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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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High Performance Rooftop Unit Challenge

Manufacturers – Learn More

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs) are releasing a new design specification for high performance rooftop air conditioning units (RTUs). Manufacturers who develop RTUs based on this new specification will find strong interest from the commercial sector due to the energy and financial savings.

Financial Benefits of this Specification

High-efficiency rooftop units, when built according to the criteria of the new specifications, are expected to reduce energy use by as much as 50% to 60% compared to the current ASHRAE 90.1-2010 standard, depending on location and facility type. In 2006, $19.3 billion was spent on space cooling, according to the Buildings Energy Data Book. Increasing the efficiency of RTUs provides huge environmental and financial benefits to building owners.

CBEA Members Are Interested in Purchasing

CBEA members representing retail, commercial real estate, and healthcare sectors will leverage their purchasing power to demonstrate market demand for these high performance RTUs. Target Corp. and Walmart Stores, Inc. are among the growing list of CBEA members indicating they would strongly consider purchasing units that:

  • Comply with the specification
  • Are consistent with CBEA cost-effectiveness criteria
  • Align with CBEA procurement time frames.

See the announcement of support and a full listing of companies interested in purchasing these new RTUs.

For more information, sign up below.

Support for Manufacturers

Primary Features of the Specification

  • Higher-efficiency requirement (18 IEER)
  • Direct digital-control-based unit control system
  • Automated performance monitoring
  • Automated diagnostics and fault detection
  • Wireless communication

DOE has committed its national laboratories to provide assistance to manufacturers based on this specification. If you're interested in participating, please provide the information below. DOE's technical assistance through its laboratories includes the following areas:

  • Component design support
  • Testing
  • Fault detection and diagnostics system design and testing
  • Auto-commissioning feature design and testing
  • Controls and communications design and testing
  • Energy simulations assistance.

Download the summary of the specification now and read a fact sheet about the specification.

DOE Webinars about the Specification

Slides and information from past webinars about the specification appear below.

February 23, 2011: High-Performance Rooftop Unit Specification Overview for Building Owners and Operators

March 3, 2011: Overview of DOE National Laboratory System HVAC/R Competencies

Interested in Participating?