What is the COP used to calculate the performance of a swimming pool heat pump?

What does "COP" mean for a swimming pool heat pump?

The COP is the abbreviation of "Coefficient Of Performance". It is a performance indicator of the heat pump, an analysis of performance according to a defined temperature. The COPs given by the manufacturers are evaluated in the laboratory, according to European regulations. It is important to understand what the COP value means to know how to choose your swimming pool heat pump in the best way.

What is COP?

The COP measures the ratio between the energy that the heat pump will consume to operate (energy billed) and the energy that it will restore to heat the water. This is the number of kilowatts produced for 1 kW of electricity used.
A heat pump which has a COP of 5, this means that for 1 kW of electricity consumed, it will restore 5 kW of heating for pool water.
So the higher the COP, the more efficient and economical the heat pump is. This is therefore a criterion that must be taken into account when purchasing this equipment.
The FPP offers a performance chart for swimming pool heat pumps according to their COP in order to choose the swimming pool heat pump that has the best performance.

Why does the COP vary?

However, the COP is a piece of data that varies constantly according to the temperature of the ambient air (air/water heat pump), but also according to the temperature of the water and the heating setpoint.

So there are 3 essential data to evaluate the COP. You have to be vigilant, because a COP 6 without the air or water temperature being announced is of no interest. For example, if a heat pump has a COP of 6 for an ambient temperature of 27°C and water at 25°C, this COP may well be high, the swimming pool which is in the north of France will not benefit from the good performance of this machine!
The heat pump uses ambient air, it does not have the same productivity when the air is at 24°C or 12°C. The same heat pump therefore does not have the same performance in the south of France as in the north or in the mountains.

The COP will change depending on the temperature difference that exists between the air ambient and the set temperature. The lower the difference between these 2 data, the higher the COP, the easier it is to heat the pool.
Since heat pumps use calories from the ambient air, when the outside temperature drops, the COP decreases, this means that for 1 kW consumed, the heat pump will restore slightly less heat.

What do the laws and organizations say about the COP?

At the moment, the way to calculate the COP of a swimming pool heat pump varies from one manufacturer to another. The calculation method is not well defined and is not subject to a standard. As a result, it is difficult to compare the COP of one heat pump with another.
However, the FPP (Federation of Swimming Pool Professionals) in its directive n°10 of 2011, requires manufacturers to indicate at least one of these data which correspond to the most frequent operating ranges of a swimming pool heat pump: Air at 26°C, Water at 26°C, Humidity 80% and/or : Air at 15°C, Water at 26°C, Humidity 70%. Thus a comparison is possible.
The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADME) recommends an overall COP of at least 3.5.

What COP for the swimming pool heat pump?

If the pool heating time is seasonal, from April to September for example, or if swimming is planned for the whole year, you must take the lowest air temperature for the period and choose the power of the the heat pump according to this COP. Even if it is not the only criterion to take into account.

From an energy and economic efficiency point of view, the COP is therefore one of the essential criteria to take into account when choosing the heat pump of its swimming pool. It gives an indication at a specific moment and must correspond as well as possible to the contexts of the pool and its environment: ambient air, desired water temperature, etc.

Specialist in heat pumps for swimming pools, WPool offers you different ranges of heat pumps that meet all your needs.

To help you choose the swimming pool heat pump best suited to your installation and your wishes, find out why choosing a swimming pool heat pump is important. You will thus know the elements to take into account when choosing your heat pump and why making a heat balance is essential to choose the heat pump that suits you.

Also familiarize yourself with technical terms such as what is the SCOP but also what is the EER or the SEER. You will know what electricity consumption for a heat pump and what power for the pool heat pump you need.

We will explain to you why labels for the swimming pool heat pump are important. To go into even more detail, know which material for the body of the swimming pool heat pump is generally used.

To summarize all this information, WPool offers you selection aid tables for a WPool heat pump to facilitate your choice.