Full steam ahead—novel high-temp heating solutions are hitting the market in New York State
Have a steam- or hot water-heated building you’re struggling to electrify? Keep reading. These solutions are designed to make your retrofit simpler.
There’s no way around it. If we’re serious about tackling climate change, we need to transform how we heat our buildings. Buildings are responsible for a third of New York State’s emissions. In New York City, that number is even higher—a whopping 70 percent. Outdated, inefficient heating systems are the single greatest source of those emissions.
That’s why the $10M Empire Technology Prize was created. The Empire Technology Prize focuses on finding and scaling a novel set of solutions to make it easier and less disruptive to decarbonize heating in New York’s tall buildings. Last July, seven finalists were selected with innovative solutions that can either work with existing steam- or high-temperature hot water distribution systems, or that do not require them to be removed to electrify heating. Since then, the teams have been hard at work developing, testing, and building their solutions to meet this challenge. We’re thrilled to share that the teams have already made huge strides toward getting their solutions into buildings in New York—and beyond.
Just Nine Months In, Groundbreaking Progress
Today, just nine months in, finalists are embarking on in-market demonstration projects in Syracuse and Harlem and achieving key safety certifications that enable their solutions to be sold and deployed in buildings nationwide.
In Harlem, finalist Clean Heat Technologies has received $417,190 to help demonstrate their innovative steam heat pump technology in a rent-stabilized apartment complex operated by Fairstead. The project will directly benefit 257 low-to-middle income households, providing additional benefits such as increased air quality by reducing the usage of combustion-based systems. Clean Heat Technologies’s groundbreaking technology utilizes a novel natural refrigerant (CO2) and a high temperature compressor to produce steam at 219°F and 17 psi. Steam heating systems are used in over 70 percent of tall residential buildings in NYC.
As a first-of-a-kind demonstration of their steam heat pump, the successful completion of this project will validate the effectiveness of the solution as a direct “drop-in” replacement for fossil-fuel-based heating, creating a much-needed decarbonization pathway. This demonstration could help derisk an alternative decarbonization pathway for the Harlem apartment complex and Fairstead’s portfolio, as well as similar large residential buildings throughout New York State.
In Syracuse, finalist team Hydronic Shell and Cycle Retrotech have received $395,200 to help demonstrate their solution in an affordable housing building owned and operated by the Syracuse Housing Authority. The team’s innovative approach electrifies space heating for buildings by combining a high-efficiency heat pump system, building envelope upgrade, and new distribution system into a modular overclad facade that can be installed quickly and non-invasively on the exterior of an existing building. Many affordable housing buildings suffer from outdated distribution systems that are close to the end of life, and this solution will allow buildings to add a new distribution system compatible with low temp heat pumps more easily and without displacing tenants.
As the first demonstration of the Hydronic Shell solution, a successful completion of this project will help provide the validation the market needs to embrace this cutting-edge approach to space heating retrofits. The demonstration project will also provide data and knowledge to reduce design fees for future projects, creating lasting value to scale similar decarbonization efforts. Deployment of this technology at scale has the potential to help reach net-zero emissions targets while improving the lives of millions of people living in similar affordable housing across the country.
In addition, two other Empire Technology Prize finalist teams have won milestone awards of $750k each for their commercially ready high temperature heat pumps. Flow, in collaboration with Ambient and Gil-Bar, has secured UL certification for limited production of their high-temp hot water heat pump prototype and a letter of interest from a New York building.
Miller Proctor Nickolas has unlocked two key milestones—completing the functional prototype of their steam and high-temp hot water heat pump, as well as securing UL certification for their full product listing and a letter of interest from a New York Building. You can get an inside look at MPN's prototype by checking out their docuseries.
Our three other finalists are also making meaningful strides toward their milestone awards. More to come soon.
Looking Forward
The significant traction finalists have achieved in this short time period indicates a huge demand for solutions that can make heating retrofits simpler.
Of course, if you’ve ever spent a New York winter in a building heated by an inefficient boiler—too cold one minute, sweltering the next—you know that modernizing how we heat our buildings is about more than climate. It’s about giving people more comfort in the spaces where they live and work, and often more control. And it’s about making how we heat our buildings safer—for our families and our planet.
We can’t wait to see what’s next. If you’re interested in being connected with our finalists, we encourage you to get in touch with our team.
With thanks to our incredible funders and collaborators for their support in achieving this progress: NYSERDA, Wells Fargo, and RMI.
Learn more about the Empire Technology Prize and our seven outstanding finalists: https://thecleanfight.com/etp