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Electrifying homes: America is ready for heat pumps as main cooling and heating solution

Bosch’s new cold climate heat pump

Bosch’s new cold climate heat pump can operate in extreme conditions – even down to -13° Fahrenheit

  • Deputy chairman Christian Fischer: “The conditions for electrifying homes in America are favorable, as already more than 17.7 million heat pumps are installed across the country.”
  • Growth opportunities: Heat pump market is set to double by 2028.
  • Bosch survey: 99 percent of homeowners in the U.S. and Canada have heard of heat pumps, they really care about efficiency and cost.
  • Bosch’s new inverter heat pump is designed for extreme conditions and fulfills almost all heating and cooling demands.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that Bosch’s cold climate heat pump meets the requirements to progress from lab to field testing as part of the Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge.
Dörthe Warnk

Dörthe Warnk

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Las Vegas, Nevada / Watertown, Massachusetts – From the frigid temperatures in Alaska to the sunny beaches of Florida, you can find almost all climate zones in the United States. This climate diversity challenges HVAC manufacturers when it comes to developing systems that can perform in all weather conditions. The region is aiming to steadily expand its renewable energy sector1 and accelerate the deployment of cold climate heat pump technology2 - an efficient alternative to fuel-fired heating that also provides cooling.

“The barriers to using heat pumps for efficient heating and cooling in America have been substantially reduced thanks to advancements in technology. The conditions for electrifying homes in America are favorable, as already more than 17.7 million heat pumps are installed across the country and used for heating and cooling,” says Christian Fischer, the deputy chairman of the Bosch board of management who is responsible for the company’s Energy and Building Technology and Consumer Goods business sectors. The residential HVAC market is moving into a new era. Although there are still more AC-only units sold in the United States, the financial value of the heat pump market was already larger than for AC-only products in 2022 and is set to double by 2028, according to Bosch’s own market research. In 2020, almost half (45 percent) of new homes in the U.S. used electricity to heat, an increase of around 67 percent in comparison to 2000 (27 percent)3. Today, more than half of energy use in homes goes toward heating and cooling4. Home energy is a significant source of emissions in the United States. In an effort to reduce their personal carbon footprints5, an increasing number of Americans are transitioning to electric energy.

At CES 2024, Bosch is presenting its IDS Ultra cold climate heat pump system, which is designed to operate in colder climate zones, like regions in the Northern U.S. Heat pumps, since they are electric, can help homeowners to reduce their carbon footprint. “To decarbonize homes in the U.S. and Canada, it is key to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and conserve finite resources,” says Christian Fischer. “Our goal is to promote a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and we are proud to present state-of-the-art technology at CES 2024 which can contribute to tackling global warming,” he adds. “Bosch is making energy-efficient home heating and cooling accessible across almost all climate zones in the U.S., offering a promising step towards a cleaner energy future.”

Bosch survey: Homeowners care about cost and efficiency

A Bosch survey6 conducted in Canada and the U.S. found that awareness of heat pumps is near universal: 99 percent of homeowners have at least heard of heat pumps for heating and cooling. But the challenge in further adoption resides in the cold weather regions. More than a fifth of all respondents even currently own a heat pump, but heat pump ownership is very geographically uneven. The highest percentage of heat pump ownership is concentrated in the Southeast, in a region known for mild winters. In colder places like New England and the Upper Midwest, we see ownership rates 6 to 7 times lower. The few homeowners who do invest in a heat pump usually have to keep a backup system running, often powered by fossil fuels to take over when temperatures drop on cold winter days. In these regions, households tend to refrain from heat pumps due to the associated high energy costs and insufficient heating capacity in low ambient temperatures of traditional heat pumps. Switching to heat pumps comes with energy and cost saving advantages. This is good news for the nearly two-thirds of respondents to Bosch’s survey who cited cost and efficiency as their main concerns when it comes to heating and cooling their homes.

Bosch’s new heat pump fulfills almost all heating and cooling demands

Bosch’s latest heat pump technology now expands the reach of energy-efficient heating even into areas with extremely cold winters. “Our new IDS Ultra is the first Bosch air-to-air heat pump designed specifically for high efficiency heating in cold climates. The heat pump provides 100 percent heating capacity down to an outdoor temperature of 5° Fahrenheit (-15° Celsius) and will continue to operate even down to -13° Fahrenheit (-25° Celsius),” says Alexander Wuthnow, president and CEO of the Bosch Home Comfort Group in North America. “Thanks to advances in cold climate technology, our heat-pump provides heating even in sub-zero temperatures,” Wuthnow adds. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that Bosch’s cold climate heat pump meets the requirements to progress from lab to field testing as part of the Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to advance the technology to allow consumers to make the switch to a cleaner energy future with less carbon emissions.

Consumer education is key to adoption of cold climate heat pumps

Heat pump technology has evolved to the point where reliable heating performance is now possible even in low temperatures. The next logical step is to make consumers aware of these advancements in energy-efficient home heating. According to Bosch research, there is significant opportunity to educate consumers on the full potential of heat pump technology as well as existing federal tax credits and state administered rebates available to help them make the transition. Professionals will play a key role when it comes to advising consumers, as over half of the respondents in Bosch’s survey reported using contractors and technicians as their main source of information.

Presskit #BoschCES 2024

Event #BoschCES 2024

Sources
1 https://www.energy.gov/clean-energy
2 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/articles/residential-cold-climate-heat-pump-technology-challenge-fact-sheet.
3 U.S. Census Bureau (2020): https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/charted-home-heating-systems-in-the-u-s/.
4 https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/homes.php.
5 This presumes that renewable energy is used.
6 In a geographically stratified survey Bosch has asked 1,526 homeowners across the United States and Canada [Status: November 2023].

Bosch at CES 2024:

  • PRESS CONFERENCE: Monday, January 8, 2024, from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. (PST) with Dr. Tanja Rückert, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, and Mike Mansuetti, president of Bosch in North America, in Ballroom Banyan ABCD, Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, South Convention Center, Level 3, as well as livestreamed on the Bosch Media Service.
  • BOOTH: January 9 – 12, 2024, in the Central Hall, booth #17207.
  • FOLLOW the Bosch CES 2024 highlights on X: #BoschCES.
  • PANELS WITH BOSCH EXPERTS, Thursday, January 11, 2024:
    • “Elevate Your Space: Enhancing your Home with Smart Appliances”, 15:00 p.m. (local time), Venetian Hotel, Lando 4302, session with Goncalo Costa, Vice President of Climate and Wellbeing North America.
    • “Our Newest Cyber Threat is AI and AI is Our Biggest Defense”, 14:00 p.m. (local time), Las Vegas Convention Center West / N258, session with Dr. Zico Kolter, Chief Scientist of AI at Bosch.
    • “Future of Care: How Other Industries Shape Health”, 11:00 a.m. (local time), Las Vegas Convention Center / North Wing, session with Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, General Manager at Bosch Sensortec.

Contact persons for press inquiries:

Bosch at CES: Irina Ananyeva, +49 152 597-53284, Tim Wieland, +1 248 410-0288, Trix Böhne +49 173 523-9774

Connected mobility, software: Athanassios Kaliudis, +49 152 086-51292

Smart living: Dörthe Warnk, +49 172 153-8714

Hydrogen: Anna Schmatz, +49 173 409-7533

Automated mobility: Jennifer Gass, +49 152 346-63461

Sustainability: Inga Ehret, +49 172 324-2636

X: @BoschPress

About Bosch

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-four percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The remaining shares are held by Robert Bosch GmbH and by a corporation owned by the Bosch family. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG. It is entrusted with the task of safeguarding the company’s long-term existence and in particular its financial independence – in line with the mission handed down in the will of the company’s founder, Robert Bosch.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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