I have a heat pump system with an air handler inside and the compressor/heat pump unit outside.
I was switching out thermostats and noticed that the white wire coming from the thermostat was not hooked up to anything inside the air handler, and in the air handler the white (aux electric heat) was also not hooked up. Did they purposely unhook this to save money?
I understand that a heatpump will cost less than running the electric heat strips.
If I wanted electric heat I can just run the emerg heat setting. That's a no brainer!
But is it common for someone to unhook the aux heat?

Sometimes it is done at the request of the customer.
Sometimes there is no heating element in the furnace to start with.
Most do not come with a heater it has to be added.