If you are looking for a new heat pump for your home here in the Inland Empire, you’ve probably heard the acronyms SEER and HSPF. But what do they mean?
How does a heat pump work?
In California, many homes use a heat pump, which brings heat from the air outside your home and moves it indoors to warm your family (yes, this works even when it’s quite cold outside!). During warmer months, it does the opposite, taking heat from indoors and moving it outside. Heat pumps are significantly more efficient than traditional HVAC systems, saving you both money and energy.
What is a SEER rating?
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, aka SEER, measures how much your air conditioner or heat pump is cooling the air. That number is then divided by the electricity consumed during that specific span of time.
Ballard offers top-notch heat pumps with excellent SEER ratings. The minimum SEER rating for heat pumps in the United States is 14.3 (starting in January 2023), and they should run at 15 to be considered ENERGY STAR® efficient. All of our models meet and often exceed these requirements!
What about the HSPF rating?
The HSPF rating stands for the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. This rating measures heating efficiency by taking the total heating needed during the colder months (measured in British thermal units) and dividing it by the electricity consumed during the same time frame.
Currently, the minimum HSPF rating for a heat pump is 7.7. A heat pump must be rated at least 8.2 HSPF to be designated as ENERGY STAR® efficient, and anything higher than 10 is considered high efficiency.
Is one rating more important?
Although both ratings are important to note when choosing a new heat pump here in the Inland Empire, the SEER rating should be your top priority. Your heat pump will primarily operate to cool your home, not heat it, even if that’s easy to forget in winter! So choosing a unit with a SEER rating of at least 16 will deliver the ideal efficiency to keep your family comfortable.
New heat pump rebates
President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which offers amazing rebates to homeowners who install heat pumps! Check out this tool to see if you qualify for a substantial rebate of up to $8,000 when you and your family get a heat pump this holiday season!
If you have questions for the team at Ballard, or if you’d like to get a heat pump system, contact us online or call us at 909-297-1914.