Cold Climate Heat Pump Sizing Calculator

Determine the minimum heating capacity (BTU/h) required for a cold climate heat pump based on your home's characteristics, insulation quality, and local design temperatures.

Formulas Used

1. Envelope Heat Loss (walls, windows, ceiling):

Q = U × A × ΔT

  • ΔT = Tindoor − Toutdoor (°F)

2. Infiltration Heat Loss:

Qinf = 0.018 × ACH × Volume × ΔT

3. Total Design Load:

Qdesign = (Qwall + Qwindow + Qceiling + Qfloor + Qinf) × 1.15

4. Capacity in Tons:

Tons = Qdesign / 12,000 BTU/h per ton

5. COP at Design Temperature:

COP ≈ max(1.5, 4.0 − 0.05 × (47 − Toutdoor))

Assumptions & References

In the network