Three new variable speed pumps do really well on the California Energy Commission efficiency ratings results this year, but it is difficult to know how to compare the results to existing pumps. The new pumps are the Hayward TriStar VS (which I can't find for sale and is kind of hidden at their web site), and the essentially identical Pentair SuperFlo VS and SuperMax VS. All three report efficiency ratios in the high 30s when run at 600 RPM, which beat anything reported on last year.
However, the reporting is very inconsistent about what speeds it picks for testing VS pumps at, and none of the other major pumps are reported on at 600 RPM, instead using higher speeds which you would expect to be less efficient.
By the by, there is one more pump with even better results but I have never heard of them and couldn't find out much about them: the Eco H2O Pump from Eco H2O Tech. And another one I can't find out much about that is only a little below those four: The Waterway ECON VSC.
However, the reporting is very inconsistent about what speeds it picks for testing VS pumps at, and none of the other major pumps are reported on at 600 RPM, instead using higher speeds which you would expect to be less efficient.
By the by, there is one more pump with even better results but I have never heard of them and couldn't find out much about them: the Eco H2O Pump from Eco H2O Tech. And another one I can't find out much about that is only a little below those four: The Waterway ECON VSC.