What is cycling?
You might see you pump came on and off a few times per hour. This is something called "cycling".
There are various forms of cycling.
Cycling at low flow temperatures and low compressor frequency
Cycling at high flow temperature and high compressor frequency, which is aggressive on / off
What does this mean?
While there is consensus in the industry that the aggressive cycling indeed is bad for the heat pump, there isn't consensus on the "soft" cycling. There is no hard data or proof out there that this reduces the lifetime of the heat pump.
Soft cycling happens when little heat is required, e.g., during mild periods, and when the heat pump's minimum output is higher than the heat required. As a result, the heat pump will turn on/off, so that the average heat output over the period matches the heat required.
I want to reduce cycling, how can I do that?
If you do want to reduce the cycling with Havenwise, you can turn off the optimisation for tariff in the app. In it's core mode of operation Havenwise to make the most of your tariff's cheap rates, if it has them. As a result of pre-heating, less heat is required during more expensive times, which then leads to a bit more "soft" cycling. If you disable the time of use optimisation, you'll notice less cycling.