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BPA project manager says field tests show top‑tier heat pumps can deliver heat and cut peaks
Summary
Bonneville field tests of 57 homes found many high‑performance, high‑capacity heat pumps can provide heat in cold weather and reduce electrical peaks, but results vary by product, controls, sizing and ductwork.
The project manager at the Bonneville Power Administration presented results from a multiyear field study of high‑performance, high‑capacity residential heat pumps and said the full technical report was published on BPA's website. The study tested 57 homes across seven manufacturers and 34 unique systems, with roughly half central‑ducted systems and half ductless units, and compared metered electrical data to billing records to validate results.
The study’s headline findings included measurable energy savings with substantial variation across installations, reasonable cold‑climate performance for many systems, a thermostat setback effect that can trigger electric resistance backup, and the critical role of correct equipment sizing and duct quality. "It's a multiyear project, that we finally published the report about a month ago," the project manager said, describing the public release. He emphasized the study targeted top‑tier equipment selected from AHRI/NEEA lists to evaluate field performance against manufacturers' claims.
