The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) recently commended the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the agency's recent announcement of new requirements for residential geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), which enabled water-to-water GHPs to earn the Energy Star® label for the first time.

The stringent specifications for this new category of geothermal heat pumps, which were requested by AHRI, will help protect the environment and reduce energy costs, because the GHPs that meet the new standards will be up to 45 percent more efficient than conventional models.

EPA worked with industry stakeholders to revise the requirements in response to growing consumer demand for water-to-water geothermal heat pumps. "We are grateful to EPA staff for their willingness to work with AHRI to add this new GHP category to the Energy Star® program," said Karim Amrane, AHRI's Vice President for Regulatory and Research.

---