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Old 05-10-13, 04:28 PM   #6
AC_Hacker
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlaw View Post
AC the information you request--9.0 HSPF.
jlaw,

Thanks.

The HSPF is a performance rating that is based on how efficiently your unit will perform over the course of an 'average' winter. I think that there is some statistical determination of an average winter.

The number is the COP (AKA: Coefficient Of Performance) times the watt-to-BTU conversion factor which is 3.412.

So if you wanted to know the COP, you divide the HSPF by 3.412 and you get COP.

COP = HSPF / 3.412 = 9 / 3.412 = 2.64

Personally, I'm more comfortable thinking in terms of COP because it is unitless, and applies equally to the metric system and to our system in the US, so you can compare over a wider range.

I believe that you're in more of a mixed climate and would require both heating & cooling in approximately equal quantities.

where I live I only need cooling for about two weeks of the year, so my focus is almost exclusively on heating, so the HSPF is the most important for me.

When I bought my mini-split, I shopped for SEER because I didn't know that HSPF would be so important in my case. My unit, which I'm pleased with, has an HSPF rating of 7.7, so my COP is 2.25. Not as good as your and not so good in light of the impact that those numbers have had on my electrical bill. But it was a big improvement over what I had before.

For comparison purposes, the Fujitsu 12RLS2 is a 12,000 BTU (1-Ton) mini-split that has a SEER rating of 25 and a HSPF rating of 12 which would mean a COP of 3.52, which is pretty outstanding.

Let's hear it for improvements!

-AC
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