You can now take advantage of technological innovations that meet rising standards and changing codes. On January 12, the CEE Board of Directors approved the sixth advance in performance specifications made over the twenty-year lifespan of the High Efficiency Commercial Air-conditioning and Heat Pumps Initiative. The revised Initiative leverages new savings opportunities from product innovation and continues to identify equipment that generates significant energy savings compared to binational baseline standards. The revision includes an advanced tier for unitary air conditioners that is 25 to 37 percent more efficient than the current federal minimum standard and identifies top performing product lines.
The initiative’s multitier approach is grounded in a firm understanding of the technical and market potential of commercial air-conditioning and heat pump equipment, and provides flexibility for the varying circumstances of program administrators. With the technical basis of the Initiative and the new advanced tier, program administrators have the tools to promote super efficient part load performance. Most of the time, operating conditions only require part load, leading to greater savings.
When members voluntarily opt to participate in the Initiative, they minimize market confusion through promotion of common definitions of efficient systems to market actors from manufacturers to distributors, mechanical contractors, general contractors, and the end customers. The Initiative also mitigates the burden on manufacturers by aligning or harmonizing with other specifications where appropriate. Through this Initiative revision, the Consortium has paved the way in advance of the new federal minimum expected in 2018. Members can now carry the work forward to achieve their own goals and satisfy customers.
About CEE
CEE is an award-winning consortium of efficiency program administrators from the United States and Canada. Members work to unify program approaches across jurisdictions to increase the success of efficiency in markets. By joining forces at CEE, individual electric and gas efficiency programs are able to partner not only with each other, but also with other industries, trade associations, and government agencies. Working together, administrators leverage the effect of their ratepayer funding, exchange information on successful practices and, by doing so, achieve greater energy efficiency for the public good.