Heat Pump Demonstration Project: Commercial Cold Storage

California’s greenhouse gas goals, including SB 32 and AB 3232, target a 40% reduction in building emissions below 1990 levels by 2030. Achieving this reduction requires decarbonizing building systems, particularly natural gas boilers and furnaces in large commercial buildings where heat pumps remain underutilized. Existing electric systems—air conditioners, chillers, & standard heat pumps—often have high energy demands, increasing costs and straining electrical capacity. As California phases out natural gas and high-GWP refrigerants, solutions aligning with state goals are critical.

Funded by the California Energy Commission, ProspectSV, Flow Environmental Systems, DMG North, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Straus Family Creamery, Avida Energy, and Alter Engineers are partnering to demonstrate Flow’s ANSWR™ CO2 Heat Pump system at multiple cold storage sites at Straus’ dairy manufacturing facility in Rohnert Park, CA. There, the heat pump system will provide low and medium temperature refrigeration with advanced defrost controls and thermal storage.