Understanding SEER And HSPF Ratings For Heat Pumps
Winter is approaching, and, just like clockwork the phone is ringing off of the hook with homeowners wanting to get estimates for new heat pumps. Everyone wants to know what manufacturer is offering the best heat pump ratings. I am honest with them and tell them that we sell brands that we know are trusted and that run well but that the only way to fairly compare heat pumps is by knowing the specifics of their home.
The size of the home and the amount of insulation in the home may affect the choice of a heat pump, as it will affect the choice of something like a wood burning stove or window air conditioner. Most experts agree that you should have one ton of air conditioning for every 400 to 500 square feet in your home. Bigger is not necessarily better and you may find an oversized heat pump will not run often enough to keep you comfortable in summer or winter. In order to assess the best heat pump many things need to be taken into consideration. SEER ratings is one of them, a well as HSPF ratings.
When most homeowners are looking for the best rated heat pumps they look at SEER ratings. According to Wikipedia SEER is "Performance rating of unitary air condition and air source heat pump equipment." Simply, the higher the SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio the more efficient the unit is. But, there is one thing you need to know about the SEER rating. The SEER rating only refers to the cooling efficiency of the unit. If you want to make a truly informed decision about the unit you also need to look at the HSPF or Heating Season Performance Factor. This is measured by what is called coefficient of performance. This ratio takes into consideration how much heat output is provided by each unit of electricity used.
Today's heat pumps have SEER ratings of about 14. If you're replacing a unit that is about ten years old the SEER of your old unit is probably about 7. You will definitely notice a big increase in energy savings. As far as choosing the best rated heat pump based on HSPF? An HSPF rating of 5, 6, or 7 are considered good. Today you'll find many manufacturers combining SEER/HSPF ratings.
Some of the highest heat pump ratings come from the most trusted manufacturers such as Trane, Goodman Carrier and Lennox. Trane heat pump models offer ultra efficiency units such as the XL19i and XL16i, super efficiency units XL15i and XL14i, as well as several high efficiency units and standard efficiency units. The Trane Ultra Efficiency Unit XL19i offers an HSPF of 8.9.
Other highly rated heat pumps are offered by Rheem. They offer a Prestige Series with a SEER of 16, a Classic Series with a SEER of 14 as well as a Value Line Series. They offer HSPF information on their consumer literature.
As with any new appliance you buy for your home look for the Energy Star Rating.
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