ENERGY STAR Most Efficient Heat Pumps in 2026: What the Label Requires Now

WASHINGTON — ENERGY STAR is changing hands, and the Most Efficient label that sits on top of it has not been refreshed for heat pumps this year. As of early September 2026 the most recent finalized recognition criteria for air-source heat pumps are the Most Efficient 2025 criteria, and the ENERGY STAR product finder still displays that designation. Here is what the label requires, how it differs from ordinary ENERGY STAR certification, and how to use it now that the program is moving from the EPA to the Department of Energy.

What happened

ENERGY STAR Most Efficient is an annual recognition, not a separate certification. The program typically publishes criteria late in the prior year; models that are already ENERGY STAR certified and clear the higher bar are flagged in the product finder from January through December. The 2025 air-source heat pump criteria, released in December 2024, are the ones in force. Our searches of ENERGY STAR’s specification library and product finder in early September 2026 turned up no separate finalized 2026 criteria for air-source heat pumps, although 2026 recognition appears to be in use in some appliance categories. The 2025 rules state that the designation may continue to be used on a recognized model for as long as it remains on the market, so the listings you see today remain valid.

The program itself has been through a turbulent 18 months. A May 2025 EPA reorganization plan dropped the division that runs ENERGY STAR from the agency’s organization chart, raising fears the program would be shut down; Congress responded with bipartisan funding. On March 3, 2026 the EPA and DOE signed a memorandum of agreement to move trademark ownership and program leadership to DOE, and on August 28, 2026 the agencies finalized a transition plan under which DOE takes over the program’s IT systems and databases by July 2027. Both agencies say the roughly 1,500 manufacturers and 1,200 retailers that use the label should see minimal disruption. Separately, ENERGY STAR issued a revised Version 6.2 heat pump specification in February 2026.

Why it matters

The labels answer different questions. Basic ENERGY STAR certification (Version 6.2) requires a split-system heat pump to reach at least 15.2 SEER2, 11.0 EER2 and 7.8 HSPF2, against federal minimums of 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. The ENERGY STAR Cold Climate mark adds a heating-focused tier: 8.5 HSPF2 for ductless systems, 8.1 for ducted, plus a COP of at least 1.75 at 5°F, at least 70 percent of 47°F heating capacity at 5°F, and a controls-verification test proving the unit’s own controls deliver those numbers.

Most Efficient 2025 raises the cooling bar and, crucially, applies low-temperature tests to every product, not just cold-climate ones. A ducted or ductless split heat pump needs 16.0 SEER2, 11.0 EER2 and 8.0 HSPF2; a cold-climate split needs 16.0 SEER2, 9.8 EER2 and 8.5 HSPF2; packaged units have slightly lower thresholds. Every recognized model must also post a COP of at least 1.75 at 5°F and retain at least 45 percent of its 47°F capacity at 5°F (70 percent for cold-climate models). In plain terms, a Most Efficient heat pump is a variable-speed unit with verified winter performance, not just a high SEER2 number.

That said, the 16.0 SEER2 floor is modest. The recognition list runs to thousands of indoor-outdoor combinations, from the floor into the high 20s SEER2 among ductless single-zone models, with 5°F COPs that in our look at the data ranged from about 1.8 to 2.4. The label tells you a system is above average and winter-capable; it does not tell you it is the best in its class. Use it as a filter, then compare specific ratings, as our SEER2, HSPF2 and COP explainer describes.

Who is on the list? Essentially every major brand: Carrier and Bryant, Trane and American Standard, Lennox, York and its Johnson Controls siblings, Rheem and Ruud, Daikin, Goodman and Amana, Bosch, Mitsubishi Electric (including the Trane and American Standard co-branded lines), Fujitsu, LG, Midea, Gree, Samsung and Panasonic, along with retail and DIY mini-split brands such as MRCOOL, Senville, Pioneer and Cooper&Hunter. The ductless side dominates by count. Among ducted flagships, the Carrier Infinity 24 with Greenspeed, Lennox SL25XPV, Trane XV20i, Bosch IDS 2.0 and Rheem Endeavor RP20 lines have appeared with Most Efficient combinations, though not every size or indoor match qualifies, so confirm the specific pairing.

What homeowners should do

• Verify the exact combination. ENERGY STAR certifies matched systems, identified by an AHRI reference number. Ask your contractor for the outdoor and indoor model numbers and look them up in the ENERGY STAR product finder or the AHRI directory. A qualifying outdoor unit with a non-listed coil is not certified.
• Match the label to your climate. In the North, insist on the Cold Climate mark and look at capacity at 5°F. In the South, EER2 (efficiency at 95°F) matters more than HSPF2; Most Efficient’s 11.0 EER2 floor is a reasonable minimum.
• Look past the label for the top tier. Our most efficient heat pumps roundup and best mini-split heat pumps guide sort the list by actual ratings, and the Mitsubishi Hyper-Heating review and Carrier Infinity 24 review cover two of the most-cited flagships.
• Watch for a 2026 refresh. If DOE publishes updated criteria or a 2026 recognition year for heat pumps, thresholds may move. Check energystar.gov before relying on a spec-sheet claim.