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How to read a NEEP record and an AHRI certificate
The numbers on our comparison pages come from two documents few people have ever opened: a unit’s AHRI certificate and its record on the NEEP list. This guide opens a real record, for a wall-mounted heat pump sold by AirGreen, and explains every field: what it measures, at what temperature, and who stands behind it.
ORION XLTH · 12,000 BTU
ASUH12KZAS / AOUH12KZAH1 · AHRI 214888802
See the product pageTwo fields of the record feed the season cost estimate
On our comparison pages, the cost estimate starts from two values of this record: Region V HSPF2 for winter and SEER2 for summer. This guide shows no dollar amount; it shows where these two fields are and what is done with them. The pages below run the calculation in dollars for this unit.
The higher the HSPF2 or SEER2, the less electricity it takes for the same heat or the same cooling. The price per kilowatt-hour, the hours of use and the full method are shown on every page that gives an amount.
NEEP record no. 392122, field by field
Here are the fields of the record as NEEP displayed it on November 9, 2026, with their original labels. Tap a field: the panel says what it measures, who stands behind it and how our pages use it.
This sorting follows the note NEEP places at the bottom of the record: fields marked ⁺ are AHRI certified and verified information; so is rated capacity; input power is “manufacturer reported” and COP is calculated. Source of the ⁺ fields according to NEEP: ahridirectory.org.
From the lab to our pages: the path of a number
AHRI and NEEP do different jobs. AHRI runs a certification program: units are tested by an independent laboratory under AHRI Standard 210/240. NEEP keeps a list of cold-climate heat pumps that carries those values and adds others.
It declares the performance of each outdoor and indoor unit combination.
A third-party laboratory under contract to AHRI tests units to AHRI Standard 210/240.
The combination gets a reference number in the AHRI directory: here, 214888802.
NEEP receives the data through AHRI, carries the certificate number and publishes additional fields.
Each value we use carries its certificate number, its record number and the verification date.
What AHRI certifies
- A voluntary program, run by AHRI, which checks that products perform according to their manufacturer’s published values.
- Third-party testing: an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory under contract to AHRI. AHRI writes that certified products are tested every year.
- The program’s ratings for a heat pump: cooling capacity, EER2, SEER2, high-temperature heating capacity (47 °F) and Region IV HSPF2.
- A mark: only products that have passed this testing may display the AHRI Certified mark. AHRI also reports its data to Natural Resources Canada.
What NEEP adds
- A list, with entry conditions: the cold-climate specification (Version 4.0, in effect since January 1, 2023) covers variable-capacity heat pumps. For a non-ducted unit: HSPF2 of at least 8.5, SEER2 of at least 15 and COP of at least 1.75 at 5 °F, at maximum capacity.
- Extended data: capacity, input power and COP at minimum, rated and maximum, at 47, 17 and 5 °F, then at the lowest temperature cataloged by the manufacturer.
- Region V HSPF2, which our cost estimates use. On the record, this field does not carry the ⁺ sign.
- Its own reading note, at the bottom of each record, which says what is AHRI certified and verified, what the manufacturer reports and what is calculated.
Worth keeping in mind when reading our pages. When one of our pages cites an “AHRI” or “NEEP” value, it was read from these documents on the date shown. The ⁺ sign on the record marks what AHRI certifies and verifies; minimum and maximum capacities, power and COP come from the manufacturer or from a calculation, as NEEP itself writes.
Three columns for a unit that modulates
A variable-capacity heat pump does not deliver a single output: it slows down and speeds up. The record therefore gives three values at each test temperature. Pick a row of the table.
According to the NEEP specification, minimum, rated and maximum values are levels the unit holds continuously, without cycling or a time-limited “boost” mode. The rated value must match the AHRI certificate value; it may equal the maximum.
COP can be recalculated from two cells of the record
COP says how much heat comes out of the unit for each unit of electricity going in. NEEP states that this number is calculated. You get it by dividing capacity by input power, once BTU/h are converted into kilowatts.
A COP on the record holds for one temperature and one operating level. It counts neither defrost nor the base pan heater: the NEEP specification excludes their power from the tables. For a whole season, read the seasonal ratings instead, SEER2 and HSPF2.
What the record does not say
A NEEP record describes laboratory tests. For the rest, our pages go to the manufacturer’s documents, and say so.
None of this is on the record. Our pages take it from the manufacturer’s brochure and manuals, labelled “per the manufacturer”.
The example’s record says “AIRSTAGE H-Series”; the name ORION XLTH is not on it. A unit is found by its model numbers or its AHRI number.
The last row of the table is the lowest temperature for which the manufacturer publishes data. The example’s record shows no shutoff temperature.
The table gives test points: 47, 17, 5 and −15 °F for this unit. The record’s chart joins these points with straight lines; our pages stick to the published points.
The list covers variable-capacity air-to-air heat pumps. Air-to-water and ground-source heat pumps are not on it, and NEEP notes that some eligible products remain to be listed since its April 1 change in data collection.
Tests are run at fixed temperatures: 21.1 °C indoors in heating, 26.7 °C in cooling. The pipe length, location and settings of a real installation are not part of them.
The questions we get about these two documents
Are the NEEP record and the AHRI certificate the same document?
No. The AHRI certificate belongs to AHRI’s certification program and carries a reference number specific to one combination of units. The NEEP record is a page of NEEP’s cold-climate heat pump list; it carries that number and adds fields the certificate does not show, such as minimum and maximum capacities.
What does the ⁺ sign on the record mean?
NEEP explains it at the bottom of each record: the ⁺ sign marks AHRI certified and verified information, sourced from the AHRI directory. The same note states that rated capacity is AHRI certified and verified, that input power is manufacturer reported and that COP is calculated.
Why are rated and maximum capacity identical at −15 °C?
On the example’s record, both columns show 16,600 BTU/h at 5 °F, or −15 °C. The NEEP specification provides for it: when a unit is rated under the Appendix M1 H4 test, run at 5 °F, the value obtained is reported in both the rated and the maximum columns.
Why is there no rated value at −26.1 °C?
This row is the “lowest cataloged temperature”: the coldest one for which the manufacturer publishes performance data. The NEEP specification ties rated values to the AHRI certificate at 47 and 17 °F in heating and 95 °F in cooling. At −15 °F, the record therefore gives only the smallest and the largest capacity.
Is a heat pump missing from the NEEP list left out of your pages?
No. Listing is voluntary and the list has its own entry conditions. When a unit is not on it, our pages say so and name the source used instead. The absence of a record says nothing, by itself, about a unit’s performance.
Why do your pages quote 8.3 °C, −8.3 °C and −15 °C?
The tests are defined in degrees Fahrenheit: 47, 17 and 5 °F. Our pages convert these temperatures into degrees Celsius, which gives 8.3 °C, −8.3 °C and −15 °C. Likewise, 95 °F becomes 35 °C and −15 °F becomes −26.1 °C.
Can a record change?
Yes. The example’s record shows a creation date, March 31, 2026, and an update date, November 6, 2026. The NEEP specification also provides a field for an old AHRI reference number. This is why each of our pages carries a “Data verified on” line with its date.
The example’s record, row by row
The values are those of NEEP record no. 392122 on November 9, 2026, converted to degrees Celsius. The third column reports what NEEP writes about each kind of field. Nothing is highlighted: a single heat pump appears in this table.
| Field | ORION XLTH 12,000 BTU, on its record | Who stands behind it, per NEEP |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| AHRI certificate · NEEP record | 214888802 · 392122 | Certificate number: field marked ⁺ |
| Outdoor and indoor model numbers | AOUH12KZAH1 · ASUH12KZAS | Fields marked ⁺ |
| Refrigerant | R-32 | No ⁺ sign |
| Sold in the USA or CanadaSold In | USA and Canada | Field marked ⁺ |
| Seasonal ratings | ||
| SEER2 | 30.5 | Field marked ⁺: AHRI certified and verified |
| EER2At 35 °C outdoors | 16 | Field marked ⁺ |
| HSPF2 Region IV | 12.7 | Field marked ⁺ |
| HSPF2 Region V | 10.1 | No ⁺ sign on the record |
| Heating: capacity in BTU/h | ||
| Capacity at 8.3 °C: min. / rated / max.47 °F | 3,500 / 16,000 / 23,600 | Rated: AHRI certified and verified. Min. and max.: no mention. |
| Capacity at −8.3 °C: min. / rated / max.17 °F | 2,200 / 10,000 / 18,700 | Rated: AHRI certified and verified. Min. and max.: no mention. |
| Capacity at −15 °C: min. / rated / max.5 °F, H4 test | 1,950 / 16,600 / 16,600 | Rated: AHRI certified and verified, also reported in the Max column. |
| Capacity at −26.1 °C: min. and max.−15 °F, lowest cataloged temperature | 1,400 and 12,200 | Manufacturer data; no rated value at this temperature |
| Power and efficiency at 8.3 °C | ||
| Input power, in kWMin · Rated · Max | 0.20 · 1.01 · 2.25 | Manufacturer reported |
| COPMin · Rated · Max | 5.13 · 4.64 · 3.07 | Calculated |
| Other fields | ||
| ENERGY STAR cold climateENERGY STAR V6.1 Cold Climate | Yes | No ⁺ sign; also in the ENERGY STAR directory |
| Capacity maintenance, −8.3 °C over 8.3 °CRated 17°F / Rated 47°F | 62% | Ratio of two rated values of the table |
| Base pan heaterPan Heater · Input Power | 150 W | No ⁺ sign; power excluded from the tables |
| Record created and updated | March 31, 2026 · November 6, 2026 | Dates kept by NEEP |
A cooling row completes this table: at 35 °C outdoors (95 °F), rated capacity is 12,000 BTU/h, which gives the unit its “size”.
The example unit is on AirGreen’s site.
Its product page gives the model numbers; its AHRI number leads to its NEEP record. For a project, talk it over with our team: bring the area to heat, your current heating and the planned outdoor location.
Where each number comes from
Data verified on November 9, 2026. This guide explains two documents; it ranks neither units nor brands. The AHRI and NEEP descriptions are summarized: only their own texts are authoritative, and they can change.
Trademarks. FUJITSU AIRSTAGE, AHRI, AHRI Certified, NEEP and ENERGY STAR are trademarks of their respective owners. Logos are used only to identify the product shown. AirGreen is a dealer of the equipment brand cited; this page is not produced, sponsored or approved by the manufacturer, AHRI or NEEP.
Photos: AirGreen and manufacturers, for identification.
Does a value look wrong? Write to us: every reported value is verified again.