1)I live in the Raleigh, NC area. Is the heat pump still considered efficient when it continues to run, and if so, how?

2)At what temp should the heat strips usually be turned on?

I live in the Raleigh, NC area. Is the heat pump still considered efficient when it continues to run, and if so, how?

Only efficient down to the balance point which is different for various parts of the country.

At what temp should the heat strips usually be turned on?

Heat strips can turn on at any time they are necessary. When the heat pump goes into defrost they will usually come on and when the heat pump hits the balance point they will come on to maintain the temperature selected on the thermostat.

Now if someone turns the thermostat all the way up they will also come on.

There is no etched in stone answer to your question since the strip heater operation depend upon different factors.

I live in the Raleigh, NC area. Is the heat pump still considered efficient when it continues to run, and if so, how?

Only efficient down to the balance point which is different for various parts of the country.

At what temp should the heat strips usually be turned on?

Heat strips can turn on at any time they are necessary. When the heat pump goes into defrost they will usually come on and when the heat pump hits the balance point they will come on to maintain the temperature selected on the thermostat.

Now if someone turns the thermostat all the way up they will also come on.

There is no etched in stone answer to your question since the strip heater operation depend upon different factors.
In order for the heat strips to work, the switch has to be moved to the emergency heat position. If I move it there and leave it to come on at its own discretion, won't it use that function more than necessary?

Real simple. You have to heat your house to a comfortable level for you. If you have to use the emergency heat function to stay warm it means that the heat pump is not working as it is supposed to OR the outdoor temperature has past the set point where the heat pump can no longer keep up.

Now with that said you have to decide to turn on the heat to keep warm OR call for on site service to see if your system is having a problem.

These are the basic facts of a heat pump system. If you want more info I suggest you Google heat pump since there are 1000 different subject matters that may better explain to you the operation.