When making any purchasing decision it is a question of balancing what you are prepared to pay with what you get for your money. Many people are happy to admit that a top of the line Porsche is probably a better car than their ford sedan, but they would not pay for it. So how do you assess the best rated heat pumps?
There are plenty of well known brands of heat pump on the market - carrier heat pumps, trane heat pumps, goodman heat pumps to name just three.
There are heat pumps for different applications - swimming pool heat pumps for example. These are a good example because sometimes when you look at the quoted figures for these units you will be comparing apples and pears - that is to say they are not performing their efficiency test under the same conditions!
Heat pumps work by taking advantage of the heat in the atmosphere - in the winter in cold areas they are not really that efficient. So what temperature you perform your efficiency rating test really matters. A pool heat pump is usually tested at 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside air temperature and is expected to bring the water to 80 as well. Sounds fair enough for a pool. Unfortunately there is no law or rule that says manufacturers follow this semi-standard. So check what you are getting when you see an efficiency rating on a heat pump.