OKLAHOMA CITY - ClimateMaster Inc., a subsidiary of LSB Industries Inc. was awarded one of 37 projects that have received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate geothermal heat pump (GHP) technologies around the United States. The projects, totaling nearly $62 million, have been selected to demonstrate the deployment of ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling of a variety of buildings for a variety of customer types, including academic institutions, local governments, and commercial buildings.

In addition to ClimateMaster’s project grant, the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium (GHPC) would receive $1,077,050 to create a national certification standard for GHP installation technicians.

The grants are part of $338 million in ARRA funding for the exploration and development of new geothermal fields and research into advanced geothermal technologies in six different areas announced by DOE.

“These investments in America’s technological innovation will allow us to capture more of this clean, carbon-free energy at a lower cost than ever before,” said Steven Chu, Energy Secretary. “We will create thousands of jobs, boost our economy, and help to jumpstart the geothermal industry across the United States.”

ClimateMaster will receive $233,819 to build system performance modeling software to allow potential GHP system customers to analyze cost and performance of GHP systems.

“This is great news for the GHP industry and the environment,” said Dan Ellis, president of ClimateMaster. “We believe each of these projects should have a meaningful impact in moving GHP technologies into the mainstream of Americans daily lives: saving money, conserving energy, and reducing emissions.” According to the company, using system performance software is the first step in the decision-making process for those interested in pursuing GHP technology.

“Over the long haul, we believe GHPs will not only dramatically reduce our national energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, but also will slash its users’ energy costs, and our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels,” said Ellis.

For more information, visit www.energy.gov.

Publication date: 11/30/2009