WASHINGTON — All eight manufacturers participating in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge (CCHPC) have completed rigorous product field testing, demonstrating energy efficiency and improved performance in cold weather.
Cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs) developed as part of the challenge will enter commercial production as soon as this fall, manufacturers say. The energy department is now working with nine manufacturers to advance rooftop units (RTUs) for commercial buildings through a new technology challenge. This initiative is part of the Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator, in which DOE is working across the commercial HVAC supply chain to advance the adoption of heat-pump RTUs.
“The residential challenge and commercial accelerator bring together public- and private-sector stakeholders to address technical challenges for improving heat pump performance in cold climates,” said Hayes Jones, acting director of DOE’s Building Technologies Office, which developed and supports the initiatives. “DOE’s support for industry advancements will help get cost-effective clean energy technology into homes, offices, schools, and other facilities.”
The technological advancements fostered by the residential CCHPC and Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator will help the U.S. meet the goal of 100% carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2035 and a net-zero-carbon economy by 2050, a DOE press release said. They will also advance DOE’s buildings decarbonization objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. buildings 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050, the press release said.
Established in 2021, the residential CCHPC was launched to develop, test, and commercialize heat pumps that could deliver as much heat as needed without using auxiliary heating. These cold-climate heat pumps would be capable of operating at 5°F or lower, with energy performance beyond that of current best-in-class products.
Bosch, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, Midea, Rheem, and Trane Technologies participated in the challenge. They successfully completed prototype testing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other facilities in 2022 and 2023, with some units operating at temperatures as low as –15°F while still meeting efficiency requirements. The companies then moved products into field testing in 23 residential sites located across 10 states and two Canadian provinces. In partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, each site gathered a full year of data. U.S. testing sites were in the Northeast, Midwest, and Mountain regions.
In the field, the residential CCHPs reliably provided heat with little assistance from auxiliary elements, even during the coldest winter periods. The real-world field testing in customer homes, along with customer feedback and independent third-party performance evaluations, provided valuable information that enabled the manufacturers to optimize their products prior to commercialization.
“Electrification without improved heat pump technology will put a strain on the grid as the current technology struggles to maintain its efficiency ratings in low temperatures,” said Zoe Eckert, sustainable energy program and policy senior manager at the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co. “The CCHP challenge is bringing manufacturers and stakeholders together to solve a very real issue, upholding the very definition of innovation and collaboration that the energy industry needs to improve our reliability.”
