Heat Pump Ratings: What Are SEER, HSPF and AFUE?

When checking out heat pump ratings, most people encounter words like SEER and HSPF. Most say that the higher they are, the better would it be for the user, but how exactly does this work? Considering that SEER and HSPF are basically unknown quantities to the buyer, most individuals don't really think of this as a big factor when making their purchase. However, this is a very wrong thing to do since these rating codes factor very largely in the efficiency of the model.

That being said, following are the explanations behind ratings and how buyers can choose a model while referring to these numbers.

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio or SEER

This rating basically refers to the cooling capacity of the equipment. This is the amount of cooling output a unit produces for every watt of energy it consumes. Hence, the goal here is to have the highest cooling output possible while eating up as little energy as possible. Currently, the standard rate for SEER to be considered energy efficient is around 13 but anything higher than that is considered better. The good news is that new models all have SEER heat pump ratings higher than the prescribed amount. As for those who are using older product versions, it might be best to recheck their SEER capacity as a low one would mean a huge amount of energy wasted.

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor or HSPF

The opposite of SEER, the HSPF refers to the warming capacity of the pump. Just like SEER, it refers to the overall output of warmth by the unit divided by the total amount of energy it eats up during a certain period of time. The best models are those with the whopping HSPF rating of 10 although most models today boast of around 7.7 HSPF. Hence, be very wary of the purchase and try to find a model between 8 and 10 heat pump ratings. Just like SEER, higher means better. For those with models that were made prior to 2005, it might be best to change their heat pumps now as their ratings are bound to be lower than the standard 7.7 which was enforced the same year.

Average Fuel Utilization Efficiency or AFUE

As the name suggests, it's the amount of fuel the unit uses in order to heat up a home. The fuel heat pumps rating is basically provided in term of percentage with higher amounts considered better. It's actually pretty simple to see how it works out. For example, a unit with a 70% AFUE rating basically means that 70% of the fuel is used for heating and the other 30% is wasted fuel. Hence, those who have AFUE's of around 60% should start thinking about changing their particular unit since they're practically letting their cash be burned off.

Currently, there are heat pump ratings for AFUE that go as high as 90% or more. With this type of AFUE ratings, one will find that their utility bills would greatly decrease over the next years of its use.