Swimming Pool Heat
Pump
Today an emerging method of heating pools is the heat pump pool heater.
A heat pump's efficiency is dependent on the outside temperature and
since pools are usually used during warm and mild weather, heat pumps
are a very efficient method of heating pools.
Heat pumps do not generate
heat, they simply capture it and move it from one place to another.
How efficient
is a swimming pool heat pump? That's not an easy question to answer. Heat pumps
don't have a simple efficiency number to work with. Their efficiency
is measured by Coefficient of Performance (COP).
Just like other
heating options, heat pumps can have low efficiencies or high efficiencies.
Their COP can range from 3.0-7.0. The higher the number the more
efficient the heat pump. What this means is that for every unit
of electricity that you put in to run the compressor, you get 3-7
units of heat out of the heat pump. These COPs are usually determined
by testing the unit with an outdoor temperature of 80ºF and
a pool temperature of 80ºF. But there is no standard test,
so you should be aware of this. The higher efficiency units usually
use scroll compressors versus the reciprocal compressors of the
standard units.
Click here for more information on Pool Heat Pumps