Power and energy

Heat-pump COP and seasonal performance calculator

Divide delivered heat by heat-pump and included auxiliary electricity for an instantaneous COP or a seasonal performance factor.

Calculate

Performance boundary
kW
Seasonal: any energy unit gives the same factor if all three fields use it.
kW
kW

Worked example

Heating COP, instantaneous

3 

Electrical input within the boundary
100 kW
Auxiliary share of the electricity
10 %
Delivered heat
300 kW

The factor is only as complete as the entered thermal and electrical measurement boundary.

Method and assumptions

Formula

COP or SPF = delivered heat ÷ (heat-pump electricity + included auxiliary electricity)

Use rates for instantaneous COP and matching-period energies for seasonal performance.

Limits of this result

  • The result is only comparable when delivered heat and every included electrical input share the same boundary and period.
  • An instantaneous COP does not represent seasonal weather, cycling, defrost or auxiliary-heat performance.
  • A seasonal factor built from estimated heat output inherits the assumptions and uncertainty of that estimate.

Technical sources

  1. Industrial Heat Pumps for Steam and Fuel SavingsUS Department of Energy · BestPractices technical brief
  2. Decarbonizing Building Thermal SystemsUS Department of Energy Better Buildings · 2024

Put the value to work

Read the related engineering guidance, or carry this task into System Builder to identify the signal path and EpiSensor products.

On this page