– COP (Coefficient of Performance)
Coefficient of Performance (COP) is a ratio used to indicate the performance a HVAC system offers.
Unlike EER and SEER, COP can be used to measure both the cooling and heating output of a system, but in reality most manufacturers publish heating performance data in COP and cooling performance data in EER. The higher the COP ratio, the more efficient the equipment is at providing heating.
The Coefficient of performance is most used to indicate the performance of an HVAC unit when it is in heating mode.
Similar to EER, it is a ratio of inputs vs outputs; if a unit has a COP of 4, that means that for 1kW of electrical input, 4kW of cooling or heating output is generated. The higher the COP ratio, the more efficient the unit is.
However, unlike EER there is greater variance in the indoor and outdoor temperature conditions used to calculate COP, which means that COP data for different pieces of equipment from different manufacturers cannot necessarily be compared fairly.
Like SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) there is also a SCOP (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance) which attempts to provide a fairer means of calculating heating efficiency across different climate conditions or seasons. There are slightly different standards for how this is calculated in different regions and countries.
