Determining Heat Pump Swimming Pool Heater Efficiency
The energy efficiency of heat pump swimming
pool heaters is measured by coefficient of performance (COP). The higher the
COP number, the more efficient. However, there is no standard test for
measuring the COP. Therefore, you really can't compare the COPs of different
models unless you know that the manufacturers used the same test for each
model. For example, the same heat pump will operate at a higher COP when the
outside air temperature is higher.
Typically, manufacturers measure the COP by
testing a heat pump pool heater with an outdoor temperature of 80ºF and pool
temperature of 80ºF. COPs usually range from 3.0 to 7.0, which converts to
an efficiency of 300%–700%. This means that for every unit of electricity it
takes to runs the compressor, you get 3–7 units of heat out of the heat
pump.
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