The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced new requirements for residential geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), enabling water-to-water geothermal heat pumps to earn the Energy Star label for the first time. EPA’s stringent specifications for this new category of geothermal heat pumps will help protect the environment and reduce energy costs, because GHPs that meet the new standards will be up to 45 percent more efficient than conventional pumps.

EPA worked with industry stakeholders to revise the requirements in response to growing consumer demand for water-to-water geothermal heat pumps. The new requirements for water-to-water equipment complements existing efficiency and performance requirements for water-to-air and direct geoexchange GHP models. 

---