Purdue University will receive $1.3 million to develop technology for a cold-climate, high-performance prototype heat pump unit, the U.S. Department of Energy announced. The money is part of more than $76 million in grants announced nationwide from federal stimulus money.
The funds will be directed toward energy-efficient building technology projects and the development of training programs for commercial building equipment technicians, building operators and energy auditors.
At Purdue, researchers will develop, test and evaluate a high performance and cost-effective vapor compression heat pump for use in cold climate regions, according to an Energy Department release.
Energy Department sources say the technology would be applicable to any vapor compression cycle for air conditioning, refrigeration and heating, which will have economic impacts beyond just the low temperature heat pump market.
Emerson is helping create the prototype heat pump, which Carrier will integrate into a complete system. The work is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and builds on work that began at Purdue about five years ago.