Envelope Improvements and Heat Pump Installation in the Upper Midwest

A crouching person inspects an air-source heat pump mounted to the side of a home.

Photo from Center for Energy and Environment

Project Information

Team Partners

  • Team Lead: Center for Energy and Environment
  • Implementation Members: Center for Energy and Environment, Elevate Energy
  • Industry Members: Mitsubishi Electric, Carrier, Daikin, LG, Commonwealth Edison, Aeroseal
  • Research Members: Slipstream, Climate Action Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Center for Energy and Environment

Location

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Anticipated Completion

Early 2026

Challenge to Solve

This Building America Retrofit Solutions team aims to eliminate barriers to implementing building envelope improvements and heat pump retrofits.

Proven technologies and unprecedented government and utility funding are available, but contractors doing heat pump retrofits must also consider the envelope performance, especially in cold climates, and residents and industry members need more support. Contractors may need:

  • To include more extensive air sealing and insulation improvements to achieve successful heat pump upgrades.
  • Guidance to help them make informed decisions about how to incorporate envelope measures in retrofit projects.

Approach and Impact

The project team aims to identify decarbonization solutions that yield consistent, scalable outcomes without costly, time-consuming individual building analysis. By leveraging these results and providing support for contractors, residents, and property owners, the team anticipates that residential decarbonization projects will incorporate more extensive building envelope improvements and install more appropriate air-source heat pump systems. 

To accomplish this, the team is working to develop decision-making tools, methods, and training to help auditors and contractors incorporate building envelope evaluation and improvement work along with air-source heat pump selection and installation in cold climates. The work also includes continuous monitoring of air-source heat pump systems, duct diagnostics for 50 residences, and an evaluation of streamlined load estimating methods. The team is starting with demonstration projects in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and may expand to other cities and states in the upper Midwest.

Low-income, marginalized communities can benefit from the project team’s objectives to: 

  • Decrease household energy expenses.
  • Increase access to heat pump and building envelope upgrades.
  • Enhance employment opportunities in the residential energy-efficiency industry.

About Building America Retrofit Solutions 

As part of a Building Technologies Office initiative, the nine cross-sector Building America Retrofit Solutions teams are working on one- to three-year community-focused field validation and demonstration projects that will address hard-to-solve technical challenges of equitably decarbonizing existing homes. 

Related Links

Building America

Building America Retrofit Solutions Teams

Building America Solution Center