US-based heating and cooling tech company Gradient has introduced Nexus, a software platform for centralised control of its window heat pumps across multifamily buildings.
Nexus lets building owners and operators monitor and control multiple units through a single interface. It tracks temperature, runtime, alarms, and energy use, and allows operators to apply controls to individual zones, floors, or entire buildings.
The software is designed for Gradient’s All-Weather 120V window heat pumps and is already deployed across more than 200 residential units in Boston, Detroit and Washington, D.C.
Nexus gives operators central control of heat pumps
Managing heating and cooling becomes more complex when a multifamily property has many individual heat pumps. Nexus enables operators to manage them collectively while retaining unit-level control.
Operators can set heating and cooling limits, while residents can adjust temperatures within those limits. Operators can also change modes and temperature settings across groups of units rather than one device at a time.
Gradient said the integration between Nexus and its heat pumps provides high-resolution telemetry and real-time control of individual units.
During beta testing, one customer reduced energy consumption by 25% after using Nexus to adjust setpoints remotely across a building, according to Gradient. The company did not present the result as an average across other Nexus deployments.
Gradient had already been working on heat-pump electrification in multifamily housing before launching Nexus. In 2022, the company was selected alongside Midea America for New York’s Clean Heat for All programme, which was set up to develop heat pumps suited to existing multifamily buildings. Gradient received a contract to manufacture 10,000 cold-climate packaged window heat pumps for New York City public housing.
The programme sought systems that could reduce or eliminate costs associated with electrical upgrades, long refrigerant piping, drilling, or other penetrations through walls when installing heat pumps in occupied apartments.
In 2023, New York State said Gradient would supply 36 units for installation in New York City Housing Authority apartments as part of a 72-unit demonstration involving Gradient and Midea. The units were to be monitored over the winter before the programme moved towards wider deployment.
Nexus manages power draw across multiple units
Nexus can also manage the combined power consumption of connected heat pumps.
Gradient says the software can dynamically manage total power draw across units, a feature designed for older buildings undergoing electrification without major electrical upgrades.
Gradient founder and CTO Vince Romanin said that building owners wanted greater control over costs and operations as they electrified their properties.
Operators can use the Nexus dashboard to view temperature trends, equipment run time, alarms and energy consumption across connected units.
Gradient said Nexus will also provide the foundation for predictive maintenance and grid-interactive capabilities as the platform evolves.
Nexus is now available to multifamily housing operators who use Gradient’s heat pumps.
Image: Courtesy of Gradient
