Re:An open source initiative to share and compare heat pump ...
by stephen_g on Friday April 12, 2024 @09:06AM
(#40012197)
COP is Coefficient Of Performance, basically the heat they produce divided by the electricity input, so a COP of 4.5 means that 1kW of electricity produces 4.5 kW of heat (it's taking heat from the environment so you can say a COP of 4.5 means it's running at 450% efficiency, but that's only in terms of electricity use, not actual overall efficiency - but electricity use is what we care about).
COP is only an instantaneous measurement though, and changes depending on the outside temperature. So if you need heating for five months a year, and it's usually exceeding COP of 5 for 80% of that time but dips down to a COP of 3.0 on the three or four coldest days of the year, it's not really correct to say it's either >5 or that it's 3.0 - so SCOP is used as a 'seasonal' COP that is averaged over a longer time period, so you can compare different systems over the longer term.
COP is only an instantaneous measurement though, and changes depending on the outside temperature. So if you need heating for five months a year, and it's usually exceeding COP of 5 for 80% of that time but dips down to a COP of 3.0 on the three or four coldest days of the year, it's not really correct to say it's either >5 or that it's 3.0 - so SCOP is used as a 'seasonal' COP that is averaged over a longer time period, so you can compare different systems over the longer term.