In Minnesota, fighting climate change means changing how to heat buildings Heat pumps help large commercial, residential sites cut costs, emissions. May 1, 2021 4:46pm Text size Copy shortlink:
Brian DeGidio admits he hasn t thought much about the environmental benefits of the air-source heat pumps he s working on atop a large apartment complex under construction in St. Paul.
It s a drizzly Friday and DeGidio is hooking refrigerant lines to condensing units that look like window air conditioners lined up across the roof. Greenhouse gas emissions aren t top of mind.
But the HVAC system he s working on swaps fossil fuels for cleaner electricity, and DeGidio is part of a quiet revolution underway in Minnesota as the state chases ways to cut global-warming gases. Buildings and the fossil fuels to heat and cool them are a big overlooked source of the heat-trapping gases.