, ice forming abnormally on the outdoor unit, or a heating bill that rose without a colder winter to explain it.
None of these is proof on its own. Together they are a reasonable prompt to look.
What a cleaning actually addresses
Climeo cleans the accessible components: filters, indoor coil surfaces, the blower wheel, and the drain path, with a final airflow check. Where the outdoor condenser is accessible it is cleaned too.
We are explicit about scope. This is cleaning and maintenance, not refrigerant work, and it is not a substitute for a licensed technician where a sealed-system fault is suspected. If the diagnostic points at something outside cleaning, we say so.
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FAQ
How often does a heat pump need cleaning?
For most Montreal homes and small offices an annual clean is a practical baseline, ideally before the season you rely on it most. A unit running year-round for both heating and cooling, or one in a dusty or pet-heavy environment, benefits from more frequent attention.
Can I just clean the filters myself?
Yes, and you should — it is the highest-value thing an owner can do between services. It does not reach the coil or the blower wheel, which are where the efficiency loss accumulates.
Will cleaning restore the original efficiency?
It removes the losses caused by fouling. It cannot fix undersizing, a refrigerant fault, or a poorly placed unit. We will tell you which of those we think you are looking at rather than selling a clean that will not help.