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What COP is used to calculate the performance of a swimming pool heat pump?

What does "COP" mean for a swimming pool heat pump?

The COP or coefficient of performance is the abbreviation for "Coefficient Of Performance". It is a performance indicator of the heat pump, a performance analysis according to a defined temperature. The COPs declared by the manufacturers are evaluated in the laboratory in accordance with European regulations. It is important to understand what the COP value means in order to know the best way to choose your swimming pool heat pump.

What is COP?

What is COP?

The COP measures the ratio between the energy used by the heat pump to operate (billed energy) and the energy it recovers to heat the water. This is the number of kilowatts generated for every 1 kW of electricity consumed.
A heat pump with a COP of 5 means that for every 1 kW of electricity consumed, it restores 5 kW of heat for the pool water.
So the higher the COP, the more efficient and economical the heat pump is. This is therefore a criterion to take into account when buying this equipment.
The FPP offers a performance table for swimming pool heat pumps according to their COP to select the swimming pool heat pump with the best performance.

Why does the COP vary?

However, the COP is a data value that constantly varies depending on the ambient air temperature (air-to-water heat pump), but also on the water temperature and the heating setpoint.

So there are 3 essential dates to evaluate the COP. You have to be vigilant, because a COP 6 without announcing the air or water temperature is uninteresting. For example, if a heat pump has a COP of 6 at an ambient temperature of 27°C and a water temperature of 25°C, this COP may well be high, but the swimming pool in the north of France will not benefit from the performance of this machine!
The heat pump uses ambient air, it does not have the same productivity when the air is 24°C or 12°C. The same heat pump therefore does not have the same power in the south of France as in the north or in the mountains.

The COP changes depending on the temperature difference between the ambient air and the set temperature. The smaller the difference between these two dates, the higher the COP and the easier it is to heat the pool.
Since heat pumps consume calories from the ambient air, the COP decreases, when the outside temperature drops, i.e. z 1 kW consumes, the heat pump returns slightly less heat.

What do the laws and organizations say about the COP?

FPP-COP classification

Currently, the way the COP of a swimming pool heat pump is calculated varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. The calculation method is not precisely defined and is not subject to any standard. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the COP of one heat pump with another.
However, the FPP (Federation of Swimming Pool Professionals), in its guideline no. 10 of 2011, requires manufacturers to provide at least one of these data corresponding to the most common operating ranges of a swimming pool heat pump: air at 26°C, water at 26°C, humidity 80% and/or: air at 15°C, water at 26°C, humidity 70% . Thus, a comparison is possible.
The French Agency for Environmental and Energy Management (ADME) recommends an overall COP of at least 3.5.

Which COP for the swimming pool heat pump?

If the pool heating time is seasonal, for example from April to September, or if swimming is planned throughout the year, you need to take the lowest air temperature for the period and choose the heat pump power according to this COP. Even if this is not the only criterion to be taken into account.

From an energy and economic point of view, the COP is therefore one of the essential criteria to take into account when choosing the heat pump for your swimming pool. There is a reference to a specific time and must be as close as possible to the contexts of the pool and its surroundings: ambient air, desired water temperature, etc.



As a specialist in heat pumps for swimming pools, WPool offers you different ranges of heat pumps to meet all your needs.

To help you choose the most suitable swimming pool heat pump for your installation and your wishes, you will learn why choosing a swimming pool heat pump is important. This will help you know which elements to take into account when choosing your heat pump and why creating a heat balance is essential to choose the right heat pump for you.


We explain why labels are important for the swimming pool heat pump. To go into more detail, you should know what material is generally used for the body of the swimming pool heat pump.

To summarize all this information, WPool offers you WPool heat pump selection tables to make your choice easier.

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