How We Rate Pool Heaters
One number, one published formula, and a straight account of who is behind it and what we have to gain.
Every heater on this site carries one number: the Modern Pool Heating Equipment Score, shortened to “MPH Equipment Score” on cards and comparison tables. It is a weighted 1–5 score, shown to one decimal, and it is our opinion as a working Florida pool heating contractor — not a lab result, not a survey, and not an average of reviews we found on the internet.
We publish the formula because a score with no method behind it is worth nothing. Each heater is scored 1–5 on six criteria, the criteria are weighted, and the weighted average is the score you see. Nothing is stored: the score on the page is recalculated from the six subscores every time the page is built, so the number in the page's structured data and the number you read are always the same number.
Six criteria, weighted
Each heater is scored 1 to 5 on all six. The weighted average, rounded to one decimal, is the score you see.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Warranty & manufacturer support | 25% |
| Durability & heat exchanger | 20% |
| Performance & efficiency | 20% |
| Serviceability & parts | 15% |
| Controls & automation | 10% |
| Value | 10% |
Score = 25% warranty & manufacturer support + 20% durability & heat exchanger + 20% performance & efficiency + 15% serviceability & parts + 10% controls & automation + 10% value.
Subscores are whole or half points from 1 to 5. The weighted result is rounded to one decimal place. A 4.7 and a 4.6 are close enough that either heater would likely serve you well; a 4.7 and a 3.2 are not.
What each criterion actually measures
And what separates a 5 from a 3, so the subscores are not just a feeling with a number attached.
Warranty & manufacturer support
25% of the scoreThe published warranty on the parts that actually fail — heat exchanger, compressor, control board — plus how workable the manufacturer is when a claim comes in and how easy it is to reach a rep from Florida.
A 5 is long, clearly written coverage on the expensive components with a manufacturer that processes claims without a fight. A 3 is standard coverage with ordinary claim handling. A 1 is short coverage, heavy exclusions, or a support line installers dread calling.
Durability & heat exchanger
20% of the scoreHeat exchanger material and construction, cabinet and fastener corrosion resistance, and how the unit holds up to salt air, salt chlorine generators, and water chemistry that drifts.
A 5 is a titanium or high-nickel exchanger in a cabinet that survives coastal exposure. A 3 is a standard copper exchanger in a conventional cabinet. A 1 is a design we have repeatedly seen fail early in this climate.
Performance & efficiency
20% of the scorePublished capacity and efficiency (thermal efficiency for gas, COP for heat pumps), how quickly the unit recovers a pool, and how well it holds capacity as air temperature drops on a Florida cold snap.
A 5 leads its category on published efficiency and keeps useful output at the low end of its operating range. A 3 is typical for the category. A 1 is meaningfully behind current equipment.
Serviceability & parts
15% of the scoreHow long a common repair takes, whether the cabinet gives real access to the board, igniter, sensors and compressor, and whether parts are stocked regionally or have to be ordered and waited on.
A 5 is a unit our techs can diagnose and fix in one visit with parts on the shelf. A 3 means parts usually arrive in a few days. A 1 means weeks of downtime while a board ships.
Controls & automation
10% of the scoreThe onboard control itself, and how cleanly the heater joins an automation system — same-brand integration, cross-brand support, whether an adapter or relay is required, and whether app control is genuinely useful.
A 5 drops into common automation systems with no adapter and gives the homeowner reliable remote control. A 3 works but needs an interface kit or has a limited app. A 1 is local control only, with no practical path to automation.
Value
10% of the scoreWhat the equipment delivers against its relative installed price in our market — not the lowest price, but what you get for the money over the life of the heater.
A 5 is equipment we would spend our own money on at that price. A 3 is fairly priced for what it is. A 1 is priced well above what it delivers.
Whose opinion this is
Affordable Solar & Pool Heating, LLC trades as Modern Pool Heating. We are a licensed Florida pool contractor (license #CPC1460367) installing and servicing solar, electric heat pump, and gas pool heating on the Gulf Coast since 2023.
The ratings come out of that work: what we install, what we get called back to repair, which manufacturers pay a warranty claim without an argument, and which parts we can actually get in a week. That is a real advantage over a review site that has never opened one of these cabinets — and it is also a bias worth naming, which is what the disclosure below is for.
Disclosure
We install several of the brands rated on this site. We are a dealer or installing contractor for some of them and not for others, and our experience with any given brand is deeper where we install more of it.
No manufacturer pays us for placement, for a score, or for a link. Nothing on these pages is sponsored, and we do not sell heaters online — if you buy one from us it is installed by our crew in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, or Pinellas County.
Where we have less hands-on history with a brand, we say so in the notes on that heater rather than inventing confidence we do not have.
Our rating vs third-party reviews
The editorial rating and third-party reviews are two different things and we never merge them.
The Modern Pool Heating Equipment Score is ours. Where a manufacturer or a named retailer publishes its own customer rating, we quote it separately, with the source named, the rating and review count as published, and the date we checked it — for example, "Jandy product page: 4.8/5 from 331 reviews, checked Sept. 2026". We do not copy those numbers into our own rating, and we do not put them into this site's structured data. A star average collected on somebody else's storefront is evidence about that storefront's customers, not a specification.
How “last verified” dates work
Specifications, warranty terms and efficiency figures come from manufacturer product pages, spec sheets and warranty documents. Each heater, brand and comparison page carries a "Last verified" date and links to the exact sources we read.
The date tells you when a human last opened those manufacturer pages and confirmed the figures still matched. Manufacturers revise spec sheets and warranty terms without notice, so treat anything more than a few months old as a good starting point rather than gospel, and confirm the current terms before you buy.
If we cannot verify a figure on a manufacturer source, we leave it out. An empty row means "not published", never "we guessed".
Found something wrong? Tell us
If something here is out of date or wrong — a warranty term changed, a model was discontinued, a spec is off — tell us and we will fix it and update the verification date.
Email modernpoolheating@icloud.com with the page, the figure you are questioning, and a manufacturer link if you have one. Manufacturer reps are welcome to write in too; we will correct a factual error from any source, and we will not change a rating because someone asks us to.
Questions about our ratings
Is the Modern Pool Heating Equipment Score the same as a star rating on Google or Angi?
No. Our score rates the equipment, using the published formula on this page. Google and Angi reviews rate our company and our work. They are separate measures of separate things, and we keep them apart on purpose.
Do manufacturers pay to be rated or ranked here?
No. There is no paid placement, no sponsored ranking, and no affiliate link on these pages. We do install several of the brands we rate, which is disclosed on every rating page.
Why does a heater have no rating for some criteria in the notes?
Every heater is scored on all six criteria, but the notes only call out the ones that drove the score up or down. Where we have limited hands-on history with a model, the notes say so.
How often are ratings and specs updated?
We re-check manufacturer sources when a model changes, when a warranty term is revised, and on a periodic sweep. The 'Last verified' date on each page tells you when that page was last confirmed against the manufacturer's own documents.
Can I get a recommendation for my specific pool?
Yes, and it is free. Pool size, whether you have a spa, screen enclosure, gas availability and how you actually use the pool change the answer more than any rating does. Call (941) 323-6559 or send us the details and we will tell you what fits — including when the honest answer is to keep the heater you have.
Want the rating applied to your pool?
The formula is the same for everyone; the right heater is not. Tell us the pool size, whether you have a spa and how you use it, and we will say which of these scores actually matters for you.
Licensed & insured · Florida Certified Pool/Spa Contractor #CPC1460367 · Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm
Want our opinion on your pool, not just on a heater?
Tell us the pool size, whether you have a spa and how you use it. We will give you a straight recommendation, free.
Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm · Licensed & insured · Florida Certified Pool/Spa Contractor CPC1460367