Reducing Applied Losses in Heat Pumps in Cold Climates

Overhead shot of men working on a window panel.

Photo from Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental & Energy Systems

Project Information

Partners

Team Lead: Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental & Energy Systems
Research Member: Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science
Implementation Member: Taitem Engineering
Industry Member: Association for Energy Affordability

Location

Syracuse, New York

Anticipated Completion

Late 2025

Challenge to Solve

This Building America Retrofit Solutions team is focusing on solving barriers to high-efficiency heat pump retrofits in cold climates. Contractors and owners report challenges with:

Training for the primary installation factors that affect reliability and performance.
Understanding how installed system efficiency performance impacts capability and affordability.
Low applied and installed efficiency.
Finding contractors to install heat pumps in a timely and affordable manner.
Lowering energy costs.
Increasing the workforce.

When contractors face these kinds of issues, upgrades are less likely to meet expected improvements in energy efficiency.

Approach and Impact

This project will demonstrate affordable, high-efficiency heat pump installations in single-family homes. The team will characterize applied efficiency losses from conventional installations and identify which installation methods can maximize energy efficiency.

To do this, the team will:

Demonstrate a measurable increase in delivered annual efficiency of air-source heat pumps in the cold climate of Syracuse, New York, from the current common range of 2.3 to 2.5 Coefficient of Performance to a target of 4.0 Coefficient of Performance by reducing applied losses.
Engage community members, including homeowners and contractors, as full partners in demonstrating successful and affordable strategies to improve energy efficiency.
Evaluate individual improvements that reduce or eliminate applied losses to assess which improvements are most cost-effective and acceptable to customers .
Share findings publicly so people in other regions can take similar steps.

Communities may benefit from the team’s work to:

Decrease energy costs.
Reduce carbon emissions and accident risks, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, gas leaks, and fires.
Enhance access to low-cost financing and other sources of funding.
Provide workforce training.
Improve housing conditions with modern heating systems and central air conditioning.
Increase energy efficiency and resilience.

About Building America Retrofit Solutions

As part of a Building Technologies Office initiative, the nine cross-sector Building America Retrofit Solutions teams are working on one- to three-year community-focused field validation and demonstration projects that will address hard-to-solve technical challenges of increasing efficiency, affordability, and comfort of existing homes.