Johnson Controls Unveils The Company’s Latest YORK Heat Pump Portfolio At The AHR Expo 2023

Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, will preview its latest YORK heat pump portfolio at the AHR Expo 2023, which is taking place from Feb. 6 - Feb. 8, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Visitors to booth B1617 will be the first to see the new offerings, which include a two-module unit of the YORK® YMAE Air-Cooled Inverter Scroll Modular Heat Pump and 1:12 scale models of the YORK® YVWH Water-to-Water Dual Variable-Speed Screw Heat Pump and YORK® CYK Water-to-Water Compound Centrifugal Heat Pump.

high-efficiency electric heat pumps

The electrification of heating and cooling is a critical step toward decarbonization

The electrification of heating and cooling is a critical step toward decarbonization. By replacing boilers and traditional heating and cooling equipment with high-efficiency, electric heat pumps, organizations have the potential to keep their buildings comfortable using clean energy, while reducing carbon emissions and operational costs.

Designed to make commercial buildings and industrial applications more sustainable, the new, energy-efficient heat pumps also use refrigerants with the lowest global warming potential (GWP) in their equipment class.

• The YORK® YVWH is the first screw heat pump in North America to use ultra-low GWP R-1234ze
• The YORK® CYK heat pump uses R-1234ze as well as R-515B
• The YORK® YMAE heat pump uses R-454B

New heat pumps use Low GWP refrigerants 

The products announced use refrigerants with a GWP below the maximum of federal and state regulations in the U.S. In fact, all three heat pumps exceed the currently published and proposed regulations going into effect on January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Climate Alliance. These regulations phase out the use of high-GWP hydro-fluorocarbon refrigerants. 

“While heat pump use is high in other regions around the world, adoption has been slower in North America,” said Todd Grabowski, the Vice President and General Manager of Applied Equipment, Johnson Controls, adding “As organizations take on the challenge of decarbonizing their operations, this highly sustainable technology is quickly growing in popularity.”

Heat pump innovation

Todd Grabowski continues, “At Johnson Controls, we’re driving heat pump innovation with our new portfolio, and we’re excited to help our North American customers electrify their heating and cooling needs, meet and beat refrigerant regulations and reach their net zero goals. These technologies are good for the planet, cut operating costs and enable more reliable operations.”

YORK heat pumps Enhance sustainability

The new YORK family of heat pumps is designed to improve sustainability in applications

The new YORK family of heat pumps is designed to improve sustainability in applications ranging from small commercial buildings to district heating.  

As the highest efficiency, low-GWP heat pump for its equipment class in the market, YORK® YMAE Air-Cooled Inverter Scroll Modular Heat Pump is designed to boost the environmental performance of offices and schools, while cutting energy costs and driving excellent performance.

YORK YMAE and YVWH heat pumps

The YMAE is based on the award-winning Amichi platform and features electronic vapor injection (EVI) scroll compressors. Its EVI compressors significantly improve system capacity and efficiency and provide high-water temperatures at low ambient conditions, while its two- and four-pipe options increase application flexibility.

Built for light commercial buildings, like small hospitals and industrial processes, the YORK® YVWH Water-to-Water Dual Variable-Speed Screw Heat Pump delivers water temperatures up to 176 F, the highest for any screw heat pump in the market.

YVWH Water-to-Water Dual Variable-Speed Screw Heat Pump

The YVWH is three times more efficient than a boiler and four times more than a boiler-chiller combination, and has excellent turndown that allows it to run with as low as a 25% load. Its modular design allows multiple unit pairing to expand capacity.

The design achieves simultaneous hot and chilled cooling solutions within the same equipment

Designed to deliver water temperatures up to 170 F with superior efficiency, the next-generation YORK® CYK Water-to-Water Compound Centrifugal Heat Pump will soon add a 400-ton model that will deliver space heating electrification to a wider range of commercial buildings.

The design achieves simultaneous hot and chilled cooling solutions within the same equipment, making it up to five times more efficient than conventional systems.

CYK heat pumps manage unbalanced load conditions

With the addition of an innovative double-bundle condenser technology, the CYK can effectively manage unbalanced load conditions – high cooling load with low heating load – in a more compact footprint than alternative offerings.

Product details for the YMAE, YVWH and CYK will be found in the new Johnson Controls Solution Navigator, a one-stop shop, real-time platform that speeds up and simplifies the building management process and makes it easy to find products that best meet application needs.