An air-to-water heat pump is a heating and cooling system that extracts heat from outdoor air and transfers it to water circulating through a hydronic heating system for space heating and domestic hot water. In this demonstration, an efficient cold region capable R744 (refrigerant grade CO²) air-to-water heat pump will be integrated with onsite boilers in a dual-fuel configuration. Success in this demonstration will support the Department's goals of reducing energy inefficiencies and support possible electrification of their buildings and facilities.

Lync’s Aegis A is a commercial CO² heat pump water heater powered by R744, better known as refrigerant grade CO². Aegis A produces hot water up to 170°F at air temperatures as low as -4°F with no need for supplemental heat. By simply absorbing and moving heat from the surrounding area instead of needing to generate heat, this heat pump is extremely efficient thus saving energy and lowering operating costs.

Because it uses a natural refrigerant CO², Aegis A is a safe, low-load heat pump water heater: R744 is non-toxic, non-flammable, and has an Ozone Depletion Potential of zero. R744 outperforms other refrigerants, like R134a and R410a, by having a much lower resource load (1.0 versus 1430 and 2088 respectively) and a wider range of ambient operating temperatures, making Lync’s Aegis A heat pump a better, longer-lasting option as more states introduce stricter guidelines.

The ideal outcome for this prototype project is to design and develop a dual-fuel integration and control strategy plan for integrating R744 air-to-water heat pumps with onsite boilers and hot water tanks for domestic hot water (DHW) to minimize the initial equipment and installation cost. In addition, to highlight more than 30% source energy and operating cost savings, more than 90% shifting of DHW demand loads, and less than two hours of inadequate heating.

• 30% reduction in site-based energy use
• 35% reduction in operating energy costs compared to baseline

(Anticipated Project Completion - 2026)