Best Heat Pump Buying Guide - Consumer Reports

The most common type of heat pump, called an air-source heat pump, works by absorbing heat from the air and moving it either from outdoors to indoors (in heating mode) or vice versa (in cooling mode). It’s the same way an air conditioner works, and in cooling mode, air-source heat pumps work identically to ACs. The two types of appliances look similar, are generally manufactured by the same companies, and use almost all the same parts. Heat pumps just have a few small differences that allow them to move heat in two directions, in and out.

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Until relatively recently, air-source heat pumps were predominantly used only in the southern U.S., where they’re a natural fit for hot summers and mild winters. But the technology has improved, making air-source heat pumps a practical choice almost anywhere in the country, even in places with cold winters. As counterintuitive as it seems, there’s always some free heat energy in the air, even on frigid winter days. Today’s cold-climate heat pumps can efficiently collect that free heat and move it into your home.

That’s why heat pumps offer a lower-carbon way to heat your home than other options, even if they run on electricity that’s mostly generated by fossil fuels. When they’re powered by renewable energy, whether that’s solar or a cleaner grid, they become even more sustainable. Because of their energy savings and environmental benefits, some states and utility companies offer rebates or other incentives to homeowners who install heat pumps.

You can use a heat pump as the sole heating and cooling appliance in your home or combine a heat pump with an existing heating system. Many homes with existing ductwork for forced-air HVAC systems can be adapted to heat pumps. Ductless heat pump systems, called mini-splits, can provide heating and cooling in a home without ducts or add climate control to rooms that the main system doesn’t reach.

Living with a heat pump is a bit different from using a traditional heating system. A modern heat pump is most efficient when your thermostat is set at a constant temperature. It actually saves energy if you don’t turn it down overnight. They also blow cooler air than furnaces and run almost constantly at a low level rather than blasting heat for short periods throughout the day. Good insulation and air sealing of your home and duct system are important regardless of how you heat your home, but they’re even more beneficial with heat pumps.  

In the U.S., we typically use air-source heat pumps and, most often, a subset known as air-to-air heat pumps. That means they absorb and release heat from the air (rather than water or earth) and deliver heating or cooling to homes through a forced-air system (rather than radiators). Among air-to-air heat pumps, two types are most common in residential homes.

Ducted Air-Source Heat Pumps
This type of heat pump looks and operates a lot like a central AC. There’s an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, both of which have aluminum fins and coils to release or collect heat, connected by a refrigerant line filled with fluid that transports heat between the two units. The outdoor unit also has a compressor, which compresses and circulates the refrigerant. The indoor unit hooks up to ducts inside your home, and a blower circulates the warm or cool air through those ducts and out of air vents placed around your house. According to CR’s member surveys, the overall median price paid for the purchase and installation of a ducted heat pump between and was $8,348. Most homeowners choose a 3-ton-capacity heat pump, which is good for about a 2,000-square-foot home, according to HomeAdvisor, a home-improvement services marketplace.

Ductless (aka Mini-Split) Air-Source Heat Pumps
This is a common, straightforward way to add a heat pump to a house or section of a house that doesn’t have ducts. Instead of relying on ductwork to move warm or cold air through a house, it connects to one or more individual indoor air handlers, or “heads,” which are installed throughout the home. The air-handler heads are usually placed high on a wall, but for homeowners who don’t like the look or don’t have the space, there are heads that can be placed inside the ceiling or floor. Mini-splits are also more energy-efficient than ducted heat pumps because they avoid the energy losses associated with ductwork. CR doesn’t have enough brand-specific data yet to report on the prices members paid to purchase and install ductless mini-splits. According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost to install one unit is $3,000, but the price could range from $2,000 to $6,000 depending on how it’s mounted and installed. For multiple mini-splits, plan to spend up to about $14,500, depending on home size, heat pump capacity, type of heat pump, and how many units you choose.

Other Types of Heat Pumps
There are a few other types of heat pumps that have proved to work well in some situations but are less common than air-source heat pumps.

Ground-source or geothermal heat pumps absorb and release heat underground, where the temperature is a constant 50° F to 60° F all year. They are highly efficient because they don’t have to compensate for big temperature swings the way air-source heat pumps do. But because the heat-exchanging pipes are buried underground (either horizontally or vertically), ground-source systems can be impractical for small lots or those with certain types of soil or landscapes. Ground-source systems can cost from $6,000 to $30,000 or more. Federal and local incentives can reduce the cost significantly, and the systems are so energy-efficient that the savings from your utility bills could offset the cost of installation within 10 years, even by conservative estimates.

Water-source heat pumps work like ground-source systems, except they’re laid at the bottom of a pond rather than underground. If you have an appropriate body of water on your property, these can be easier and less expensive to install than ground-source systems.

Air-to-water heat pumps use outdoor units similar to air-to-air models, but they distribute heat through a hot-water radiator system. They’re common in much of Europe but not currently in the U.S., even though many homes in the Northeast and Midwest rely on hydronic radiators for heat. 

You already have one and need to replace it. If your home already relies on a heat pump and you’re happy with it, the simplest thing to do when it wears out (generally after 10 to 15 years of service) is to replace it with a similar model, which will likely be more efficient. CR members can see which brands of ducted heat pumps make their owners the happiest, based on data we’ve collected from our member survey.

You need to replace your central AC (or add new built-in air conditioning). In cooling mode, a heat pump works exactly like an air conditioner. The installation process for both systems is essentially the same, too. The cost of installing a heat pump tends to be higher than it is for installing a central AC with a similar efficiency rating and capacity, though the exact amount can vary. Some state governments and utility companies offer tax incentives or cash rebates if you install a heat pump, mitigating some of the cost.

So if you’re replacing (or adding) an AC anyway, whether it’s a central system or a room unit, it may make sense to pay a little extra for a heat pump and keep your existing heating system as a backup for the coldest days and reap the rewards of high-efficiency heating on the milder days of the year. (More on this kind of hybrid system later.)

You want to add heat to a chilly room. A ductless mini-split heat pump is an affordable and effective way to add climate control to parts of your house where the main system may not reach—such as a finished attic, garage workshop, or home addition.

You heat with “delivered” fuels like propane or heating oil, an electric-resistance furnace, or electric baseboard heaters. These are all expensive ways to heat a home, and depending on such factors as where you live and the cost of electricity, you’re likely to save money over time if you switch to a heat pump, even when you include the cost of installing it.

You want to significantly reduce your carbon footprint. Almost half of a typical home’s energy use goes toward heating. So anything you do to heat more efficiently, and with cleaner sources of energy, will go a long way toward making your home more sustainable. Switching from a gas furnace to an electric-powered heat pump will reduce a home’s heating-related carbon emissions by an average of 40 percent, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. It’s one of the most impactful ways to reduce your carbon footprint, and it doesn’t require a lifestyle change.

Your home has ductwork. More than half of all homes in the U.S. already use ducts to distribute heating and cooling. A ducted heat pump can be connected to the existing ductwork to provide whole-home heating and cooling. The only caveat: Leaky, uninsulated ducts are bad for any heating system, but especially for heat pumps.

You live somewhere with heat pump subsidies. Heat pumps—particularly models that work well in very cold climates—may cost more upfront than other types of heating appliances. For example, CR members surveyed paid a median price of $8,348 to purchase and install a heat pump vs. $6,221 for gas furnaces. And sources we spoke to said whole-house heat pumps for cold climates can easily cost more than $10,000. But with state or utility-based subsidies, such as tax incentives or cash rebates, a heat pump can cost less than other heat-only systems. That’s especially true when combined with the federal tax credit.

Heat pumps aren’t the most practical heating solution for every house. Here are some cases in which it can be expensive, difficult, or impossible to install one.

Your house has no ducts. It can be difficult and expensive to add ducts to a home that doesn’t have them, and heat pumps built to work with hydronic heating systems are uncommon and expensive in the U.S. In this case, a ductless mini-split system is usually the easiest way to add a heat pump.

Your house is poorly insulated or leaky. If yours is an older home, it’s always a good idea to first upgrade your insulation and seal any air leaks, regardless of how you heat the house. It’s also wise to wrap and seal your ductwork, if you have any. Good insulation is especially beneficial in homes that use heat pumps. Heat pumps heat more gently than other systems; it’s a constant trickle of warm air rather than blasts of heat every few hours. If you have poor insulation, you’ll notice drafts and cold spots more often than you would with the higher temps of a traditional system. Keep in mind, though, that you can offset the cost of improving your home’s insulation with another federal tax credit worth up to $1,200.

Your electrical service is underpowered. Some homes, particularly older ones, have only 100-amp or even 60-amp electrical service. Technically you can run a heat pump on a system like this, especially if it’s a smaller-capacity mini-split. But if it’s a bigger heat pump and you turn on too many additional appliances—or plug in an electric vehicle—you could trip the breaker and have to reset your system. If you have your heat pump professionally installed, a good contractor will check your panel for capacity and may advise hiring an electrician to upgrade to the modern standard of 200 amps. That work could cost a couple thousand dollars. But it can be offset by up to $600 through the same federal tax credit used for insulation upgrades. (The annual limits vary depending on the upgrade.)

You live in an extremely cold climate. The Department of Energy divides the U.S. into eight climate zones. The higher the number, the colder the winters. Basic heat pumps have been common in the lower-numbered zones for decades. Modern heat pumps in a properly designed system can provide all the heat a home will need up through zone 6.

In zones 7 and 8—which include the northern parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, and all of Alaska, where temperatures can drop below -25° F for days at a time—even today’s cold-climate heat pumps might not provide adequate heat. You’re likely to need a backup heating system if you live in one of those areas.

Size (Capacity)
A heat pump that’s too small for your needs will struggle to keep your home comfortable. On the other hand, an oversized unit will cost more, and if it isn’t a variable-speed model, it will cycle on and off more often than it should. This decreases efficiency, stresses components, and leaves your home less comfortable.

A heat pump’s cooling capacity is measured in British thermal units per hour. Btu/hr. can also be expressed in “tons,” with 1 ton equaling 12,000 Btu/hr. To ensure that your heat pump is sized correctly, make sure your contractor does a load calculation based on a recognized method, such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manual J. The calculations should be done after any air-sealing or insulation upgrades are made to your home and should be done whether you’re replacing a unit or installing a new system.

If you’re planning to keep a backup heating system alongside your heat pump, consider getting an undersized heat pump. A contractor can help you figure out whether this makes sense in your home.

If you’re switching from a furnace or boiler, note that heat pumps need far less capacity to heat a space because they’re much more energy-efficient. For example, if your home needs a 100,000-Btu/hr. furnace, it may need only a 36,000-Btu/hr. heat pump.

Compressor Type
The compressor is the heart of a heat pump—it’s the part that actually pumps the heat. Basic heat pumps have a single-speed compressor. It’s either on or off. This system works well enough, but the temperature and relative humidity in your home will swing up and down with the cycles. Compressors with two speeds make the swings better but still don’t prevent the ups and downs.

The gold standard is a variable-speed compressor. It’s designed to run almost constantly, adjusting itself over time to deliver only as much heating or cooling as it takes to keep your home comfortable. It’s also much better at keeping relative humidity under control than single-speed models are. Variable-speed compressors not only keep your home more comfortable but also are more energy-efficient. It may seem counterintuitive, but it takes much less energy to move a tiny bit of heat all the time than to move a lot of heat quickly.

Efficiency
Some heat pumps use less energy than others to deliver the same level of comfort. In cooling mode, efficiency is commonly expressed as the seasonal energy-efficiency rating (SEER). The higher the SEER, the greater the efficiency. In heating mode, the measurement used is the heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF). Again, the higher the number, the more energy-efficient the unit.

As of January , the Department of Energy adopted new testing methods for energy efficiency, replacing the SEER and HSPF values with SEER2 and HSPF2.

Heat pumps with higher energy efficiency ratings tend to cost more, but they’ll often pay for themselves over time through lower energy costs, and they may be eligible for better tax incentives or rebates than less efficient models. Heat pumps with higher SEER ratings also tend to have higher HSPF ratings, though there’s no direct relationship between the two. If you live in a warm climate, pay closer attention to the SEER. In cold climates, look for a higher HSPF.

Climate Performance
If you live in a region with cold winters, you’ll need to either pick a heat pump that’s rated to work well in the lowest temperatures that your region regularly experiences or have a secondary heating system to back up your heat pump.

All air-source heat pumps struggle to perform as temperatures drop; the space they can effectively heat shrinks and they don’t work as efficiently. The threshold for poor performance varies from model to model. Some heat pumps falter at 25° F, others at 17° F or lower.

Models marketed as cold-climate heat pumps can work to their full potential all the way down to 5° F and may deliver some heat even down to -20° F or lower. The best course is to work with a qualified local contractor who knows what kind of equipment works well in your area.

If you live in an area where the temperature rarely or never drops below freezing (32° F), a basic heat pump can handle the bulk of your heating and cooling needs. You can keep a simple electrical-resistance backup system (sometimes built into the heat pump itself) for unusual cold snaps.

Noise
Manufacturers publish the noise levels of their products in the user manual and often on their websites. They tend to include noise estimates across a variety of outdoor temperatures and fan speeds, measured in decibels. A lower number is better, especially if the heat pump will be installed near a bedroom window.

Reliability
In our member survey, heat pumps from eight brands were judged highly reliable, but only two of them also got top marks for owner satisfaction. Consumer Reports members can see the predicted reliability and owner satisfaction ratings for 29 brands of heat pumps, based on data that CR members have shared about 10,158 heat pumps they bought new and installed in their own homes between and . Those findings are summarized in our guide to the Most and Least Reliable Heat Pumps.

As with most heating and cooling systems, it’s wise to hire a professional to handle the design and installation of a new heat pump system. The margin for error with heat pumps is smaller than with traditional heating systems, making proper sizing essential. Here are some tips for hiring a good installer.

Ask around. Seek referrals from neighbors, family members, business associates, or local green-energy resource groups. It’s wise to get price quotes from at least three contractors.

Check their background. Contractors who bid on your installation should show you verification of bonding and insurance, plus any required contractor’s licenses. Check with your local Better Business Bureau and consumer affairs office for complaint records. It’s a plus if technicians are certified by a trade organization, such as North American Technician Excellence or HVAC Excellence, to service residential heating and cooling equipment. Those and similar programs assess the technician’s knowledge of specific types of equipment and their proper service methods.

Get specific calculations. Be wary of a contractor who bases estimates merely on house size or vague rules. Contractors who bid on your job should calculate the required heating and cooling capacity using a recognized method, such as one found in the ACCA’s Residential Load Calculation Manual, also called Manual J. An additional reference for assessing ductwork needs is Manual D. The calculations produce a detailed, room-by-room analysis of heating and cooling needs. Ask for a printout of all calculations and assumptions, including ductwork design.

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Make sure your installer scopes out a proper location for the outdoor unit. A compressor needs adequate airflow to operate correctly. Make sure to keep at least 2 to 3 feet of space between the unit and any plants or structures. There should also be 5 feet of clearance between the top of the unit and any trees above. You’ll also want to make sure there’s enough space for you or a technician to access and service the unit. And local building codes might have regulations about how close an outdoor compressor is allowed to be from a neighbor’s window or property line.

If you have experience with electrical, plumbing, and carpentry work, you could save money by installing a mini-split system yourself. Do-it-yourself systems are on the market, and numerous online videos explain what to do. But even with a DIY kit, you’ll need to drill a hole several inches through your exterior wall for the refrigerant, drain tubing, and control lines.

Keep in mind, too, that your municipality may require several permits, including a licensed electrician to do the electrical work.

With the right heat pump and system design for your home and regional climate, a backup heating system shouldn’t be necessary.

But in cold climates, keeping a backup system can be the most cost-effective way to keep your home comfortable. You could even think of it as a hybrid setup rather than a system with a backup. You’ll use the heat pump most of the time (including in the summer, when it provides all your cooling) and the backup system only on the coldest days when the heat pump can’t keep up. A contractor can set up the system to switch automatically at a specific outdoor temperature.

Hybrid systems still save a ton of energy and carbon emissions compared with most other setups and can offer some peace of mind in colder climates.

Here are a few common types of hybrid setups.

Electric strip: Common in mild climates, a simple electric heating element can be built into the heat pump itself or the indoor air handler. These strips use a ton of energy, but they’re very inexpensive to install and maintain, and it’s a cost-effective way to get through short cold snaps.

Mini-split plus radiators: Radiator systems that run on oil or propane, or “regular” electric-resistance heat, tend to be expensive to run, but mini-split systems that are big enough to heat your entire home tend to be expensive to install. A popular compromise: Install a smaller mini-split that can handle most of your heating (and cooling) needs and keep the old radiator system for the coldest days.

Ducted heat pump plus furnace: It’s the same concept as the mini-split and radiator combo above. You’ll install the heat pump just like you’d install a central AC.  

Hi all, building work is just about to start on our eco retrofit, which should leave us with a low energy home (somewhere in between EnerPhit and AECB in terms of fabric heat loss and airtightness). We’ve contacted a couple of local MCS certified ASHP installers and they estimate our coldest day heating demand will be somewhere between 6 and 7kwh. One installer has recommended sizing up to a 9kw unit which we are loathe to do as we understand the MCS calcs often over-estimate the demand for low energy homes. Another is suggesting 7kw will be sufficient. We are also being offered ASHPs from a range of different manufacturers (i.e. LG, Acond etc), all using R290.

A couple of questions:

• are we taking a risk by installing a 7kw pump?
• should I ask for a pump from a specific manufacturer (recommendations welcome) or are all the R290 pumps similarly efficient?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice

Hi Louie, and a warm welcome to the community .

The amount of risk depends partly on the meteorology at your house location. Your prospective installer will suggest a design minimum ambient temperature and specify the kit to achieve an adequately warm house for that temperature. There will probably be a few days per year when this design temperature is exceeded, so you have the choice of selecting a larger nameplate HP size (and risk it being oversized for more of the time, with the consequent cycling problems), or choosing a more sensible design temperature (and maybe putting on a sweater occasionally).

If you aren’t sure about your local meteorology, there’s an excellent tool to help you see how many hours per year are below any selected temperature - https://www.degreedays.net/. You simply choose a local weather station (there are hundreds available in the UK), enter a design temperature T, select a suitable time period (e.g. the last 12 months) and hit “generate”. It will create an Excel spreadsheet showing “hours below T” each day. By trying different values of T you can get a feel for how many days you might need that sweater.

This is assuming, of course, that your installer doesn’t include any margin in his calculations. If he says your heat loss will be 6-7kW at TdegC ambient, it may in reality be considerably less - in the UK the MCS database is known to be conservative in some areas, partly down to natural industry conservatism (they don’t want to risk litigation if the house isn’t warm enough) and partly down to recent technology improvements (for example some double glazing OHTCs achieved nowadays are at least 30% better than the database).

The consensus within this community seems to be to go for a somewhat lower nameplate, and minimise the cycling problems (it’s hard to avoid them entirely during lower heat demand months).

As for HP vendors, I suggest you just spend a couple of hours trawling the posts on this community - you’ll soon get a feel for which draw most criticism (or recommendations). Personally, after 18 months use I’ve been very happy with my Samsung (though it’s R32 not R290).

Sarah

Use your EnerPhit calculations to detemine the real world heat losses.

Ignore the MCS heat loss calculations. They make absurd assumptions with regards ventilation losses etc.

Look at what the MINIMUM output of a heat pump is when choosing between models / sizes.

For example in the Vaillant range the 5 kW will turn down to about 2.3 kW and the 7 kW down to about 2.8 kW (air 7 deg / water 35 degC). That’s much of a muchness (the cycle times when the unit can no longer turn down below what the house / radiators demand will be long enough not to knacker the heat pump / not to cause uncomfortable temperature swings.) They also run efficiently at low flow temperatures so you an have radiators ticking over lukewarm in the shoulder season.

If an installer suggests a 9 kW unit from the Daikin range then be aware this is actually a 16 kW unit wearing a different hat and will struggle to run at below 4 kW. That might well either cycle too frequently or cause uncomfortable temperature swings when the house doesn’t need much heat.

Look at the controls on offer. Are you running radiators or underfloor? Does the unit weather compensate / load compensate well? Do you like the local user interface which you will be relying on long after the vendor pulls the plug on the app due to the equipment begin 20 years old and too insecure to leave connected to the internet.

Are there units in stock? When it goes bang can you get parts from various sources or are you stuck getting parts direct from the OEM only? Are heat pumps THE business that the OEM is in and will struggle to exit or are the heat pumps an experiment that might be abandoned? (I perceive this as a risk with something like the Octopus unit)

Is the outdoor unit quiet? Does it look like vomit? Can you find somebody to install it where you want it or will they whinge about R290 and windows/doors? Is it small enough to be permitted development if installed by an MCS union member?

And given the relatively low heat demand of the property; can you justify the capex uplift some something like a Viessmann vs a more mainstream unit with marginally lower performance but at half the cost?

Top of heatpumpmonitor might be Nibe/Viessmann; and most of the upper parts of heatpumpmonitor is full or Arotherms; but there are also a couple of well installed Grant and Samsung units in there that are at a lower price point than even the Arotherms.

I swat the budget constraint notes. Some unsolicited off topic advice from lessons learned by making mistakes:

Splurge on the windows. They’re the weakest link. I regret some life choices in this regard even if at the time of our purchase (peak Biden inflation stimulus in ) it was “rubbish windows in 3 months or nothing” I think I would have chosen to wait…

A window with the glass at say 0.7 W/m2K but an overall window U-value of say 1 W/m2K will be sad - in order for the small amount of frame to tank the overall U-value that much the frame will be terrible.

Their U-values are also measured/calculated without any pressure difference. As soon as you get some wind or some stack effect you have a pressure difference and will draw air through the seals. Once air is passing the seals the effective U-value of the window might as well not be there.

The outer seal is for “worst of the rain” not “air”. The first chambers of the profile are for “draining water” and are open to outside air / will be at outside air temperature due to drain holes.

The second seal (and there may only be two in a profile such as Rehau Euro 70) is for the air. If you have a tilt and turn window then the mechanism goes straight through this seal and there is nothing there.

I’m buttoning up our windows/checking for leaks before an airtightness test (was about -2C when photos taken) and you can see what a bad frame looks like:

Glass is at about +17C with air -2C (so glass is not generating any horrible convection currents - not the air leak visible at the top and right tho)
Frame is 13C (so guess where you will get condensation first if the humidity is high enough - I will be using ply for the window reveals not plasterboard and leaving a small gap to the frame

Still finding the odd leak - again something like a screwhole not filled in or a tongue and groove not completely bubble glued is enough to draw cold air in through all the insulation and drop the temperature very locally to the point you’d be neat the dew point.

e.g. If Rehau cheapo UPVC; ignore the Euro70 profile. The Synego 80 is acceptable in terms of U-value / notional airtnightness but has the structural integrity of wet spaghetti. The Geneo 86 is the one to have - same thermal performance but is fibre reinforced so the nothing droops/binds in the larger sizes.

https://www.rehau.com/us-en/geneo-passive-house-certified

RRP for say 900 x mm tilt/turn with warm edge triple glaze 373 vs 462€ - very little - with actual price say €220. Not. Worth. Skimping. When you can have passive house certified windows for very little.

I would also spluge €30 nominal (€16? after discount) and go with a hidden tilt/turn hinge for (a) keeping it INSIDE the air seal and (b) giving more clearance between the window and the window reveal when it opens.

You may also want to learn how to measure / fit windows yourself. The markups applied by people who are doing door to door sales; to cover their backsides when they order the wrong sizes etc; are pretty damn huge. Possibly the largest you can make in a retrofit and even if you mess up…half the windows…you’ll still save overall and will have an amazing set of windows for the garden shed later lol

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlEDeDWZazY2G-T8SZ974gdzeoeQeyMs0

Don’t do low threshold doors. They just don’t seal properly. We don’t need to keep the thresh indoors any more but you still want the water to be kept out…

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