Which heat pumps meet CEE, DOE cold-climate, Xcel and ENERGY STAR standards

Each standard is checked against AHRI-certified ratings, one certification at a time: a model qualifies when at least one of its indoor pairings meets every criterion of a path on its own. Values are never combined across pairings. Program rules beyond ratings are not checked.

New to heat pump ratings? The Simple view explains them in plain words →

StandardsData as of Oct 9, 2026updated Oct 10, 2026 · sources

Qualification at a glance

Share of 12,326 outdoor models with at least one qualifying certification
Standard	Share of models	Models	Certifications
CEE 2025 Tier 1 (Split ASHP)Consortium for Energy Efficiency	57.1%	7,034	217,596
CEE 2026 Tier 1 (Split ASHP)Consortium for Energy Efficiency	55.6%	6,849	198,792
CEE Advanced Tier (Split ASHP)Consortium for Energy Efficiency	2.6%	322	1,066
Xcel Energy Colorado cold-climate ASHP (2025)Xcel Energy	52.8%	6,511	185,854
DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump ChallengeU.S. Department of Energy	2.6%	322	1,066
ENERGY STAR Cold ClimateU.S. EPA	41.7%	5,143	125,396

Download CSV of qualification by standard and peer groupEach standard for all models and for every size and duct type (this table and the heatmap below).

How models move through the tiers

Every model in one band, from its duct type to the highest CEE Tier 1 level it meets and whether it reaches the cold-climate tier.

From duct type to cold-climate tier12,326 outdoor models; each band is the models that share a path, each model in exactly one band57.1% of models meet CEE Tier 1 (2025) and 55.6% the stricter 2026 level, but only 2.6% (322) reach the cold-climate tier: full capacity and a COP of 2.1 at 5°F. 1 of those miss Tier 1 itself, on a cooling rating.

Cold-climate tier = CEE Advanced, which uses the same rating criteria as the DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge (HSPF2 8.5, COP 2.1 at 5°F, 100% capacity at 5°F). It has no SEER2/EER2 path, so a model can reach it without meeting Tier 1.

Show the data as a table

Models per path
Duct type	Highest CEE Tier 1	Cold-climate tier	Models
Ducted	CEE 2026	Yes	113
Ducted	CEE 2026	No	1,862
Ducted	CEE 2025 only	No	116
Ducted	Below Tier 1	Yes	1
Ducted	Below Tier 1	No	3,968
Non-ducted	CEE 2026	Yes	97
Non-ducted	CEE 2026	No	2,668
Non-ducted	CEE 2025 only	No	54
Non-ducted	Below Tier 1	No	1,262
Ducted + ductless heads	CEE 2026	Yes	111
Ducted + ductless heads	CEE 2026	No	1,998
Ducted + ductless heads	CEE 2025 only	No	15
Ducted + ductless heads	Below Tier 1	No	61

Source: AHRI Directory, criteria from CEE and DOE · as of Oct 9, 2026

Qualification by size and duct type

The same standard is easy for one kind of unit and hard for another. Each cell is the share of that peer group’s models that qualify (darker is more).

Share of each peer group’s models (by representative certification) with at least one qualifying certification
Size and duct type	CEE 2025	CEE 2026	CEE Advanced	Xcel CC	DOE CCHP	ENERGY STAR CC
Ducted, up to 1.5 tons1,827 models	48%886	48%880	2%45	57%1,040	2%45	51%926
Ducted, 2 tons1,152 models	68%779	66%756	2%21	61%703	2%21	49%566
Ducted, 2.5–3 tons2,198 models	55%1,215	51%1,119	1%22	46%1,007	1%22	37%818
Ducted, 3.5–4.5 tons2,607 models	43%1,134	43%1,108	2%50	40%1,046	2%50	36%941
Ducted, 5 tons and up458 models	30%137	30%137	0%2	9%39	0%2	10%47
Non-ducted, up to 1.5 tons3,568 models	76%2,711	74%2,657	4%130	71%2,521	4%130	53%1,889
Non-ducted, 2 tons903 models	78%703	78%702	2%17	72%653	2%17	55%498
Non-ducted, 2.5–3 tons1,140 models	80%915	80%910	4%44	76%870	4%44	59%673
Non-ducted, 3.5–4.5 tons570 models	81%463	81%460	1%5	87%497	1%5	74%419
Non-ducted, 5 tons and up85 models	89%76	58%49	2%2	35%30	2%2	28%24

What keeps models out

For the models that miss a standard: whether a single rating is short (and which), a needed rating is not published, or several fall short. Judged on each model’s representative certification against the path it comes closest to.

Meets
One rating short
A needed rating is not published
Two or more short

CEE 2025 Tier 1 (Split ASHP)meets 57.1% · one short 13.7%
One short, by rating: EER2 845, SEER2 546, capacity at 5°F 145, HSPF2 116, COP@5°F 32.
CEE 2026 Tier 1 (Split ASHP)meets 55.6% · one short 14%
One short, by rating: EER2 863, SEER2 477, capacity at 5°F 261, HSPF2 87, COP@5°F 32.
CEE Advanced Tier (Split ASHP)meets 2.6% · one short 24.1%
One short, by rating: capacity at 5°F 2,102, COP@5°F 851, HSPF2 22.
Xcel Energy Colorado cold-climate ASHP (2025)meets 52.8% · one short 19.6%
One short, by rating: capacity at 5°F 2,003, EER2 234, SEER2 150, COP@5°F 27.
DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challengemeets 2.6% · one short 24.1%
One short, by rating: capacity at 5°F 2,102, COP@5°F 851, HSPF2 22.

The criteria

Minimum values. Ducted and non-ducted paths apply only to that equipment type.

CEE 2025 Tier 1 (Split ASHP)

The CEE 2025 Tier 1 efficiency level for split air-source heat pumps, used by many utility rebate programs.

A model qualifies when one certification meets every value in at least one row.
Path	SEER2	EER2	HSPF2	COP@5°F	Cap. 5/47
Path A (heating-dominated)	≥ 16	≥ 9.8	≥ 8.5	≥ 1.75	≥ 60%
Path B (cooling-dominated / dual fuel)	≥ 16	≥ 11	≥ 8	≥ 1.75	≥ 45%

CEE 2026 Tier 1 (Split ASHP)

The 2026 revision of CEE Tier 1, with higher low-temperature capacity requirements than 2025.

A model qualifies when one certification meets every value in at least one row.
Path	SEER2	EER2	HSPF2	COP@5°F	Cap. 5/47
Path A (heating-dominated)	≥ 16	≥ 9.8	≥ 8.5	≥ 1.75	≥ 65%
Path B (cooling-dominated / dual fuel)	≥ 16	≥ 11	≥ 8	≥ 1.75	≥ 50%

CEE Advanced Tier (Split ASHP)

CEE’s cold-climate tier: full rated capacity and a COP of at least 2.1 at 5°F.

A model qualifies when one certification meets every value in this row.
Path	HSPF2	COP@5°F	Cap. 5/47
Advanced	≥ 8.5	≥ 2.1	≥ 100%

Xcel Energy Colorado cold-climate ASHP (2025)

The efficiency thresholds Xcel Energy Colorado uses for its cold-climate air-source heat pump rebate.

A model qualifies when one certification meets every value in at least one row.
Path	SEER2	EER2	COP@5°F	Cap. 5/47
DuctedDucted equipment only	≥ 15.2	≥ 10	≥ 1.75	≥ 70%
Non-ductedNon-ducted equipment only	≥ 16	≥ 9	≥ 1.75	≥ 70%

Not checked: Program rules beyond ratings (installer enrollment, sizing, documentation) are not checked here.

DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge

Rating thresholds from the DOE Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge.

A model qualifies when one certification meets every value in this row.
Path	HSPF2	COP@5°F	Cap. 5/47
Challenge specification	≥ 8.5	≥ 2.1	≥ 100%

Not checked: Requirements not published in AHRI ratings (cut-in temperature, GWP, controls) are not checked.

ENERGY STAR Cold Climate

Units listed by ENERGY STAR with the cold-climate designation (matched to AHRI references).

No rating thresholds are applied here: a model counts when one of its AHRI certifications is matched to an ENERGY STAR record that carries the cold-climate designation.