Aux Heat vs Emergency Heat on a Heat Pump Thermostat
Aux heat comes on by itself to help a heat pump; emergency heat is a manual switch for a failed heat pump. When each is normal in Minnesota and what it costs.
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Heating & Cooling in Savage, MN
Savage was a small river town until the Bloomington Ferry Bridge opened in 1996, and the city more than doubled during the 1990s, so a large share of its houses date from about 1990 to 2010.
HVAC service in Savage, MN
We repair and replace furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, boilers and ductless mini-splits in Savage and across Scott County. Every visit starts with a $79 trip charge and a written price before any work, and the $79 is waived when you go ahead with the repair.
- County
- Scott County
- ZIP code
- 55378
- Natural gas
- CenterPoint Energy
- From downtown Minneapolis
- about 14 miles
Savage homes get electricity from either Xcel Energy or Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, depending on the address.
Updated September 23, 2026
What HVAC problems do we see most in Savage?
- Replacing original R-22 air conditioners in 1990s and 2000s homes
- Condensate pump replacements and drain rerouting in finished basements
- Furnace and AC replacements in townhome associations
- Two-stage furnace upgrades for two-stories with uneven floors
Around town: Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve · Credit River · Minnesota River · Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge · Minnesota Highway 13
Book in SavageWhat are Savage homes like to heat and cool?
Savage had fewer than 400 residents in 1950 and about 32,000 by 2020, so the old river town is a small corner of today's city. The older houses near downtown and Highway 13 date from the Hamilton and Dan Patch years onward, with the patchwork of additions and heating upgrades that a century of owners leaves behind. Nearly everything else went up from the 1970s on, with the heaviest building in the years around the 1996 opening of the Bloomington Ferry Bridge.
Terrain decides a lot. Many houses on the bluffs above the Minnesota River and along the Credit River are walkouts, with a finished lower level opening to the yard, the furnace tucked into a small mechanical room, and a long duct run to the upstairs bedrooms. Many 1990s houses were built with a condensing furnace and central air from the start, so a whole generation of original equipment is aging out at once.
Winter in Savage
On clear, still winter nights, cold air drains down into the Minnesota River valley, and homes on low ground near the river and the Credit can sit noticeably colder than houses up the hill. Walkout lower levels facing the valley lose heat through big patio doors. In many split-entries and walkouts the bedrooms are on the lower level, and Minnesota law requires a working CO alarm within 10 feet of each one, so check those before the furnace starts running hard.
Summer in Savage
A walkout with a wall of glass on the back gets complicated in July. Where that glass faces west or south, the main floor and upstairs heat up through the afternoon while the finished lower level stays cool and humid, and a thermostat on the main floor reads fine the whole time. Cottonwood fluff from the river bottoms clogs condenser coils in June. When an original 1990s air conditioner fails, a matched condenser and coil with a variable-speed blower handles these uneven houses better than a straight swap.
Which utilities and rebates apply in Savage?
Every Savage home with gas service is a CenterPoint Energy customer, so furnace, boiler and thermostat rebates follow CenterPoint's rules: any dealer, filed in the same calendar year as the install. Electric programs split by address. Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative members should know its AC rebate requires the unit to be on the co-op's load-control program and its heat pump rebate requires a metered off-peak connection, both of which change the wiring. Xcel customers should ask whether a rebate needs a registered contractor.
Rebate programs change every year; check the utility's current terms before you buy. Our guides: Xcel and CenterPoint rebates, heat pump rebates, what happened to the federal credits.
Most-requested in Savage
Furnace repair in Savage In Savage, a furnace repair visit begins with a $79 trip charge that is waived when you approve the repair, and we write out the flat-rate price before doing any work. Furnace replacement in Savage Our installed price for a new furnace in Savage runs $4,500–$9,500, with 80% AFUE models near $4,500–$6,000 and 96–98% condensing models near $6,500–$9,500. AC repair in Savage When the AC quits in Savage, the visit starts with a $79 trip charge, waived when you approve the repair, and a written flat-rate price before any parts go in. AC replacement in Savage Savage homeowners pay $5,200–$9,800 installed for a central AC replacement with us, written and flat-rate.
All services in Savage
Savage HVAC questions
Who repairs furnaces and air conditioners in Savage, MN?
Central Minnesota Heating and Cooling serves Savage and the rest of Scott County, about 14 miles from downtown Minneapolis. We repair and replace furnaces, central air, heat pumps, boilers and ductless mini-splits, and we're open 7 days, 7am–9pm. Call 612-429-3465.
How much does an HVAC service call cost in Savage?
A flat $79 trip charge, waived when you approve the repair. Written price before any work; same prices in every town we serve. Installed prices are on our pricing page.
Our Savage AC is from the late 1990s and uses R-22. Repair or replace?
Check the label on the outdoor unit first. R-22 hasn't been produced or imported since January 1, 2020, so recharging means buying reclaimed refrigerant, which is expensive. A small electrical repair can still make sense. A refrigerant leak on an R-22 system that old is usually where we'd quote a replacement, which now comes with a lower-GWP refrigerant such as R-454B or R-32.
The little pump next to our Savage furnace keeps failing. Why?
That's a condensate pump. A high-efficiency furnace and the AC coil both drain water, and in a finished basement the floor drain is often too far away or behind a wall, so a small pump lifts the water to it. Pumps fail from algae buildup, a stuck float or a worn motor. We clean the lines, add a safety switch that shuts the system off before an overflow, and reroute the drain by gravity where the layout allows.
What does it mean to put our Savage AC on Minnesota Valley Electric's load-control program?
MVEC pays its AC rebate only when the air conditioner is connected to its load-control program. A control device lets the co-op cycle the outdoor unit during peak summer demand, so the house may warm slightly on the hottest afternoons. You have to stay enrolled for at least one control season, June through September, or repay the rebate. Ask MVEC about current rates and terms before we size the new unit.
Our Savage two-story has an open foyer, and upstairs is hot while the main floor is cold. Why?
Open two-story foyers and great rooms let warm air rise and collect near the ceiling, so the second floor gets the heat in winter and the extra sun load in summer. A high return near the top of the open space pulls that air back to the furnace, and running the blower on a low continuous speed mixes the floors. Ceiling fans help. Zoning is the bigger fix when the ducts can support it.
Also serving near Savage
- Burnsville, MN 3 mi
- Bloomington, MN 5 mi
- Prior Lake, MN 6 mi
- Apple Valley, MN 7 mi
- Richfield, MN 8 mi
- Edina, MN 8 mi
- Eden Prairie, MN 8 mi
- Eagan, MN 8 mi
Guides for Savage homeowners
Integrated HVAC Smoke Detection: How Duct Detectors and Fan Shutdown Work
Most homes don't need a duct smoke detector; Minnesota's code applies above 2,000 cfm. How they shut the fan down, and why smoke and CO alarms come first.
Read the guideHeat Pump vs Electric Baseboard Heat in Minnesota
Is a ductless heat pump worth adding to a Minnesota baseboard house? How the two compare, where the heads go, thermostat settings, winter backup and cost.
Read the guide- How Many Tons of AC Does a Minneapolis House Need?Cooling
- Fall Furnace Checklist: What You Can Do Yourself Before WinterMaintenance
- Furnace Won't Ignite: Find Where the Startup StopsHeating
Brands we service in Savage: AirEase · Amana · American Standard · Ameristar · Aprilaire · Arcoaire · Armstrong Air · Bosch · Broan-NuTone · Bryant · Buderus · Burnham · Carrier · Champion · Coleman · Comfortmaker · Concord · Daikin · Day & Night · Ducane · ecobee · Frigidaire · Fujitsu · Gibson · Goodman · Google Nest · Gree · Heil · Honeywell Home · Lennox · LG · Lifebreath · Lochinvar · Luxaire · Maytag · Midea · Mitsubishi Electric · MrCool · Navien · NTI · Payne · Peerless · Rheem · Rinnai · RunTru · Ruud · Samsung · Santa Fe · Tempstar · Trane · Triangle Tube · Utica Boilers · Viessmann · Weil-McLain · Westinghouse · York
Contact Us
Heat out in Savage? Call or send a request.