{"id":3252,"date":"2026-01-06T10:24:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T10:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/?page_id=3252"},"modified":"2026-10-11T14:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T14:51:44","slug":"understanding-scop-and-cop","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/understanding-scop-and-cop\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOP and COP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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HEAT PUMPS \u2022 EFFICIENCY<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding
COP & SCOP.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Two numbers that help explain heat pump efficiency \u2014 but they don’t tell you exactly the same thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is COP?<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is SCOP?<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The calculation<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heating curve<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Heat pump efficiency doesn’t need to be complicated.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When looking at heat pumps, you’ll often see the terms COP<\/strong> and SCOP<\/strong>. These are ways of describing the relationship between the electricity a heat pump uses and the heat it delivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important thing is understanding what each number represents. COP describes performance at a particular operating point or set of conditions. SCOP looks at performance across a heating season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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COP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coefficient of Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A snapshot of efficiency at a particular operating point or under specified conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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SCOP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seasonal Coefficient of Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A broader indication of efficiency across an entire heating season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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01 \u2014 COP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does COP actually mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

COP \u2014 Coefficient of Performance \u2014 compares the heat being delivered by the heat pump with the electrical energy being used under particular operating conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SIMPLE EXAMPLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 kWh electricity \u2192 4 kWh heat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this example, the heat pump is operating at a COP of 4<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

But that does not mean the heat pump will operate at COP 4 all day, every day. Conditions change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor temperature, required water temperature and the way the system is operating can all affect performance. That is why one COP figure should not be treated as a complete picture of how a system will perform across the year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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02 \u2014 SCOP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real life happens across a season.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor temperatures rise and fall, heating demand changes and the heat pump operates under different conditions. SCOP \u2014 Seasonal Coefficient of Performance \u2014 provides a seasonal measure rather than looking at only one operating point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"COP\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Seasonal performance considers changing operating conditions.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing weather<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor temperatures change throughout the heating season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defrost & standby<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Energy use is not limited to the moments when useful heat is being delivered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different loads<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The heat pump operates at different outputs as the heating demand changes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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COP is a snapshot. SCOP looks across the season.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That distinction is useful when comparing figures. Always understand what conditions a performance figure represents rather than looking at the number in isolation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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03 \u2014 THE CALCULATION<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is SCOP calculated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At its simplest, SCOP describes the relationship between useful heat output and electrical energy input over the relevant seasonal period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE SIMPLE PRINCIPLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCOP = Heat Output \u00f7 Electricity Input<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A simple example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a heat pump delivers the equivalent of 4 kWh of heat<\/strong> for each 1 kWh of electricity<\/strong> over the period being considered, that represents a performance ratio of 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1 kWh<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electricity in<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u2192<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat is moved<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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4 kWh<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat delivered<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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So is that \u201c400% efficient\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You will sometimes see a COP or SCOP of 4 described as \u201c400% efficiency\u201d. It is a useful shorthand, but a heat pump is not creating four units of energy from one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It uses electricity to move existing heat<\/strong> from the air, ground or water into the home. That is why the useful heat delivered can be several times the electrical energy consumed by the heat pump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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04 \u2014 HEATING CURVE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where the heating curve comes in.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important heat pump settings is the heating curve<\/strong>. It helps the system adjust the heating water temperature as outdoor conditions change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting this relationship right can help the home remain comfortable while avoiding unnecessarily high heating water temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MILD WEATHER<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower heat demand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When less heat is needed, the system can generally operate with a lower heating water temperature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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COLDER WEATHER<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higher heat demand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As outdoor temperature falls and the home loses more heat, the required heating water temperature may increase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The aim isn’t simply to make the water as hot as possible.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A well-set-up system aims to provide the heat the property needs without unnecessarily increasing the operating temperature. Understanding this relationship can help homeowners make better sense of COP, seasonal performance and heat pump controls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Understand the heating curve<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Efficiency is about more than one number.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

COP helps describe performance under particular conditions. SCOP gives a broader seasonal picture. In the home, good design, sensible operating temperatures and appropriate controls all contribute to how efficiently the system performs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

01 What is COP? 02 What is SCOP? 03 The calculation 04 Heating curve Heat pump efficiency doesn’t need to be complicated. When looking at heat pumps, you’ll often see the terms COP and SCOP. These are ways of describing the relationship between the electricity a heat pump uses and the heat it delivers. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3252","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3252"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5165,"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3252\/revisions\/5165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywarmhome.co.uk\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}