What to check on a heat pump quote
Most of what separates a good quote from a vague one is whether it names the equipment precisely enough for anyone to verify the claims. Here is what to look for, in the order it matters.
1. Is the whole system named?
A quote should name three things: the outdoor unit, the indoor coil, and the air handler or furnace it sits on. Many quotes name only the first.
This is not pedantry. The efficiency rating belongs to the combination, and 44.3% of certified outdoor models appear at more than one HSPF2 depending on the indoor half. Until all three are named, the efficiency of what you are buying has not been decided.
Ask: "Can you put the indoor coil and air handler model numbers on the quote?"
2. Is there an AHRI certificate number?
The AHRI Certified Reference Number identifies that exact combination and carries its certified HSPF2 and SEER2. It is free to look up in the public directory, so a quote that includes it is one you can check without anyone's cooperation. How to find and verify it.
Ask: "What is the AHRI reference number for the combination you are quoting?"
3. Does the efficiency claim match the certificate?
Compare the HSPF2 and SEER2 on the quote against the certificate for that combination, not against the brochure for the outdoor unit. A brochure figure is generally the best result that outdoor unit achieves in any pairing, which may not be the pairing you are being sold.
You can see the full set of ratings an outdoor unit is certified at, and what each one costs to run, in the calculator.
4. If cold-climate performance matters, check it on the pairing
ENERGY STAR cold-climate certification applies to the certified combination, not to the outdoor unit as a product. The same outdoor model can have some pairings certified as cold-climate and others not. If you are relying on it — for performance or for a rebate — confirm it for your combination specifically. The EPA's ENERGY STAR Product Finder shows it for certified heat pumps.
5. What is behind any savings or running-cost figure?
A savings figure is an arithmetic result built on assumptions. Ask which ones:
- What heat demand? In million BTU delivered, and where did it come from — a Manual J load calculation for your house, or a regional average?
- What is it being compared against? Savings against electric resistance heat look very different from savings against an existing gas furnace, and the fuel prices behind both need stating.
- What electricity rate? And does it account for how your utility actually bills you, including time-of-use or tiered pricing?
- Does it include supplementary heat? A system that is undersized for your climate will call on resistance heat that a simple HSPF2 calculation understates.
None of these questions implies bad faith. They are the same questions this site has to answer about its own numbers, which is why the demand field in our calculator starts empty rather than filled with an average we cannot defend. The arithmetic and its limits.
6. Is the sizing based on a load calculation?
Ask whether the size was set by a Manual J load calculation for your house, or by replacing like for like with whatever was there before. Oversizing is the most common way a heat pump with an excellent certified rating ends up running expensively: it short-cycles, spends more time in less efficient operation and leans harder on supplementary heat.
We cannot check sizing for you — it depends on your building, not on the certificate. It is the part of this list where a licensed contractor who has seen your home is doing work no dataset can replace.
7. Are you comparing quotes, or badges?
If you have several quotes from different brands, compare the outdoor model numbers before assuming they are different equipment. Of the 3,026 distinct outdoor model numbers on the certified list, 846 (28%) appear under more than one brand name. A shared model number is strong evidence of shared equipment, not proof that warranty, support or installed price are the same. What that does and does not mean.
Questions for your installer
Print it, or keep it on your phone, and fill in the answers for each quote. If a quote already answers a question, tick it off.
- Outdoor unit model number, exactly as it will appear on the unit.Answer:
- Indoor coil model number (also called the evaporator coil).Answer:
- Air handler or furnace model number, if the system has one.Answer:
- AHRI Certified Reference Number for that exact combination.Answer:
- Certified HSPF2 and SEER2 for that AHRI number, and does the combination carry ENERGY STAR and, if it matters where you live, cold-climate certification?Answer:
- Was the size set by a load calculation (Manual J) for this house? Can I see it?Answer:
- Backup heat: what supplementary heat is included, and when does it switch on?Answer:
- Any savings or running-cost figure: which heat demand, electricity rate and comparison fuel does it assume?Answer:
- Warranty: which parts, for how long, does it need registering, and who honours it?Answer:
From certifiedspecs.com/guides/checking-a-heat-pump-quote/. Look up any AHRI number in the free AHRI Directory.
Check your quote against the certified data
Related
- How to find and check the AHRI certificate number
- Why one outdoor unit has several HSPF2 ratings
- The same outdoor model number under a different brand
Sources
- Model, pairing and cold-climate figures: U.S. EPA, ENERGY STAR Certified Ducted Heat Pumps, retrieved 2026-09-26. How we counted.
- Certificate lookup: AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance.
- ENERGY STAR and cold-climate status: EPA ENERGY STAR Product Finder.
- Load calculation: ACCA Manual J, the residential load calculation standard.
By Adrián Criado · About the author and this dataset · Updated 2026-09-26 · This is a guide to reading a document, not advice on what to buy or how to size it. That belongs to a licensed contractor.