In an initial move to transform the heating and cooling landscape and jump-start widespread adoption of ‘plug-and-play’ room heat pumps (RHPs), four leading energy efficiency organizations are joining forces to create a significant impact. The California Market Transformation Administrator (CalMTA), the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) are partnering to launch the Room Heat Pump National Collaborative, which aims to ramp up adoption of RHPs through a united effort, leveraging the strengths of energy efficiency interests across the nation. RHPs, which can be plugged into a regular 120V outlet, provide cooling and heating with one dual function heat pump.
“Market transformation of efficient heat pumps thrives with the collaboration of national market actors,” said Christopher Dymond from NEEA. “By harnessing the collective expertise, data and resources of partner organizations, we can accelerate market adoption of room heat pumps and realize substantial energy savings on a national level.”
RHPs offer excellent cooling benefits to those without centralized cooling systems, providing an important option for space conditioning across a variety of climate zones. Since heat pump technology transfers heat rather than creating it, heat pumps are a more efficient means of heating homes than burning fossil fuels. Accordingly, heat pumps are becoming increasingly important as more and more states transition to electrification and clean energy resources.
“Room heat pumps are an important tool in the transition to a clean energy economy and have the potential to substantially accelerate and lower the costs of building electrification retrofits,” James Mannarino from NYSERDA said. “We’re excited to collaborate with like-minded organizations to continue promoting adoption of room heat pumps as a sustainable heating and cooling solution.”
RHP technology has undergone remarkable advancements and RHPs have emerged as the ideal way to heat and cool smaller spaces like rooms, small single-family homes, and multifamily housing units. Moreover, RHPs do not require professional installation, are moveable, and are more affordable than traditional HP systems. This positions them as a convenient and cost-effective option for a wide range of households, including lower income levels and renters.
Erik March from CEE noted, “Room heat pumps are poised to be a game-changing solution for efficient heating and cooling. Through the Room Heat Pump National Collaborative, we see tremendous potential to accelerate large-scale market adoption. This will not only lead to deep energy savings but also improve affordability and enhance household comfort for a broad range of consumers.”
Spearheaded by CalMTA, NEEA, CEE, and NYSERDA, the Room Heat Pump National Collaborative is bringing together a diverse group of members including utility program staff, energy efficiency program implementers, and manufacturers – such as Gradient, Midea, and GE – to increase the market adoption of RHPs. The group aims to increase awareness, accelerate incentives, share data and research, engage with manufacturers to expand product availability and provide a unified voice for national RHP specifications.
Two specific areas this collaboration hopes to address are climate zone appropriate RHPs and form factors that address a variety of different window configurations. The collaborative will also share research on how the newer RHP products are being used by consumers as well as aligning on test procedures and informing ENERGY STAR and Consortium for Energy Efficiency specifications.
The collaborative has met two times already and will continue to meet regularly to work towards its goals. Working together, the collaborative hopes to increase greater product availability and consumer awareness.
