A 15-Ton Rooftop Heat Pump Is Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

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Electric heat pumps have already established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the home electrification movement, but stakeholders in the industry are just getting started. Heat pumps are scaling up to tackle the tougher job of decarbonizing commercial buildings, with the Florida-based firm Carrier Global Corporation among the industry leaders demonstrating that US innovators can still move the needle on climate action.

The Heat Pump Difference

Electric heat pumps are more efficient at space heating and cooling than their fossil-fueled equivalents, and more economical than conventional electric baseboard heating systems, too. Up until recently, though, efficiency losses during cold weather limited the popularity of heat pumps to warmer regions of the US.

That obstacle began lifting in 2021, when the Energy Department launched a new public-private program to accelerate the development of next-generation residential heat pumps. By the time US President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, the effort yielded a new wave of efficient, reliable cold-climate heat pumps for residential markets across the US.

A similar public-private partnership is under way in the commercial heat pump area, under the Energy Department’s “Commercial Building HVAC Accelerator” program. The program launched in April of 2024 with a timeline calling for marketable results by 2027.

“Rooftop units (RTUs) are the most common system used to heat and cool commercial buildings—and high efficiency next-generation RTUs are estimated to reduce energy costs by up to 50% compared with conventional RTUs,” the Energy Department explains.

“Through the Commercial Building HVAC Technology Challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy is challenging manufacturers to develop innovative rooftop units (RTUs) that meet an advanced technology specification developed by DOE to help organizations meet their cost, energy, and reliability needs,” the agency adds, noting that the program involves partnering its laboratory system with manufacturers from the prototype stage on up to field validations, with marketability next and final step.

Carrier: We Got Here First!

Considering the abrupt shift in federal energy policy as well as staff cuts at the Energy Department and other agencies this year, it will be something of a miracle if the Commercial Building HVAC Technology Challenge is able to survive until 2027. For now, though, all appears to be going as planned.

In September, Carrier announced that it is the first OEM (original equipment manufacturer) in the heat pump category to complete the Energy Department’s laboratory validation stage.

“The Carrier system met or exceeded all challenge requirements, including heating capacity and energy efficiency test standards – delivering 100% heating capacity at 5°F, exceeding 70% heating capacity at -10°F and meeting or surpassing DOE’s commercial HVAC efficiency thresholds,” Carrier reported, referring to its new 10-14 ton commercial heat pump.

“Customers can realize lower energy bills with reliable comfort, while utilities benefit from a more efficient system that helps support grid reliability,” emphasized Heidi Gehring, Managing Director of Carrier’s Light Commercial division.

“Innovating to meet the needs of our commercial partners builds on the legacy that began with Willis Carrier’s invention of modern air conditioning and carries forward our tradition as the leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions,” Gehring added.

A 15-Ton Rooftop Heat Pump Is Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

Carrier has not let the heat pump grass grow under its feet. On December 23, the company announced that field trials have already begun for the new 10-14 ton rooftop heat pump. The location has yet to be disclosed, but Carrier did let slip that the trials will be hosted in part by a “large national retailer in upstate New York” — where the winters can be brutal, by the way.

While that is going on, Carrier has been putting its new 15-ton rooftop heat pump through its paces at the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. After the 15-ton behemoth passes the laboratory validation phase, it will undergo field testing within the next few weeks at a yet-to-be-named commercial facility in Pennsylvania.

“These trials will be monitored and verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and are expected to conclude in summer 2027. Commercial availability is anticipated in summer 2027,” Carrier notes.

“Across independent testing conducted by the DOE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NREL, Carrier’s rooftop heat pump systems have met or exceeded targets for IVHE, IVHEc and COPs, reinforcing confidence in their readiness for scaled commercial deployment, including strong cold-climate operation,” the company emphasizes, referring to Integrated Ventilation and Heating Efficiency, and Coefficient of Performance measurements.

Next Steps For The US Renewable Energy Transition

Regardless of federal energy policy, the energy efficiency cat is out of the bag. In addition to HVAC systems, heat pump stakeholders have also moved into the residential water heater and clothes dryer spaces.

After residential and commercial applications, industrial-scale heat pumps are the next shoe to drop. Earlier this year CleanTechnica took stock of the decarbonization opportunities, listing medical facilities, breweries, distilleries, fabric and paper mills, chemical manufacturing, and food and beverage processing plants on up to district heating systems.

In a briefing paper published last year, ACEEE (the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy) listed the benefits of electric heat pumps over conventional boilers, including “more precise heat control, modularity, reduced operational and insurance costs, and improved workplace health and safety” alongside a savings beyond net energy costs in the 20-30% range.

Keep an eye on the Boiler 2.0 industrial heat pump newly introduced by the Colorado startup AtmosZero for another sign that US innovators sticking to their decarbonization plans. AtmosZero surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar in February of this year when it emerged from stealth mode to launch a new manufacturing facility in its home state. “We are laser focused on manufacturing a product that is modular, scalable and can be deployed today – not in decades,” affirmed the company’s CEO and co-founder Addison Stark in a press statement.

By June, AtmosZero was ready to move ahead with its first pilot project, to be located at the New Belgium Brewing facility in Fort Collins, Colorado.

“Using as little as one-half of the electricity as traditional boilers, AtmosZero’s technology will decarbonize multiple industries including food and beverage and chemical manufacturing,” the company stated.

“Our vision is to eliminate emissions with a mass-manufactured high-efficiency drop-in electrified steam generator capable of delivering zero-emission steam at a cost comparable to today’s fossil-fueled boilers,” Stark added for good measure.

For the record, the new heat pump is just one element in New Belgium’s sustainability journey (read more here).

Photo: New, commercial-scale, energy efficient  rooftop heat pumps will hit the US market within the next two years, cutting costs and emissions, too. (cropped, courtesy of Carrier).