LG & University of Alaska Anchorage Open New Heat Pump Labs

These facilities replicate home environments for realistic and practical approaches to heat pump research.

LG's Heat pumps displayed to an audience.
LG's Heat pumps displayed to an audience.
LG/University of Alaska

The Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research, a partnership between LG Electronics and the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), has opened state-of-the-art, real-world-simulated labs to conduct comprehensive studies on cold-climate heat pump HVAC solutions.

LG and university researchers will conduct studies in two dedicated cold climate heat pump labs located in Anchorage and Fairbanks. These facilities are configured to replicate home environments, enabling a realistic and practical approach to heat pump research. The labs will use a variety of LG’s cutting-edge HVAC solutions, including both ducted and duct-free indoor and outdoor units, to assist in the research.

The Cold Climate Heat Pump Labs in Alaska will leverage LG’s heat pump technology to deliver region-specific comfort solutions designed to reduce dependence on fossil-fuel secondary heating sources. In fact, the Anchorage and Fairbanks labs are committed to further enhancing the capabilities of air-source heat pumps to be the primary source of heating in ambient temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The LG Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump, which was just awarded the 2025 AHR Innovation Award in the Sustainable Solutions category, underscores the company’s ongoing research and development efforts for products under cold conditions.

The consortium partnership between LG and UAA, launched a year ago, brings together LG experts, university researchers, local industry and government agencies to drive market transformation through research on heat pump technology and electrification. The new labs christened this week will showcase the breadth of LG’s HVAC product capabilities in heating and cooling, setting new benchmarks for energy efficiency.

The Alaska consortium is an integral component of LG’s extensive network of heat pump research partnerships across Korea, Europe, and China. These collaborations collectively form the Global Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research, demonstrating LG’s dedication to broadening its research and development programs. LG’s strategic formation of the consortiums has resulted in a robust, global R&D infrastructure, and the wide-reaching approach equips LG with the capability to develop technologies that cater to the unique climatic and housing conditions regionally.

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