Researchers tested the performance of three air source
heat pumps in Southeast communities. We were interested
to find that the actual efficiency of the heat pumps could be
higher or lower than the manufacturer specs, depending on
Alaska’s unique conditions. For instance, in colder weather
the heat pump needs to go through more defrost cycles to
prevent ice from forming on the coils, which reduces its
efficiency. On the other hand, if the heat pump is running at
its optimal load for most of the winter, it can actually
achieve a higher efficiency than its rating. Overall, we found
that 29 out of 30 heat pump owners were happy with the
appliances.
