Heat Pump Efficiency Ratings

Heat pumps are used for both heating and cooling of indoor air. Unlike boilers, furnaces and refrigerated air conditioning units, heat pumps move heat between the inside and outside of a building, they don’t actually produce heat or cool the air.

In the winter, heat pumps move heat from outdoors indoors. In the summer, heat pumps move heat from indoors outdoors. They typically run off of electricity, but there are some gas powered commercial heat pumps on the market as well.

Heat pumps require less energy to run than other electrical heaters because they are only moving heat not creating it. You can save as much as 50% in electrical costs by using a heat pump over an electric resistance heating unit. If you choose a heat pump with a higher efficiency rating, you can also save a lot in energy costs.

Heat pump efficiency is measured in several ways. For average sized residential and commercial heat pump units, efficiency is measured in both SEERs and HSPFs. SEERs, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios, measure the cooling efficiency of a heat pump.

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This represents how much energy a heat pump requires over a typical cooling season. The HSPF, or Heating Season Performance Factor, is used to measure the heating efficiency of these heat pumps. This represents how much energy is a heat pump requires over a typical heating season. For both efficiency ratings, a higher number means the unit requires less electricity to cool or heat a given area and is therefore more efficient.

Larger heat pump units, those with capacities over five tons, have energy efficiency ratings expressed in EER, Energy Efficiency Rating, for cooling efficiency and COP,
Coefficient of Performance, for heating efficiency. These units are primarily used in larger industrial or commercial structures.

Contrary to common assumption, heat pump efficiency ratings for both heating and cooling efficiency do not always correlate. A high SEER does not necessarily indicate a high HSPF. When buying a heat pump, you should consider when you would use it most. If you life in a warm region, you should prioritize getting a heat pump with at higher SEER. Conversely, if you live in a cooler region, you should get a heat pump with a higher HSPF.

Part 2: More on Efficient Heat Pumps

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