Coefficient of performance (COP)

The Coefficient of Performance (COP) is a key figure for thermal heat pumps. The COP provides information on the energy efficiency of a thermal heat pumps while running at full load.

The coefficient of performance depends on two factors: the temperature of the existing heat reservoir, usually warm exhaust air from the production process, and the temperature of the generated thermal energy, the so-called “useful heat”. Therefore, the lower the temperature difference between the heat reservoir and the generated useful heat, the higher the COP.

The powerful thermal heat pumps can achieve a COP of over 6.  Thus, these systems gain 1 kW of electric current for every 6 kW of thermal energy. The newly gained thermal energy can then be used in following production steps or to heat the production hall and other buildings. Through the re-utilization of waste heat, advanced production facilities can not only reduce their energy consumption and realize cost savings, but can also simultaneously reduce the company’s carbon footprint.