Lync by Watts Provides CO₂ Heat Pump for Domestic Hot Water at Massachusetts Apartment Complex

U.S.-based manufacturer Lync by Watts has provided a commercial CO₂ (R744) air-source heat pump system for domestic hot water at a new-build apartment complex in Amherst, Massachusetts.

The 90-unit building is described by its developer as “the first all-electric living community in downtown Amherst.” The building’s developers sought a heat pump that could function in ambient temperatures as low as 0°F (−17°C) but struggled to find equipment that fit the bill. The Aegis A500 was chosen because it can operate in ambient temperatures as low as −4°F (−20°C) and because it met local and state climate requirements.

The technical part: The Aegis A500 has a heating capacity of 494MBH (144.78kW/41.17TR) and produces hot water at up to 170°F (76°C).

• The heat pump has a COP of 4, which Lync by Watts said makes it “significantly more efficient than traditional resistive electric systems.”
• It’s paired with buffer tanks with a total capacity of 750gal (2,839L).
• The system also includes 108kW (30.7TR) of backup electric resistance heating that activates during periods of high demand or during maintenance of the heat pump.

The efficiency equation: Besides meeting hot water demands, the project’s developers had to keep in mind the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 compared to a 1990 baseline.

Room to shine: This is not Lync by Watt’s first R744 project in the U.S.

• For an aerospace facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Lync by Watts provided a CO₂ heat pump water heater. It has a heating capacity of 199MBH (58.3kW/16.6TR) and uses the building’s existing chiller as a heat source, which reduces its total load by 102MBH (8.5TR/29.8kW).
• Two of its air-source CO₂ heat pumps were installed in a retrofitted 66-unit Bronx apartment building in 2021. Each heat pump has a capacity of 500MBH (41.7TR/147kW), with both units fitting within a single parking space. The installation also includes a 1,000-gallon (3,785L) domestic hot water tank.

The U.S. market in motion: CO₂ heat pumps are entering the U.S. market slowly but surely.

• Noritz Corporation and Nihon Itomic Co. announced they were developing commercial CO₂ heat pump water heaters for the North American market in January 2026. 
• “Through our collaboration, Noritz Group and Nihon Itomic are excited to contribute to the growing U.S. heat pump market with our CO₂ heat pump water heating unit,” Itomic told NaturalRefrigerants.com.