Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning unveils residential dual fuel heat pump system
Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning has launched a new residential heat pump system combining an air source heat pump (ASHP) and a gas furnace.
“When temperatures are extremely low, most heat pumps rely on energy-intensive, electric resistance ‘strip’ heating, which can significantly increase utility costs and strain the electric grid,” said the US-based cooling and heating specialist. “To maximize efficiency and not compromise heating performance, it’s often more sustainable to use the furnace as a backup heat source during the coldest days of the year.”
The company said the new air365 Hybrid system uses a Hitachi Mini VRF electric heat pump as its primary heating and cooling source.
“When the air365 Hybrid system is in heating mode, a smart sensor monitors the outdoor temperature,” the company explained. “If it reaches a temperature where the heat pump cannot efficiently meet the indoor heating demand, it automatically switches from the heat pump to the furnace.”
Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning offers three versions of the dual fuel system, weighing from 30.6 kg to 38.1 kg. The smallest system has a rated cooling capacity of 36,000 British thermal units (BTU)/h and a rated heating capacity of 40,000 BTU/h. The largest system has a cooling capacity of 60,000 BTU/h and a heating capacity of 66,000 BTU/h.
“The Mini VRF heat pump offers reliable performance across a wide range of temperatures – as low as -5 C outdoor ambient temperature in cooling mode and as low as -20 C in heating mode,” the manufacturer said. “All models feature night shift, which allows the outdoor unit to operate very quietly, as low as 44 decibels, or 10 decibels less than the average household refrigerator.”
The dual fuel system also features the Affinity Gas Furnace from US manufacturer York, which is a subsidiary of Johnson Controls.
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Great to have a physically combined system, but why have to switch one off in order to work the other?? Surely the heatpump should be on all the time, with gas used only to boost heatpump output when absolutely necessary. Perhaps I’ve misunderstood the operating plan? If gas consumption low enough then it might be possible to use bottled gas when mains not available.
I prefer to see schematic flow diagram of both Heating & Cooling cycle,
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Now this is becoming more end user friendly, the back up furnace/boiler is a win win. Customers need reassuring that the heating will work when needed most
How is system different than what is now offered by other companies? I thought that they all worked in this manner.
It is time we faced up to the real value of single stage heat pumps.
I’m surprised this is newsworthy. Dual fuel heat pumps aren’t new. I just had one installed. I already had a 4-year old gas furnace paired with a central air conditioning unit. The central air unit failed and was replaced with a heat pump, which will roll over to my gas furnace for heat when the temperature falls below 35 degrees.
Only 35f? We have ours set to swap at 10f. Cold climate heat pumps are quite capable these days.
Just like a hybrid car. Two separate systems adding weight, complexity, and cost. I think it is a jobs program for maintenance people.
Wow! Impressive! Combining a heat pump with a natural gas back up is indeed a state of the art technological breakthrough. Well, for 1980 it is anyway. Welcome to the 21st century JCI.
Yes, yes, I know its a high efficiency VRF system which they didnt have in 1980. I’m sure its a high efficiency condensing gas furnace, which they didnt have in 1980. But this “hybrid” is literally what the residential market has been doing for the last 40-50 years.
What I think is the most funny about this, is that heat pumps have recently become so capable of low-ambient operation that they are now sometimes being installed without back up heat (strip heat or gas), because they dont need it. So now its innovative to add gas heat back in?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel. electricity can come from, and increasingly is coming from, renewable energy. This system is a literal step backwards. It seems like this product was brought to you by the natural gas industry in their last gasp to stay relevant.
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