Dalrada has further strengthened its position as an innovator in climate technology through the co-authorship of a peer-reviewed
scientific study in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), published in the Journal of Building Engineering. The study, titled “Comparative Performance Assessment of Air-Source and Ground-Source Heat Pumps Using CO₂ and R-410A with Water Well Integration: A Simulation Study,” validates the technical and environmental advantages of CO₂-based systems in high-performance heating and cooling applications.
Nationwide simulation results reveal that CO₂ ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) maintained approximately 87% of their efficiency and 85.5% of their heating capacity as temperatures dropped from 47°F to -15°F, whereas air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) retained only 55% efficiency and 44.5% capacity under the same conditions. Additionally, CO₂ GSHPs demonstrated 35–45% energy savings compared to ASHP configurations, providing strong evidence of their viability as replacements for conventional fossil-fuel-based systems in colder regions. The findings further highlight the technical viability, environmental benefits, and deployment potential of CO₂ GSHPs as a pathway toward efficient and sustainable heating solutions across diverse climate regions.
As climate regulations tighten worldwide and high-GWP refrigerants such as R-410A face increasing phase-down pressures in the U.S., UK, and Europe, the study highlights CO₂ as a future-ready refrigerant solution with lower environmental risk, especially in cases involving groundwater infrastructure.
Dalrada’s involvement in this published research reinforces its mission to accelerate the global shift toward decarbonized heating and cooling through scalable, low-GWP solutions. By helping validate the feasibility of CO₂ ground-source heat pumps using existing water well infrastructure, Dalrada continues to advance next-generation, high-efficiency platforms aligned with market performance expectations and environmental priorities—solidifying its leadership in responsible climate technology for Net-Zero markets.
Funding Acknowledgment: The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, with support from the Building Technologies Office program managers.
Read the abstract on ScienceDirect
Journal of Building Engineering | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2025.114453
