Copeland, a global provider of sustainable heating, cooling, refrigeration and industrial solutions, announced that AAON, a provider of high-performance and energy-efficient HVAC solutions, and several other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have recently selected Copeland to help advance their standard and cold-climate heat pump solutions. These strategic OEM partnerships follow the issuance of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Residential and Commercial Building Cold-Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) Technology Challenges.
Heat pumps cut greenhouse gas emissions by replacing or supplementing fossil fuel heating with efficient, low-carbon systems that work year-round and integrate with renewables. Traditionally, they were less effective in cold climates, needing backup heat at low temperatures. The DOE Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge aims to develop high-efficiency heat pumps that perform at temperatures as low as -15 F, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional heating. Similarly, the DOE’s Commercial Building Heat Pump Technology Challenge seeks to create emissions-effective heat pump rooftop units to help organizations meet energy efficiency and decarbonization goals.
“Our partnership with Copeland will help us meet the rigorous standards of the DOE’s Commercial Building Heat Pump Technology Challenge,” said Brent Stockton, director of engineering at AAON. “Copeland’s commitment to research and development and their innovative technologies are essential in helping us deliver solutions that meet and exceed performance expectations in the most challenging environments.”
These recent OEM partnerships highlight Copeland’s pivotal role in advancing cutting-edge heat pump technologies designed to perform efficiently in colder climates. The collaborations further underscore Copeland’s leadership in the electrification of heating systems and a commitment to supporting OEMs in delivering high-efficiency, sustainable heating solutions.
“As the U.S. shifts toward cleaner, more sustainable energy sources, AAON is tackling the challenge head-on, developing more resilient and efficient cold-climate heat pump solutions,” said Mark Bills, vice president and general manager of commercial HVAC at Copeland. “Our engineering expertise and advanced heat pump technologies are designed to help our OEM partners achieve rigorous performance standards and facilitate greater adoption of these new technologies.”
Two DOE grants awarded to Copeland in 2024 further fuel these activities and the company’s ability to advance the research and manufacturing of cold-climate heat pump technologies. One grant funds research and development for modular heat pump technology with integrated thermal energy storage, while the other grant expands Copeland’s production capacity for heat pump compressors across key U.S. manufacturing facilities. These investments in facilities in Ava and Lebanon, Missouri, Sidney, Ohio, and Cudahy, Wisconsin, further enable Copeland to meet the growing demand for high-efficiency, cold-climate heat pumps across residential, commercial and industrial markets.
