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Most people use their heat pump on one setting and never touch the rest of the remote, which means paying for a machine that can do far more than they realise. Those little symbols, a sun, a snowflake, a water drop, a fan, are not decoration. Each is a mode designed for a specific job, and knowing what they do lets you stay comfortable, dry out a damp room, and cut your running costs, all from the remote in your hand. Here is what every symbol means and when to use it.
The main heat pump modes are Heat (a sun symbol) to warm a room, Cool (a snowflake) to cool it, Dry or Dehumidify (a water drop) to remove moisture without much cooling, Fan (a fan symbol) to circulate air without heating or cooling, and Auto (an A or two arrows) which switches between heating and cooling to hold a set temperature. The remote also controls fan speed, the louvre swing, and a timer. Using the right mode for the job keeps you comfortable and your running costs down.
Here is a plain-English guide to the symbols and settings.
| Symbol | Mode | What it does and when to use it |
| Sun | Heat | Warms the room. Your main winter setting |
| Snowflake | Cool | Cools the room in summer |
| Water drop | Dry or dehumidify | Removes moisture with minimal cooling, ideal for damp days |
| Fan | Fan only | Circulates air without heating or cooling, and dries the unit out |
| A or two arrows | Auto | Automatically switches between heating and cooling to hold a set temperature |
The sun is your winter workhorse, the mode that draws warmth from the outside air and delivers it inside. Set it to a sensible temperature, around 18 to 21 degrees for living areas, rather than cranking it high, since a higher number does not heat the room any faster and just costs more to run. Heat mode is where most of your heat pump use happens through the colder months, and using it well is the biggest lever on your winter bill, as our guide to heat pump running costs explains.
The snowflake reverses the process, drawing heat out of the room to cool it in summer. As with heating, set the temperature you actually want rather than the coldest possible setting, and let the unit hold it steadily. Cool mode also dehumidifies as a side effect, which is why a room often feels fresher as well as cooler.
The water drop is the most underused and most useful mode in a New Zealand home. Dry, or dehumidify, mode removes moisture from the air with only minimal cooling, which is perfect for those damp, muggy days and clammy spring mornings when the room does not need cooling but does need drying out. It helps reduce that heavy, humid feeling and can take the edge off condensation and musty air, though for a persistently damp home, proper ventilation does the heavy lifting. Reach for dry mode when the air feels damp rather than hot or cold.
Fan mode simply circulates the air without heating or cooling it, which is handy for freshening a stuffy room on a mild day when you do not need the temperature changed. It has a second, quietly valuable use: running the fan for a while after cooling helps dry out the damp inside of the unit, which discourages the mould and bacteria behind a musty heat-pump smell. Making a habit of a short fan-mode run, alongside regular filter cleaning covered in our maintenance guide, keeps the unit fresher.
Auto mode lets the heat pump decide, switching between heating and cooling as needed to hold the temperature you set. It is genuinely useful in the shoulder seasons, spring and autumn, when a day can start cold and warm up, since the unit keeps the room comfortable without you touching it. Some people prefer to choose heat or cool themselves in the depths of winter or summer for more control, but for hands-off comfort in changeable weather, auto is hard to beat.
Beyond the modes, a few controls make a real difference. Fan speed, often shown as bars or an auto setting, lets you trade quiet for output; auto fan is usually the efficient choice. The swing or louvre control aims the airflow, and pointing it down in heat mode helps warm air reach you rather than gathering at the ceiling. The timer lets you warm or cool the room just before you need it rather than running the unit all day. And many models add a sleep or econo mode for gentle overnight running, and a powerful or turbo mode for a quick blast. Features vary by model, so it is worth knowing what yours offers, something our comparison of the best heat pump brands touches on.
A few simple habits get the most from these settings. In winter, use heat mode at a steady 18 to 21 degrees on auto fan rather than blasting it high, and aim the louvres down so warm air reaches you. In summer, use cool mode at a sensible temperature, not the coldest setting. Reach for dry mode on those damp, muggy days when the room needs drying rather than heating or cooling. Run fan mode for a while after cooling to dry the unit and keep smells at bay. Use auto in the changeable spring and autumn months so the unit balances heating and cooling for you. And lean on the timer so the heat pump only runs when you are there to feel it, which is one of the easiest ways to trim your bill.
Your heat pump is more versatile than the single button you probably use. Learn what the sun, snowflake, water drop, fan and auto symbols do, add in the timer and fan settings, and you can dial in exactly the comfort you want, dry out a damp room, and keep your running costs down, all without spending a cent.
Varcoe has installed and serviced heat pumps across Auckland since 1975, so if you are unsure what your model can do or want it running at its best, get in touch, call us on 0800 088 888, or email info@varcoe.co.nz.
The main ones are a sun for heat, a snowflake for cool, a water drop for dry or dehumidify, a fan for fan-only, and an A or two arrows for auto. The remote also controls fan speed, the louvre swing and a timer. Each mode is designed for a specific job.
Dry, or dehumidify, mode removes moisture from the air with only minimal cooling. It is ideal for damp, muggy days when the room does not need cooling but does need drying out, and it helps with that heavy, humid feeling and some condensation.
Fan mode just circulates the air without changing its temperature, which freshens a stuffy room and helps dry out the unit. Cool mode actively removes heat to lower the room temperature. Fan mode uses very little power because it is not heating or cooling.
Auto mode is great in changeable shoulder-season weather, since it switches between heating and cooling to hold your set temperature without you adjusting it. In the depths of winter or summer, some people prefer to select heat or cool directly for more control.
Fan mode uses the least power because it only circulates air. Among heating and cooling, running at a sensible steady temperature, around 18 to 21 degrees in heat mode, on auto fan, is the most efficient way to stay comfortable without a high bill.
The snowflake is cool mode, which lowers the room temperature in summer by drawing heat out of the room. It also dehumidifies as a side effect, so the room often feels fresher as well as cooler.
From choosing the right unit to running the one you have, our Auckland team can help you get it right.
