Heat Pumps

Electrify Space Heating/Cooling and Domestic Hot Water with Heat Pumps

Electrification, Decarbonization and Cost Savings via Heat Pumps

Utilizing heat pumps for space heating and cooling, as well as for domestic hot water, is the best way to achieve ambitious electrification, decarbonization and cost-savings goals. This is especially important in New York City because of the city’s carbon challenge in the form of:

NYC 80×50: Reduce carbon emissions 80% from 2005 levels by 2050. Buildings play a huge role in this since they represent about 70% of New York City’s carbon emissions.
NYC Climate Mobilization Act: Represents New York City’s commitment to the carbon drawdown targets set out in the Paris Agreement, pledging the city to carbon neutrality by 2050.
NYC Local Law 97: Central to the Climate Mobilization Act, this first-of-its-kind legislation places emissions limits on New York City’s large buildings. It impacts over 57,000 structures with the goal of cutting building emissions 40% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Refrigerant with Less Impact on the Environment

Conventional heat pumps use refrigerants that are harmful for the environment. Such refrigerants use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which have a global-warming impact approximately 2,000 times that of other options, such as carbon dioxide.

HIGHMARK is an expert in next-generation refrigerants. For example, with some heat pumps we use R32, which is the best-possible refrigerant choice for the environment. In fact, R32 has just 17% of the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of R404A, which is common in refrigeration. Further, R32 has also only 32% of the GWP of R410A, which is common in air conditioning.

HEAT-PUMP INCENTIVES

Enabling Electrification via Heat-Pump Incentives

The NYS Clean Heat Statewide Heat Pump Program (“NYS Clean Heat Program”) is a collaboration between the New York electric utilities and NYSERDA. It will be implemented in coordination with several market-development initiatives. Consequently, the focus is to enable building electrification via heat-pump incentives in the form of rebates.

The program’s objectives are to:

Facilitate a transition away from fossil-fuel heating
Achieve statewide heat-pump goals and build a low-carbon market infrastructure
Build market capacity to deliver building-electrification solutions
Provide customers, contractors and heat-pump solution providers a consistent business environment

HEAT PUMPS

Space and Water Heating via Heat Pumps

Several types of heat pumps exist to realize electrification, decarbonization and cost savings in New York City’s buildings. These types can be broken down into three categories with several sub-categories. All the details are in the chart and following sections below.

SPACE HEATING VIA HEAT PUMPS

Air-to-Water Heat Pumps for Space Heating

Air-to-water heat pumps take heat from the outside air and transfer it to a water-based system for space heating. These systems work in all climates, including in the cold weather of New York City.

Details include:

Various sizes: individual unit sizing of 3-300 tons
Low ambient operation: 0°F with 110°F heating water; smaller-tonnage units can operate at lower ambient temperatures and with higher heating water temps
Heating/cooling operation via 2 pipes (changeover)
Simultaneous heating and cooling operation via 4-pipe configuration (dedicated cooling and heating piping)

Water-or-Geothermal-to-Water Heat Pumps for Space Heating

Water-or-geothermal-to-water heat pumps extract heat from a flowing source of low-temperature water. They then deliver that heat to another, higher-temperature water stream for space heating.
Details include:
- Various sizes: individual unit sizing 3-300 tons
- Ambient conditions do not impact operation
- 4-pipe configuration: heating/cooling operation via 2 pipes (changeover heating/cooling) + 2 pipes connected to source
- 6-pipe configuration: simultaneous heating and cooling operation via 4-pipe configuration (dedicated cooling and heating piping) + 2 pipes connected to sources

Air-to-Air Heat Pumps for Space Heating

Air-to-air heat pumps take heat from the outside air and transfer it to an airstream that will be delivered directly to a building for space heating. These systems work in all climates, including the cold weather of New York City.

Details include:

Various sizes: individual unit sizing from 3,000 to 10,000 CFM
Low ambient operation
Heat recovery options: static enthalpy core, energy wheel, heat pipe
Compressor options: digital, variable, standard scroll
Filtration options: MERV-8, MERV-13, MERV-16, HEPA, Photocatalytic Oxidation
Constant volume or variable air volume operation

WATER HEATING VIA HEAT PUMPS

Air-Water-or-Geothermal-to-Domestic-Water Heat Pumps for Water Heating

Air-water-or-geothermal-to-domestic-water heat pumps are also referred to as heat-pump water heaters (HPWHs). They gather heat from the surrounding air or from water and deposit the heat into water at a usable temperature for water heating.
Details include:
- Various sizes: modular designs and residential units available
- Low-ambient operation
- Output water to greater than 140°F
- Water storage allows for reduced installed tonnages
- Domestic hot water (DHW) is the last apparatus requiring gas in Passive House buildings
- Gains in overall building efficiency mean DHW is now the largest consumer of energy in a building, which can be reduced via air-to-water heat pumps

Sewage-to-Water-or-Domestic-Water Heat Pumps for Water Heating

Sewage-to-water-or-domestic-water heat pumps gather heat from wastewater and deposit it into water at a usable temperature for water heating.
Details include:
- Every day, a tremendous amount of hot water is used once before ultimately being discarded down the drain
- In the U.S. alone, 350+ billion kilowatt hours of energy are added annually to domestic potable water between point of building intake and exit (U.S. Department of Energy)
- Wastewater energy recovery technology captures and reuses the nearly limitless supply of wastewater’s thermal energy
- This provides sustainable heating, cooling and conditioning for many building types
- Wastewater energy recovery is the last line of defense for energy recovery

COMBINED HEAT PUMPS

Combined-Space-and-Water-Heating Heat Pumps

HIGHMARK works with innovative heat-pump technologies that conduct both space and water heating. Such systems can maximize energy efficiency and cost savings.
Details include:
- Various sizes
- Low-ambient operation
- Output water to greater than 140°F
- Simultaneous heating and cooling

Let’s create a more sustainable world.

Our team partners with engineers, contractors, owners and operators across all commercial and high-rise residential building types. We customize our building efficiency technologies for every job to meet the specific needs of the most demanding structures.