Johnson Controls to use $33M grant to increase production, cut emissions

Johnson Controls received a $33 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy that will bring 200 jobs to its Waynesboro facility. 

The grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains will help increase domestic production of electric heat pumps by expanding Johnson Control’s three U.S.-based manufacturing sites.  

Combined, these facilities will be able to produce approximately 200,000 electric heat pumps per year, representing a nearly 200% production increase, Johnson Controls said. The volume will help drive energy affordability and energy security, while helping combat climate change and creating a total of 1,000 new jobs. 

“We are thrilled to participate in this program and help drive the enormous impact it will have on energy security, reliability and affordability while achieving unprecedented progress in slashing carbon,” said Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer, Johnson Controls.  

The initiative, as part of the Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda from the Defense Production Act program, will enable Johnson Controls to accelerate the retrofitting of its Waynesboro electric heat pump manufacturing facility to scale production.   

Johnson Controls said it will partner with local unions and economic development groups to maximize community impact and ensure fair and equitable hiring practices.  

With this grant, Johnson Controls will continue its focus on partnerships with local technical and community colleges across the U.S. including Triangle Tech in Waynesboro. 

Upon completion, Johnson Controls estimates the initiative will save 1.63 million metric tons of CO² emissions from residential heating and 25 million metric tons from commercial and industrial heating per year – the equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from more than 5.5 million gasoline-powered vehicles driven for one year.  

“As we move toward achieving nation-wide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, it is critical that our commercial, institutional and industrial sectors have the technologies necessary for effective decarbonization,” McGinty said. “Some of our heat pumps will help homeowners cut their energy bills, while others can play a major role in commercial industries.”