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A heat pump does not make heat, it moves it: a fan pulls outside air across a coil, a compressor concentrates the warmth it finds there, and a titanium exchanger passes it into the water. That is why it costs a fraction of gas to run and why it is slow, and why its output falls as the air cools. Units here run 50,000 to 140,000 BTU, several are inverter driven, and a few are coolers that run the cycle backwards to take heat out of a pool.
Heat pumps from Raypak, Hayward, Madimack, Pentair, AquaCal, Moov and Zodiac, including inverter variable speed models, heat and cool units, and dedicated pool chillers from Glacier. Water connections, compressor detail and published coefficient of performance are on the products that state them.
Gas and electric resistance heaters are on pool heaters, and compressors, boards, fan motors and sensors are in heat pump parts.
What does COP mean, and why is it a range?
Coefficient of performance is how many units of heat the machine delivers for each unit of electricity it draws, and it is quoted as a range because it changes with the weather. Our products publishing it show figures like 15.0 down to 6.3, and 14.6 down to 6.0: the high end is a warm, humid day when there is plenty of heat in the air to take, and the low end is a cool one. Even the low end is several times better than resistance heating, where a unit of electricity buys exactly a unit of heat.
How cold can it work in?
It gets steadily less effective as the air cools rather than stopping at a line, which is the thing to understand before buying one. There is less heat available in cold air, so the same machine delivers less and takes longer, and the COP range on the product tells you how much less. Humidity helps, because moisture in the air carries heat. In practice it means a heat pump extends a season at both ends beautifully and will not rescue a cold snap, which is the opposite of what gas does.
How long will it take to warm the pool?
Days rather than hours from cold, and that is normal rather than a fault. A heat pump at 140,000 BTU is doing a third of the work a 399,000 BTU gas heater does in the same hour, so it is designed to be left running and to hold a temperature rather than to make one. Two things change the answer more than the model you choose: whether the pool has a cover, which is worth more than any size upgrade, and whether the pump runs long enough each day for the heat pump to have water to work on.
What electrical supply does it need?
Its own, and usually a substantial one. Most units here are 208-230V and want a dedicated circuit and disconnect sized to the model, and a few small ones run on 110 to 115V. A heat pump draws for as long as it runs, which is most of the day, so the supply matters more than for a gas heater that only needs power for its controls. Check the voltage and phase on the product and have the run priced before you buy, because on a distant pad that wiring can be a real part of the job.
Can one cool the pool as well?
Some can, and it is a genuine answer to a hot climate rather than a gimmick. Running the refrigeration cycle the other way takes heat out of the water instead of putting it in, and this page carries both dedicated chillers and reversible heat and cool units. It matters where a pool sits above body temperature by August and stops being refreshing. A reversible unit costs more than a heater alone, so it is worth it where you would actually use both halves.