Seriously good cold-climate heat pumps are headed to the US market

The eight manufacturers that took part in the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge are now taking their new, improved products to market.

The Residential CCHP Challenge is a success

Heat pumps are a critical clean energy technology that could help reduce household energy bills and cut carbon emissions. But they haven’t always lived up to the hype in colder climates. Established in 2021, the Residential CCHP Challenge aimed to tackle those performance issues head-on – and it’s paid off.

In partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Bosch, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, Midea, Rheem, and Trane Technologies first completed prototype testing, then tested their heat pumps in real homes across the US and Canada. Lennox’s and Carrier’s cold-climate heat pumps are already in production.

These cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs) reliably delivered heat even during the coldest winter months, with some units operating at temperatures as low as –15F (–26C) while still meeting energy efficiency requirements. DOE says these new CCHPs could help households in colder areas transition to efficient electric heating while saving on energy costs.

Zoe Eckert, sustainable energy program and policy senior manager at the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, said, “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.”

Next up: the Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator

The DOE is now moving on to the next big thing: making heat pump technology work for commercial buildings. It’s kicking off a new tech challenge with nine manufacturers – AAON, Addison, Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, LG, Rheem, and Trane Technologies – to improve rooftop heat pump units (RTUs) for businesses, schools, and stores. The project aims to improve RTU efficiency and performance in cold climates – with the potential to slash emissions and cut energy costs by up to 50%.

The manufacturers will partner with DOE and national laboratories to create prototypes and then lead field validations with partners such as Ikea, Amazon, Target, Whole Foods, and others. It’s slated to run through December 2027.

These initiatives could mean significant strides toward reducing building emissions, which currently make up 40% of US greenhouse gases. The DOE’s efforts are part of the broader push to meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of net zero electricity by 2035 and a net zero economy by 2050.

Read more: This US company’s heat pump works below –22F