The Building Technologies Office (BTO) of the Department of Energy (DOE) has been involved in the IEA Heat Pumping Technologies (HPT) program (originally called the Heat Pumping Programme or HPP) since its inception in 1978). DOE participates in collaborative international activities through IEA’s HPT to ensure that the results of international research efforts are used to the maximum benefit of DOE’s programmatic goals. Participation in the IEA HPT provides awareness and insight to the latest International R&D and technology developments (notably in Asia and Europe) directed toward improved buildings energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction.
The US National Team (USNT) for the IEA HPT was organized about 30 years ago, and has the voluntary participation of senior representatives of major US HVAC/R manufacturers, research organizations, universities, utilities, and manufacturer and professional organizations. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) serves as the coordinating agency for the USNT on behalf of BTO and provides secretariat services including an official web site. The USNT meets three times per year; generally in January and June at the two annual ASHRAE conferences, and in the fall during September October timeframe.