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Viessmann’s study shows the energy effi ciency of heat pumps
F
ollowing a year-long competition, seven UK installations of the Vitocal 150-A domestic air source heat pump (ASHP) from Viessmann Climate Solutions achieved an average measured seasonal effi ciency (SPF) or Open Energy Monitor Platform Seasonal Coeffi cient of Performance (SCOP) of 4.1. This is 46% higher than the installer threshold guidance SCOP of 2.8 under the Micro Generation Scheme (MCS) for accessing the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme. 2.8 is also the average effi ciency reported in the government’s 2021 Electrifi cation of Heat Demonstration Project that recorded data from 427 UK ASHP installations. For homeowners, an SCOP of 4.1 could translate into savings of £261 per year compared to gas at 6.29p per kWh (not including standing charge). This is an illustration, and actual savings vary according to gas unit rate, boiler effi ciency, electricity tariff , standing charges and household demand. In 2024, Viessmann Climate Solutions invited its installers to apply to enter a Top of the SCOPs heat pump effi ciency competition. The successful 10 fi nalists had to fi t a Viessmann Vitocal 150-A heat pump for heat and hot water on an open- loop system with weather compensation controls, commissioned and ready for monitoring between August 2024 and August 2025. The fi nalists each received a heat pump monitoring bundle from Open Energy Monitor (OEM), an independent, open-source energy monitoring platform, worth up to £600, to connect their entered property. OEM’s Heat Pump Monitor dashboard allows installers and/or homeowners to upload, share and compare the real-world, real-time performance data of their heat pump installations via a league table. Electricity consumption, heat output, fl ow and return temperatures, ambient temperatures, system statuses and other sensor data are collected automatically and sent to the cloud. The two joint-winning installations of the Top of
the SCOPs competition, with an average SCOP of 4.5 at the 12 month closing date, were a detached 2016 property in Rednal, Birmingham, with fully insulated walls, fl oors and loft by NMB Heat Pumps; and a 1930s-built detached chalet bungalow in Ipswich, with cavity wall and some loft insulation, installed by Sun-Lite Group. The remaining fi nalists were Custom Renewables and its installation in Aylesbury, Arran Woodford of York, Ecoerne Consulting with a property in Derrygonnelly, Optimus Heating in Horsham and
34 February 2026 •
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‘Monitoring heat pump performance via Heat Pump Monitor allows installers to analyse and improve their installations over the year and across diff erent outside temperatures.’
Peter Hamilton of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Three fi nalists’ data were not collected in full at the competition’s closing date due to connection issues. “Installations using the Viessmann Vitocal 150-A heat pump range return one of the highest overall average SCOPs, of 3.96 (as at 26 January 2026). We are delighted, therefore, to see our seven fi nalists raise the game within this already highly competitive data set to achieve an average SCOP of 4.1. between August 2024 and August 2025. This uplift is down to their quality heating system design and installation, and we congratulate them,” said Cameron Beech, Head of Product Management at Viessmann Climate Solutions UK. “Many of our fi nalists have been designing low
temperature heating systems and fi tting Viessmann products for a decade or more – their work signals
the effi ciency wins that are possible for our industry as it goes from strength to strength,” said Beech. Glyn Hudson, Co-founder of Open Energy
Monitor, said: “The biggest winner of the Top of the SCOPs competition is the heat pump concept itself – the data on our platform shows that even in period homes of 100 years old or more and those built in solid stone, heat pumps can be cheaper to run than gas or oil boilers. While Top of the SCOPs is rightly about applauding some of the very best installers in the country, the data suggests that the success of the Viessmann Vitocal range is its ability to work well as a ‘drop-in’ solution to a wide range of installations. Advanced integrated features such as the defrost buff er vessel take care of installation aspects that otherwise fall to the expertise of the installer.”
One of the most common consumer concerns about heat pumps relates to achieving warm room temperatures on the coldest days. During the 12 months studied, the average temperature of the coldest day was -2 °C. However, the Vitocal heat pumps generated an average fl ow temperature of 35 °C and an average indoor temperature of a comfortable 19.5 °C. Even in minus temperatures, the average COP, the effi ciency measurement for just the coldest day rather than across a year, was 3.0.
Monitoring heat pump performance via Heat Pump Monitor allows installers to analyse and improve their installations over the year and across diff erent outside temperatures.
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