The HEAT Act helps farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses switch to industrial heat pumps, which are machines that capture waste heat from their operations and reuse it to warm air or water for their processes. This can significantly reduce energy costs and waste. The bill directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a program that teaches these rural businesses how industrial heat pumps work and connects them with federal funding to help pay for them.

The bill also updates an existing USDA program called the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to specifically include money for buying and installing industrial heat pumps. REAP already provides loans and grants to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses invest in renewable energy and energy-saving equipment, so this change simply adds heat pumps to the list of eligible purchases. Finally, the USDA must report to Congress each year about how many farmers and rural businesses they've helped educate and support in adopting this technology.

HEAT Act

Welch, Peter

Heat pump Energy Assistance and Training Act or the HEAT ActThis bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an industrial heat&nbsp;pump program. Among other things, the program must provide technical support to farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses on (1) the use of industrial heat pumps, and (2) the availability of federal programs to assist in the adoption to using industrial heat pumps. An industrial heat pump is a vapor compression device that transforms low grade production waste heat by increasing the temperature of air or process fluid, such as water, to meet the heating needs of agricultural, industrial, or commercial processes.The bill also amends USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to specifically include the purchase and installation of industrial heat pumps. Under REAP, USDA provides (1) loan guarantees and grants to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements, and (2) loan guarantees to agricultural producers to purchase and install energy efficient equipment and systems for agricultural production and processing.USDA must submit an annual report to Congress describing progress made in building awareness, creating materials, and providing support for farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses under the bill.&nbsp;