Mahvi team awarded DOE funds for tech to decarbonize buildings

Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Allison Mahvi was recently selected for a $2M award from the Department of Energy to develop a more sustainable heat pump that can replace existing, less efficient boilers in older buildings.

Mahvi is collaborating with UW-Madison colleagues Mike Wagner and Morgan Edwards (Public Affairs). They will develop a market-ready heat pump that can directly replace a natural gas boiler in buildings with hydronic heating systems with minimal changes to building infrastructure. Industry partners include Trane, Slipstream, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

“This is an exciting project,” says Mahvi. “It could have an immediate and tangible impact on carbon emissions from many older buildings in Wisconsin. Our proposed system will provide buildings with traditional boilers an opportunity to economically and efficiently electrify, reducing CO₂ emission by up to 75% by 2030. This project is specifically focused on older buildings, which are often overlooked when developing more sustainable heating and cooling systems.  I’m excited to find better electrification solutions for the full range of buildings in the US.”

“Heat pump systems can be challenging because their performance is closely tied to environmental conditions” adds Wagner. “One of the goals of this work is to gain insight into the best way to operate these types of systems in cold climates to maximize emissions reductions while improving cost effectiveness. This includes looking at both design practices and control capabilities to provide the kind of flexibility that’s needed for broad acceptance.”

Edwards shares: “Low-income residents and renters are more likely to live in older, multi-family buildings that are difficult to electrify. This project provides an opportunity to fill an important gap in the market and provide direct benefits to underserved communities in our state and beyond. It’s the Wisconsin idea in action.”

This award is the research teams’ second in two years under the DOE BENEFIT program. Read more about the prior award. In this award cycle, the DOE awarded $38.8 million in funding for 25 projects across 17 states to research and develop high-impact building technologies and practices aimed at decarbonizing, reducing peak demand on the electric grid, enhancing resilience, and lowering energy costs. Read more about all funded projects.