Heat pump performance is often below expectations and their coefficients of efficiency and ratings. Problems with poor installation, low airflow, leaky ducts or incorrect refrigerant charge are common causes of it.

On the other hand, a number of recent innovations is improving the performance of new heat pumps.

New heat pumps performance: new features

Today's heat pumps performance is two times greater than that of 20 or 30 years ago.

This improvement is a result of several technical advances and some new features (see New Heat Pumps Technology), and is expressed in their Coefficient of Performance (COP; in the case or ground source heat pumps) and their Coefficients of Efficiency (SEER and HSPF). Pay attention to them.

Air flow & Low heat pump performance

Proper air-flow is crucial. Make sure that there is about 400–500 cfm (cubic feet per minute) airflow for each ton of the heat pump's capacity.

Sometimes the increase of the airflow is obtained by increasing the fan speed or by cleaning the evaporator coil, but it may require modifications in ducts.  

Refrigeration and heat pump performance

Too much or too little refrigerant is a common cause of a lower performance. Make sure the heat pumps are correctly charged and are leak-checked during service calls.

Incorrect charging is very rare when it happens at the factory (room heat pumps and packaged heat pumps), but slip-system heat pumps levels of refrigerant charge and airflow (charged during installation) are often set incorrectly. Refrigerant temperatures and pressures should match the manufacturer's levels. Verify them with the technician...

Heat Pumps Efficiency Rating

Air source heat pumps have two specific energy-efficiency ratings, one for heating and one for cooling:

- the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF): cooling rating
- the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER): cooling rating.

The higher the HSPF and the SEER the higher the energy-efficiency of the heat pump. Advanced heat pumps have SEERs between 15 and 18 and HSBFs between 9 and 10.

When shopping, look for a SEER of 15 and HSPF of 8, or greater...

Heat pumps performance (COP)

Ground and water source heat pumps performance is measured by its Coefficient Of Performance (COP).

The COP is the relation between the heat pump's capacity to produce heat and the energy required to extract it. If a heat pump has a COP of 4 it means that it produces four times more heat than its electricity consumption. So, the higher the COP the better.

Cost and Heat Pumps Performance

In general, the higher the coefficients of efficiency and performance of the heat pumps the higher their price. But cheap heat pumps are usually the wrong choice. High-efficient heat pumps will quickly pay themselves with energy savings.

In fact, replacing a heat pump with a SEER of 8 and a HSPF of 4 with a new unit with a SEER of 16 and HSPF of 8 will cut your energy bills in half, by using half the energy to provide the same amount of heating and cooling. And that means a quick recovery of the extra investment.

Climate & the heat Pump Coefficients of performance

When assessing the heat pump rating take also into account your climate conditions.

As said before, new efficient heat pumps have SEERs between 14 and 18 and HSPFs between 8 and 10. But in warmer climates the SEER coefficient is more important than the HSPF, while in colder climate the HSPF coefficient is more important… And obviously, you should focus on what is more important in your case…

Energy Star Heat Pumps Rating

In USA or Canada the easiest way to choose a good heat pump is to look an Energy Star model. Energy Star is listing over 750 certified models...

In Europe see UE eco-labeling & Heat Pumps. Or Eurovent, Promotelec, CE Mark, P-Mark (Sweden), D-A-CH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria)

See also, for more information: UK Heat Pump Network (UK), European Heat Pump Network, Earth Energy Society Canada

See: Heat Pump Selection and Buying

Heat Pump Manufacturers

Many heat pump manufacturers are also well known air-conditioner manufacturers: Carrier, York, Danfoss, Daikin, Sanyo, etc. See: Heat Pumps Manufacturers and Associations.

See also:
New Heat Pumps