In the past, heat pumps were typically installed in single-residence homes, but nowadays, the technology has evolved and can be used in many other building applications — such as multifamily homes. While legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) might be enough to motivate some building owners to make the change to high-efficiency heat pumps, others might need more convincing.
Mark Reding, ducted systems product manager at Johnson Controls, explained that in multifamily homes, overall savings are not always a driving factor for HVAC replacements because tenants are often the only ones who see their monthly utility costs. This leaves building managers with limited data to justify any investments in more efficient technology, he said. One solution to this problem is the Green Lease program, which was launched in 2014 by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance and the Institute for Market Transformation. According to Reding, the program allows both the tenant and the building owner to share insight into utility expenses.