Five heat pump models have come out on top in a "leader board" on a crowdsourcing website.
HeatPumpMonitor.org allows owners of heat pumps to regularly input their unit's efficiency data to help compare the energy performance of their units. This not only helps make choosing a heat pump easier for new heat pump owners, but also helps existing owners fine tune their setups.
Now the service has gone one step further to create a heat pump "leader board" with the rankings of different models being based on this efficiency data. But which heat pump model came out on top? And which ranked the lowest? We take a look at both the website and the results.
What is HeatPumpMonitor.org?
HeatPumpMonitor.org is an open-source community where homeowners can share and compare their heat pump's performance data.
The platform, developed by OpenEnergyMonitor, does this by asking for homeowner to input their heat pump's Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF). This is the average Coefficient of Performance (CoP) of a heat pump over the full heating season.
There are now contributions from over 100 monitored systems with the data benefitting installers, existing heat pump owners and prospective owners by helping them understand the potential performance of different models under various conditions.
Which are the top performing heat pumps?
First it is worth noting that a heat pump's efficiency isn't just about the model, location, the type of home, how well insulated it is and how well the heat pump has been installed among other factors also come into it.
That said... according to the homeowners who input data into HeatPumpMonitor.org, these are the models that came out on top.
The top-performing models include the Viessmann Vitocal 150A air source heat pump in Sheffield, achieving an SPF of 5.0, and the Nibe S1155 PVT ground source heat pump in West Lothian, which also reached an SPF of 5.0.
Interestingly, the top property in Sheffield was built between 1900 and 1939 proving heat pumps can be suitable for old homes.
| Location | Installer | Heat Pump Model | Type | Power (kW) | Days Monitored | SPF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | Damon Blakemore | Viessmann Vitocal 150A | Air | 10 | 363 | 5.0 |
| Broxburn, W. Lothian | Barry Sharp | Nibe S1155 PVT | Ground | 12 | 355 | 5.0 |
| Bristol | Rickman Heat | Nibe F2050 | Air | 9 | 357 | 4.7 |
| Mytchett, Surrey | Heat Geek | Vaillant Arotherm+ | Air | 7 | 350 | 4.6 |
| Llanberis, Gwynedd | Glyn Hudson (self-install) | Samsung Gen 6 | Air | 5 | 362 | 4.4 |
Which was the lowest performing heat pump?
The lowest-performing model was the Vaillant Arotherm+ air source heat pump in Falkirk that achieved an SPF of just 2.7, although it must be noted this was self-installed and this heat pump also features in the top five, illustrating how important installation is for heat pump efficiency.
However, Bean Beanland, founder of the Heat Pump Federation, advised: "To infer whether one brand is better than another is risky as the expertise of the installer as you can give the finest installer the worst and they will make a half-decent work of the job whereas you can give the finest machine to the worst installer then they will be turn it into an emersion."
He added that rather than focusing on the brand homeowners could find it more useful to "focus on the track record of the installer and find one that has a good track record with customers" to get the best results for your home.
How useful is the website?
Bean Beanland, said the website "serves a useful purpose" but the leaderboard doesn't include some information such as the operational costs of the heat pumps.
"Those that are in the top five doesn't necessary reflect that some installers are optimising efficiency costs rather than optimising operational costs, which are not the same", he stated.
He explains that some installers and homeowners "may choose to sacrifice efficiency to give the lowest operational cost".
He also advises that when looking on the website homeowners "need to be a little bit careful as it doesn't report on target internal temperature of the house so someone older may want it warmer in the house".
Bean, an experienced professional with a background in energy and carbon mitigation, is a founding member of the Heat Pump Federation (HPF). With expertise in technology selection, procurement, and installation, he has overseen numerous heat pump systems for various buildings, including Listed and period buildings, schools, rural estates, and commercial buildings. Active in supporting the development of heat pump technology and government policy, Bean also leads lobbying efforts for the HPF and contributes to membership growth.
How you can add your heat pump onto the leaderboard
If you already own a heat pump and would like to submit it to the leaderboard you can do so via the OpenEnergyMonitor site where you can create an account.
You can then input data from your heat pump and see how well yours performs compared to the leading models in the UK.
