In this paper, energy efficiency results are presented for a new HFC ternary blend proposed as a substitute for CFC 502 and HCFC 22. The blend is composed of R-23/R-32/R-125. Performance evaluation test results were obtained after an experimental heat pump set up with a 3 kW rotary compressor. The refrigerants tested in this study under different conditions were HCFC-22, as a reference base refrigerant and R-410a (HFC-32/HFC-125), R-407c (HFC-32/HFC-125/HFC-134a), as well as quaternary mixture; HFC-32/HFC-125/HFC-143a/HFC-134a. The experimental data showed that our proposed HFC ternary blend R-23/R-32/R-125 has superior performance compared to other proposed HFC alternatives such as R-410a and R-407c, under the same conditions. Pressure ratios and head pressures were compatible with new compressors to be used in new systems. Furthermore, experimental results demonstrated that the ternary blend R-23/R-32/R-125 is the best performing replacement for R-22 in heat pump applications and low temperature equipment. Experiments also showed that the heat pump system using R-23/R-32/R-125 was stable and experienced reasonable head pressures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.