Energy Class of Heat Pumps: Marketing Trick or Real Impact on Bills?

Quality, price, brand of equipment, and the lowest possible operating costs – these are the primary factors customers consider when choosing a heat pump. Information about specific brands, quality, and prices of devices can be obtained from authorized installers who deal with heat pumps from various manufacturers daily. It is worth paying attention to operating costs, which are always an individual matter. In this area, heat pump manufacturers try various marketing tricks to convince the customer that a specific device will lower their bills.

Quality, price, brand of equipment, and the lowest possible operating costs – these are the primary factors customers consider when choosing a heat pump. Information about specific brands, quality, and prices of devices can be obtained from authorized installers who deal with heat pumps from various manufacturers daily. It is worth paying attention to operating costs, which are always an individual matter. In this area, heat pump manufacturers try various marketing tricks to convince the customer that a specific device will lower their bills.

What Does the Energy Efficiency Class of a Heat Pump Tell Us?

Energy labels for electrical devices have been used for a long time and are a useful tool for comparing the basic technical parameters of a device. Since September 26, 2015, heat pumps have also been required to have energy labels. The requirements for these labels are regulated by Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, establishing general requirements for energy-related products, and by Regulations 811/2013 and 813/2013, as well as 2017/1369, which specify the appearance and method of determining energy labels for various types of heating devices.

In the case of heat pumps, there is a requirement to provide additional information on the labels regarding the operating conditions of the device. This primarily includes the supply temperature of the installation for two main types of heating:

• floor heating (35°C)
• medium-temperature radiators (55°C).

The supply temperature significantly affects the efficiency of the heat pump, so energy classes are determined separately for each of these temperatures.

Since September 26, 2019, there have been changes in the labels of central heating devices – the highest energy class is now designated as A+++.

A Plus for Marketers, but What About Savings?

Energy efficiency is a key factor we consider when choosing devices for our home. Heat pumps have become a popular solution in the field of heating and cooling, and the energy efficiency class is one of the key indicators of the quality of these devices. Unfortunately, there have recently been concerns that some manufacturers may present misleading information regarding the A+++ class.

Increasingly, heat pump manufacturers boast that their devices have the highest energy class. In marketing materials (which are most often noticed by customers), they display A+++ ratings without clearly specifying that this class only applies to a supply temperature of 35°C (floor heating). At a higher temperature, the device has a class of A++. The customer believes they are choosing a device with the highest parameters but ultimately receives equipment with up to 20% lower efficiency.

Continuous Development for Greater Customer Savings

In this context, it is worth looking at examples of good practices. JBG HT heat pumps, produced by a Polish manufacturer, are devices that have a certified A+++ / A+++ class.

Higher efficiency was achieved primarily through the optimization of the controller software. Thanks to the implementation of new algorithms, the inverter heat pump JBG HT operates much more efficiently. Tests have confirmed that the efficiency of the device increased by up to 20% compared to previous parameters. For the end customer, lower energy consumption means clear savings in operating costs.

The highest possible energy efficiency class for JBG HT was confirmed at HLK Stuttgart, a certified German research center for heating devices. Rigorous tests showed that JBG HT heat pumps have the highest efficiency and possess the A+++ class, both for a supply temperature of 35°C and 55°C.

Another indicator measuring the efficiency of heat pumps is SCOP (System Coefficient of Performance). It determines how much more heat energy is produced by the heat pump in relation to the electrical energy supplied to it. The higher the SCOP, the more efficient the device, which directly affects its operating costs. Thanks to the optimization of JBG HT heat pumps, their SCOP indicator is 5.39 and 3.98 (for the JBG HT 15K heat pump, at supply temperatures of 35°C and 55°C). This result places JBG HT at the forefront of heat pump manufacturers in terms of energy efficiency!

JBG HT heat pumps have also been adapted to work with smart energy grids – Smart Grid Ready.

JBG HT heat pumps are also environmentally friendly. The refrigerant used in these devices is propane (R290), which does not contribute to ozone depletion and has a negligible impact on the greenhouse effect (GWP=3). In 2026, EU regulations may come into force that will ban the use of other, non-ecological refrigerants, such as R404A (GWP=3922) or R410A (GWP=2088), which are still widely used in heat pumps by other manufacturers.

In summary – manufacturers are striving to make heat pumps increasingly efficient, energy-saving, and ecological. In the process of choosing the right heat pump, the customer should pay particular attention to the energy efficiency class of the device (for 35°C and 55°C), the SCOP indicator, and the impact of the device on the natural environment. This will translate into real savings during the long-term use of the device.

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