Lennox Industries has built a legacy of manufacturing and distributing high-performance, energy-efficient products centered on sustainability-driven innovation. And we’ve been doing it for over 125 years.
This has never been more evident than in June, when U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm came to Texas to personally congratulate our research and development team for being the first to complete the objectives of the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge.”
The DOE launched the Challenge in 2021 to find a more effective way to heat homes in northern regions of the country. The strategy was to accelerate development and adoption of a next-generation electric heat pump by leveraging American innovation and manufacturing.
Participants included Lennox and five other leading HVAC manufacturers. All six partnered with the DOE, Natural Resources Canada, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, multiple U.S. states, and other entities and programs to demonstrate prototypes, conduct field demonstrations, and launch pilot programs.
“DOE’s Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge calls on American businesses to make heat pumps more effective at heating and cooling, more efficient in their energy use, and more attractive options for consumers—so more households can unlock $500 in savings each year on utility bills. With this newest prototype, Lennox has answered that call,” said Secretary Granholm. “Tapping into the emerging clean energy market is a huge economic opportunity that will bring a bolstered manufacturing sector, good paying jobs, and a brighter, cleaner future to Texas and communities across America.”
According to Energy.gov, “Cold climate heat pumps (CCHPs) can provide high-efficiency heating in freezing temperatures without producing greenhouse gas emissions and can save families as much as $500 a year on their utility bills. This achievement is a massive step toward providing reliable clean heating and cooling for millions of American families through domestically produced CCHPS, which is crucial to reducing energy costs and achieving President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.”
In the media, clean technologies news aggregator CleanTechnica lauded Lennox International for getting that DOE program “off to a roaring start,” pointing out that our prototype was not only the first, but also that it came in one year ahead of schedule. Additional coverage of the announcement appeared in the international photovoltaics publication PV Magazine as well as Texas broadcast outlets and the Dallas Morning News.
Dallas news outlet WFAA reported, “While pumps are already more efficient than most A/C units or furnaces, what Lennox did was make them efficient in even the most extreme cases, like the five-degree conditions inside its Carrollton testing facility, by participating in the Department of Energy’s Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge. When this new pump comes to market, Lennox says some customers will save 60% on their utility bills.”
As an innovation thought leader, Lennox is on the forefront of the product advancements necessary to help the global community transition away from the fossil-fuel-based solutions of the past.
Alok Maskara, Chief Executive Officer at Lennox International, put it this way: “Our cold climate heat pump represents Lennox’ dedication to accelerating environmental sustainability through ongoing product innovation, advances in efficiency gains, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. We pride ourselves on designing, manufacturing, and delivering the most efficient climate control products on the market and are eager to move forward in this challenge alongside the DOE and our industry partners.”
For over 125 years, Lennox has been an innovation leader. Lennox leads the industry in energy efficiency and innovative climate control solutions, making the Challenge a natural fit with our legacy of innovation. Prior to the Challenge, the Lennox Advanced Technology team was already working on the development of a cold climate heat pump to add to our extensive line of best-in-class heat pump products already on the market.
In addition to designing and producing innovative industry-leading products, the emission reduction targets of Lennox have been approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) – a partnership between Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The initiative drives ambitious climate action in the private sector in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change.
Lennox looks forward to continuing our culture of innovation and an ongoing commitment to energy efficiency, as well as to producing environmentally friendly products that exceed the needs of homeowners.
