The Heat Pump Yearbook
Awards, records, and superlatives from the cold climate heat pump market.
Celebrating excellence in efficiency, performance, and innovation.
Total Awards
Brands Winning
Most Decorated
5 wins
Close Races
within 5%
Dominant Wins
>15% margin
Competition Analysis
Competitive dynamics revealed
Close Races
Top 3 within 5% of each other
Dominant Wins
Runaway victories with >15% margin
Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi Electric dominates with 250% lead in Market Disruptor
Carrier
Carrier dominates with 128.6% lead in Dynasty Award
Moderately concentrated
Champions by Capacity
Best performers for different home sizes
Mitsubishi Electric
SUZ-AA18NL***
Fujitsu
AOUH15KTAP1
Mitsubishi Electric
MUZ-FX18NLHZ2***
Fujitsu
AOUH15KTAP1
Triple Crown Champion
Best all-around performer combining COP@5°F, SEER2, and capacity retention
88
Fujitsu
AOUH12KTAP1
89
Fujitsu
AOUH09KTAP1
87
Mitsubishi Electric
MUZ-FX06NLHZ2***
All Awards
Click on any award to see details
Best performance in extreme cold
Highest COP@5°F
Trane
5TWX5036A1
"This unit maintains efficient heating even at -15°F"
Most efficient cooling
Highest SEER2
Midea
37MPRAQ06AA3
"Uses up to 40% less electricity than minimum efficiency units"
Most efficient heating season-wide
Highest HSPF2
Carrier
37MPRAQ18AA3
"Delivers exceptional heating efficiency throughout the season"
Least capacity loss in cold weather
Best Capacity Ratio
Carrier
D5CPRAH06AAK
"Maintains 150% of its rated capacity at 5°F"
Peak cooling efficiency rating
Highest EER2
Bosch
BMS500-AAS009-1CSXRD
"Delivers maximum efficiency during peak cooling demand"
Best combined cold weather performance
Polar Bear Award
Trane
5TWV0X24A1
"Combines COP@5°F and capacity retention for true cold climate dominance"
Best capacity retention with excellent efficiency
Temperature Resilience
Carrier
D5CPRAH06AAK
"Maintains output even when temperatures plummet below zero"
Largest capacity with excellent efficiency
Heavyweight Champion
Mitsubishi Electric
MXZ-SM60NL***
"Powers large homes while maintaining 2.0+ COP in cold weather"
Best efficiency in compact units
Lightweight Champion
Mitsubishi Electric
SUZ-AA18NL***
"Perfect for single rooms or small spaces with maximum efficiency"
Brand with most top-10 appearances
Dynasty Award
Carrier
16 top-10 placements
"Consistently dominates leaderboards across all efficiency metrics"
Brand with most uniform performance
Most Consistent
AUX
145 models analyzed
"Every unit performs as expected - no surprises, just reliability"
Unit that exceeds its class expectations
Overachiever Award
Trane
5TWX5036A1
"Outperforms its 36k BTU class average by a massive margin"
Rarest of the rare - 99th percentile
Unicorn Status
Trane
5TWV0X24A1
"Only 1% of heat pumps can achieve this level of performance"
Brand with highest avg COP@5°F across portfolio
Cold Climate Specialist
Trane
351 models analyzed
"This brand focuses on making every unit perform well in the cold"
Top 25% in ALL four key metrics
Balanced Excellence
Fujitsu
AOUH09KTAP1
"No compromises - excels in COP, SEER2, HSPF2, and capacity retention simultaneously"
Small brand punching above its weight
Market Disruptor
Mitsubishi Electric
1.8% market share
"Tiny market presence but elite performance - a true disruptor"
Brand dominating a specific capacity tier
Niche Excellence
Carrier
Dominates 9k-12k BTU tier
"Owns the 9k-12k BTU capacity segment with 8 top-5 finishes"
Above-average models across all capacity tiers
All-Rounder Brand
Mitsubishi Electric
Above-avg in 5/5 tiers
"Whether you need a unit for a tiny room or a mansion, this brand has you covered"
Brand Leaderboard
Which brands dominated the awards
| Rank | Brand | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Trane | 5 | |
| Carrier | 5 | |
| Mitsubishi Electric | 4 | |
4 | Fujitsu | 2 |
5 | Midea | 1 |
6 | Bosch | 1 |
7 | AUX | 1 |
How We Pick Winners
Awards are calculated from our database of certified cold climate heat pumps, using real AHRI-certified performance data including COP@5°F, SEER2, HSPF2, and capacity retention metrics.
Performance Awards
Based on raw metric values - highest COP, SEER2, etc.
Triple Crown Score
Weighted composite: 40% COP@5°F, 30% Capacity Ratio, 20% SEER2, 10% HSPF2
Brand Awards
Analyzed across all models from each manufacturer
Fun Awards
Statistical outliers and unique achievements
Data is refreshed as new products enter the market. All metrics are AHRI-certified.
