Light Commercial Variable Speed Heat Pump Performance Map

This project supports California's goal of deploying six million heat pumps by 2030, advancing the market integration of Variable Capacity Heat Pumps (VCHPs) through partnerships with California’s investor-owned utilities. By modeling and collecting performance data on commercial VCHPs over 5.4 tons, the team aims to establish higher incentives for these high-efficiency systems, fostering broader adoption and energy savings. Collaboration with manufacturers and distributors enabled data acquisition, safeguarded under confidentiality, to generate robust performance maps essential for accurate savings predictions. Early-stage VCHP market limitations and manufacturer focus on compliance with DOE standards posed challenges; however, the team achieved significant progress by validating two-speed VCHP models in EnergyPlus and recommending modeling simplifications within DEER prototypes. This research, a learning endeavor for stakeholders, has highlighted best practices in data acquisition, the need for diverse data sources, and the potential for innovative modeling strategies, laying a foundation for future initiatives to refine performance estimates and accelerate VCHP adoption across California.