Selection Criteria Air Conditioners

Topten shows the best air-to-air heat pumps (i.e. single- and multi-split room air conditioners) in terms of energy efficiency. This list focuses on systems in where the indoor unit is a "floor unit".

Floor units rest on the floor or, like radiators, are mounted on the wall at floor level. This has the advantage that warm air escapes directly at floor level. Indoor units of this type are also known as "floor-standing" or "floor-mounted" units.

Models up to a heating output of max. 12 kW are listed.

Technical criteria

Air conditioners on topten.eu meet different requirements regarding cooling and heating energy efficiency, based on the Labelling regulation No. 626/2011 and requirements on the refrigerant used:

  • Units must contain a refrigerant with a GWP of 800 or lower.
  • They must fulfill the following energy efficiency criteria:
Indoor Unit Air conditioner type Efficiency class cooling / heating function
Floor standing Single-split A++ / A++
Multi-split A+ / A+

Data sources

  • Producers’ declarations
  • National data-bases and Topten sites

Order of presentation

Products are ranked according to their heating efficiency index (SCOP). The order of presentation can be changed by using the "Sort by" filter above the table.

Glossary

Brand, Indoor and outdoor unit model
Brand and names of the indoor and outdoor units.

Cooling / heating capacity (kW)
Maximum cooling / heating capacity in Kilowatts (kW), according to the Energy Label.

Electricity costs (EUR in 10 years)
Electricity costs in Euro that arise over 10 years of usage. Annual electricity consumption is based on the declaration of the Energy Label. The assumed electricity tariff is 0.3 EUR/kWh.

Cooling function efficiency (SEER)
The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) indicates the energy efficiency of the cooling function. It is calculated based on several part load measurements according to the Energy Labelling regulation. The higher the SEER, the more efficient a product.

Heating function efficiency SCOP
The Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP) indicates the energy efficiency of the heating function. It is calculated analogically to the SEER. The higher the SCOP, the more efficient a product.

Operating temperature (°C)
The outside temperature specified by the manufacturer up to which the device can be operated in the heating function. This value refers to the outdoor unit. The most common value is -15 °C. Particularly suitable devices can be operated at temperatures down to -25 °C.

Silent Mode dB(A)
Sound pressure level of the indoor unit in the lowest operating level when heating (e.g. “Whisper mode” / “Night mode” / “Silent mode”).

Energy efficiency class (cooling / heating)
Energy efficiency class of the cooling and heating functions according to the Labelling regulation from 2011. The Energy Label defines classes from A+++ to G. Split models with lower efficiency than class B (cooling)/ A (heating) are no longer permitted on the market since January 2014.

Annual electricity consumption cooling /heating in kWh/year
Annual electricity consumption for cooling and heating, respectively, in kWh/year, according to the Energy Label. Assumed are 350 hours of cooling and 1400 hours of heating per year (average climate zone).

Sound power Indoor / Outdoor unit (detail view)
Sound power level of the indoor and outdoor unit for the cooling function in dB(A), according to the declaration on the Energy Label.

Refrigerant / GWP (detail view)
Name of the refrigerant and its Global Warming Potential (GWP in 100 years according to IPCC).

Size Indoor / Outdoor unit (detail view)
Size of the two units in mm (e.g. Width x Depth x Height)

Infoplus

Publications


Standards and Labels

  • Commission Regulation No 626/2011 on the energy labelling of air conditioners: new energy label, compulsory since 1 January 2013.
  • Commission Regulation No 206/2012 on ecodesign requirements for air conditioners and comfort fans. Tier 2 applies since 1 January 2014.
  • European Commission, Energy Labelling of Domestic Appliances: Commission Directive 2002/31/EC of 22 March 2002 with regard to energy labelling of household air-conditioners (old energy label).
  • Amendment regarding Online Energy Labels: Regulation No. 518/2014
  • The measurement standard EN 14511 for air conditioners has been revised in 2011 and amended with EN 14825/2012 to include measurement at part load conditions and calculation of seasonal performance by the European Committee for standardisation CEN-CENELEC
  • Topten Policy Recommendations from August 2022

Links

  • EU Ecodesign and Energy labelling Framework
  • The European council for an energy efficient economy eceee provides a status overview on all products in the Ecodesign & Energy Labelling process
  • Coolproducts informs about the EU ecodesign process on air conditioners and other products.It is a coalition of NGOs' campaign for a stronger, fast Ecodesign Directive to save the climate and money.
  • ECOS (Ecostandard) is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws.
  • EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling) is the European product database. Products with an energy label are registered in EPREL in order to provide consumers with detailed product information.

Producers and retailers are kindly asked to contact info(at)topten.info to inform about more products which meet the Topten selection criteria.

01/2025 Hepp

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