About the Project
The Department of Energy (DOE) challenged major players in the residential cold climate heat pump (ccHP) field to improve the efficiency and affordability of heat pumps while also improving the temperatures at which they will continue to heat effectively. Specifically, they wanted 2-5 ton ducted residential heat pumps that could work more efficiently when the outdoor temperature was either 5 degrees F and continue to run in heat pump mode all the way down to -15 degrees F! Originally, there were 9 manufacturer partners who took the challenge: Carrier, Daikin, Johnson Controls, Lennox, LG, Midea, Mitsubishi Electric, Rheem, and Trane Technologies. They started prototyping in 2021, lab testing in 2022 then field testing once they passed lab testing.
What was our solution?
That’s where we came in! We partnered with PNNL to design data collection protocols and equipment we would need in the field. We wanted to replicate the data they were collecting in the DoE’s subsidiary labs yet be as noninvasive to the performance of the heat pumps and to the homeowners as possible. All while metering with redundancies so the manufacturers can get as correct and continuous data as possible. So, we used our experience from past successes and added some twists to them and came up with fully robust data collection instrumentation for each site and heat pump, customized to their needs and configurations. Field testing began in the Fall of 2022, and installations continued through winter of 2023. Each site got at least one full winter and summer of data including many demand response tests, led by Guidehouse and analyzed by us.
How did we do?
The data that we gathered helped each manufacturer understand their equipment better. A couple of the manufacturers have taken their prototypes from this challenge and already are releasing to the market new, cutting-edge cold climate heat pump technologies! This is very exciting for the future of decarbonization and electrification in colder climates, where heating is generally more efficient and affordable through gas equipment.
You can find more information about the challenge on the Dept. of Energy’s website:
