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Heat pumps have emerged as the unsung heroes of the decarbonization movement, offering an all-electric alternative to conventional oil and gas HVAC systems. However, here in the US there’s a catch. Over the years, heat pumps have garnered a reputation for only functioning effectively in mild-weather southern states. Now the race is on to prove they can outperform oil and gas in the cold winters of the US north, too.
A Heat Pump In Every Pot
Decarbonization advocates are particularly eager to see air-sourced heat pumps leap the cold barrier due to their potential for rapid adoption in both existing and newly built homes. Air-sourced heat pumps are relatively inexpensive because they exchange heat between indoor and outdoor spaces, without relying on the costly underground networks deployed by ground-sourced heat exchange systems.
Heat pumps also have the potential to saturate all households regardless of income. That’s an important point considering that other popular decarbonization technologies — namely, rooftop solar, and electric vehicles — remain concentrated among the wealthy.
“In the US, the richest households are about five times more likely than low-income groups to have solar panels and about 10 times more likely to drive electric vehicles,” reported Casey Crownhart in MIT Technology Review last June.
“Even lower-cost technologies like high-efficiency washing machines and LED lightbulbs are more likely to be used in higher-income homes,” Crownhart noted.
Apparently, lower income households respond differently where HVAC systems are concerned. Crownhart cites University of California – Berkeley energy economist Lucas Davis, who has been tracking a surging trend of heat pump adoption by low income households in recent years.
According to data compiled by Davis, only 7% of households with incomes under $20,000 used heat pumps as a primary heating source in 2015. By 2020, the percentage jumped to 14%.
The income barrier should continue to fall in the coming years as a $2,000 tax credit under federal Inflation Reduction Act kicks in, making the up-front cost of a heat pump more affordable.
State-based heat pump goals will also come into play. In September, a 20-state coalition of governors called the United States Climate Alliance announced a collective goal of installing 20 million heat pumps by 2030, with at least 40% of the benefits focusing on disadvantaged communities.
Yes, They Really Work In Cold Weather
It’s unclear why heat pumps acquired a reputation for not taking the cold. That may have been the case in the past. However, the latest iteration of the technology has proven to function efficiently in cold weather when installed properly.
As one measure of confidence in today’s technology, 18 of the Climate Alliance governors represent states that experience freezing temperatures in the winter, and some of them already have a headstart on that 20 million-unit goal.
“When I took office in 2019, I set a goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps in Maine by 2025,” Maine Governor Janet Mills points out. “After reaching that goal two years ahead of schedule, we are now on our way to achieving our new target of 275,000 heat pump installations by the time I leave office in 2027.”
Still, there is always room for improvement, particularly in the areas of cutting costs and improving affordability. That brings us to the newly announced Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research, a project of the leading global firm LG Electronics and the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The project is aimed specifically at fulfilling the interest in cold-climate technology, LG and UAA explained in a press release. The heart of the effort is the construction of two “LG Cold Climate Heat Pump Labs,” to be located in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
“These facilities will be configured like real-world homes, using a range of LG’s leading-edge HVAC solutions, including both ducted and duct-free indoor and outdoor units, along with LG’s inverter heat pump water heater,” LG and UAA explain.
Oil & Gas On The Run From Electric Heat Pumps
What happens in Alaska will definitely not stay in Alaska. As LG and UAA affirmed multiple times in their press release, the goal of the new Consortium is global impact.
“The Consortium will foster entrepreneurship and a culture of problem-solving through enhanced research and development,” they stated, adding that the new Consortium will “facilitate collaboration among LG innovators, university researchers, local industry and government agencies to help drive market transformation through research on heat pump technology and electrification.”
“According to James Lee, global president of the LG Electronics Air Solutions business unit, joint research initiatives at the University of Alaska Anchorage are expected to make a substantial global impact, establishing new benchmarks for energy efficiency and sustainability,” they add.
“The Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research will raise the bar and push the limits of the high-performance, high-capacity heat pump industry,” chipped in James Lee, global president of the LG Electronics Air Solutions branch, for good measure. “Results from the joint research will be used in North America and Europe to help shape the future of the HVAC industry.”
Heat Pumps & The ESG Whack-A-Mole
The new Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research is just part of LG’s plans to grab a big slice of the building decarbonization market for itself. “This cutting-edge Consortium sets the stage for a new era of electrification, enabled by heat pump innovations as well as energy storage systems and smart appliances,” emphasized LG Electronics North America CEO Thomas Yoon.
“Working with the University of Alaska will further accelerate LG’s efforts to drive market transformation supporting the decarbonization of buildings throughout North America and around the world,” he added, further twisting the knife on oil and gas HVAC systems.
As part of that broader effort, LG is a member of the Building Decarbonization Coalition. The organization launched in 2018 as a public-private initiative that includes labor unions, environmental organizations, elected officials, social justice organizations and other stakeholders along with utilities, manufacturers, and public agencies. Among other interests, the organization supports programs that make heat pumps and other carbon-cutting appliances more accessible to low income households.
In addition to LG, the Coalition lists five other leading global appliance stakeholders on its membership rolls: Rheem, Johnson Controls, AO Smith, Daikin, and Trane.
Other leading industry stakeholders in the organization are Google, Salesforce, and the US appliance distributor Ferguson among others.
The US Department of Energy has also chimed in with a cold-weather heat pump technology acceleration challenge, and stakeholders in the virtual power plant field are also pushing for widespread adoption.
While all this is going on, a partisan political battle has continued to cook over ESG (environment, social, governance) standards for corporate behavior (see more CleanTechnica ESG coverage here).
The anti-ESG movement aims to protect fossil energy stakeholders, but they’re going to have to try harder. Like chum thrown into shark-infested waters, heat pumps have already sparked a decarbonization feeding frenzy that is unlikely to pause over politics.
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Image: Cold-climate heat pumps courtesy of US Department of Energy.
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