United States. Johnson Controls received $33 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains.
The grant seeks to help increase domestic production of electric heat pumps through the expansion of three manufacturing sites located in the North American country.
Combined, these facilities will be able to produce approximately 200,000 electric heat pumps per year, representing a production increase of almost 200%.
"We are thrilled to participate in this program and help drive the enormous impact it will have on energy security, reliability and affordability, while also making unprecedented progress on carbon reduction. We're also excited to create 1,000 new jobs", said Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability officer and external relations officer at Johnson Controls.
The grant is part of the Biden Administration's first grant of DOE authorization to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase domestic production of five key clean energy technologies, including heat pumps. Johnson Controls' project expands production of its York product line at its plants in San Antonio, Texas, Wichita, Kansas and Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
Within these communities, Johnson Controls is partnering with local unions, economic development groups, and community colleges to expand internships, apprenticeships, and full-time, long-term job opportunities.
Expected results
Upon completion of the initiative, Johnson Controls estimates savings of 1.63 million metric tons of CO² emissions from residential heating and 25 million metric tons of commercial and industrial heating annually, the equivalent of the greenhouse gas emissions of more than 5.5 million gasoline-powered vehicles driven for a year.
"As we move toward achieving nationwide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, it is critical that our commercial, institutional and industrial sectors have the technologies needed for effective decarbonization," McGinty added.
"Some of our heat pumps will help homeowners reduce their energy bills, while others can play an important role in commercial industries. For example, we are already working with large-scale institutions on heat pump implementations that will reduce emissions by more than 70% and costs by more than 60%," she said.
Johnson Controls was recently recognized on Fortune's 2023 Change the World list for its innovative and transformative heat pump technology.
