Initiative to modernise commercial heat pump rooftop units

To accelerate clean energy adoption, the DOE is partnering with leading manufacturers to advance heat pump rooftop units for commercial buildings targeting up to 50 percent reductions in energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Building upon the success of the residential challenge, DOE is now working with nine heat pump manufacturers to advance rooftop units (RTUs) for commercial buildings through a new technology challenge. The eight Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge manufacturers completed rigorous product field testing to demonstrate energy efficiency and improved performance in cold weather. Manufacturers say that cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs) developed as part of the challenge will enter commercial production as soon as this fall. Bosch, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, Midea, Rheem, and Trane Technologies participated in the challenge.

This initiative is part of the Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator, in which DOE is working across the supply chain for commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to advance the adoption of heat pump RTUs.

Next-generation CCHP is a vital clean energy technology that can reduce household utility bills while slashing harmful carbon emissions. For commercial buildings, heat pump RTUs are estimated to reduce greenhouse emissions and energy costs by up to 50 percent compared with conventional RTUs fuelled by natural gas.

Hayes Jones, acting director of DOE’s Building Technologies Office, which developed and supported the initiatives, said, “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 and barriers to market adoption. DOE’s support for industry advancements will help get cost-effective clean energy technology into homes, offices, schools, and other facilities.”

Residential CCHP challenge

The Residential CCHP Challenge aimed to develop, test, and commercialize heat pumps that could deliver as much heat as needed without using auxiliary heating elements. These CCHPs would be capable of operating at 5°F (–15°C) or lower with energy performance well beyond current best-in-class products.

In the field, the residential CCHPs reliably provided heat with little assistance from auxiliary elements, even during the coldest winter. The real-world field testing in customer homes, customer feedback and independent third-party performance evaluation provided valuable information that enabled the manufacturers to optimize their products before commercialisation.

Commercial building heat pump accelerator

Through Better Buildings, DOE is now working with heat pump manufacturers AAON, Addison, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, LG, Rheem, and Trane Technologies to improve the energy efficiency and performance of RTUs in cold weather. Slated to run through December 2027, the commercial building heat pump accelerator includes the technology development challenge and a targeted campaign to promote product adoption.

DOE has published key findings from field testing, providing manufacturers as well as state and utility partners with the knowledge and experience to commercialize, deploy, and incentivize CCHP products.

Learn more at https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/articles/doe-efforts-send-new-and-improved-cold-climate-heat-pumps-market