UMass Amherst installing electric powered heat pump after receiving state grant

UMass has started the early phase of the project after receiving $7.35 million dollars under the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Decarbonization Implementation Grant Program (DIG) last week.

The rest of the $18 million total cost for the project will come from the University’s budget.

Ray Jackson, assistant Vice Chancellor of facilities management, said this is part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus. Jackson said the heat pump, which is about 6ft tall and 20ft long, will use waste heat from the existing power plant to produce low-pressure steam, which will reduce emissions by 15%.

"For every unit of energy that's put into this heat pump, three units of energy will come out. So it's very efficient," Jackson said.

Jackson said the heat pumps will provide 20% of the annual steam and heating requirements for the campus. The rest of the campus will still be powered by natural gas.

He said the project will take up to two years until it's fully installed, but hopes other institutions will adapt this model to reduce emissions throughout the state.

According to the state, there are fewer than two dozen of these industrial heat pump systems installed across the United States, which puts UMass Amherst at “the forefront of a growing field.”