When choosing a cooling and heating system, it is natural to look for one that is energy efficient. However, you may not understand the technical jargon used by manufacturers.

Obviously, each product will state that it is the best and most energy efficient in the market. Heat pumps are the most, if not only, efficient way of heating your home using electricity. Since this is the case, there are a number of ways you can find out if a heat pump is actually energy efficient or not.

Energy Star

Look for a pump that is energy star compliant. They will have an ‘Energy Star®’ label somewhere visible.

The manual should also state that the product is energy start complaint. Some heat pumps have a tendency of icing up when temperatures are between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius.

With an energy star heat pump, this is not the case. If you are living in cooler climates, request your supplier for the latest energy star compliant models, or ask is the heating pump you want performs well in your region.

Understanding Numbers

Every heat pump comes with two labels that are used to know more about the performance of the heat pump:
  • Power input: is the amount of power (in kW) used to produce hot or cool air
  • Capacity input: is the amount of cooling or heating (in kW) you will get from the heat pump The numbers can be used to figure out the heating efficiency of any heat pump. The pump will be more efficient with a higher ratio. The calculations are as follows:
  • EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio): this is the ratio between the cooling output and input. For instance, 3.45 divided by 1.21 = 2.81
  • COP (Coefficient of Performance): this is the ratio between capacity output and heating power input. For example, 4.25 divided by 1.54 = 2.75

SEER Rating

Today, a high efficiency heat pump is considered to be the most energy efficient method for cooling or heating a home. For every single unit of energy used by your heat pump, it will offer an approximate of 2 to 3 units of cool or heat. Heat pumps are rated using SEER or seasonal energy efficiency ratio.

The heat pump will have a lower cost of operation and a higher energy efficiency if it has a high SEER. According to the Energy Right Solutions Manufactured Homes Program, a 13 SEER unit is the required minimum.

Get your Dundalk, MD home ready by installing a heat pump. Just call Reliability Home at (443) 399-8663 today, and get ready for the winter season.