September 2025. TAF commissioned Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program (STEP) to provide operational analysis and optimization of an air-to-water heat pump retrofit.
Key Findings
- The heat pumps fully met the cooling demand and supplied approximately 70% of the hydronic space heating load, reducing natural gas and carbon emissions by 21,000 m³/year and 30 t CO2e/year, respectively.
- Low-GWP refrigerants are essential, as are safeguards to limit refrigerant loss, preventative maintenance, and contractor training.
- The retrofit resulted in a slight increase in utility costs, largely due to the removal of the carbon price. Heat pump operation can be optimized around time-of-use electricity rates to mitigate this increase.