Western Cooling Challenge heats up
On
June 5, UC Davis launched a new partnership program designed to reduce
rooftop air conditioner electricity use in the western United States by
over 40 percent. The “Western Cooling Challenge,” being spearheaded by
the UC Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC), targets large retailers and manufacturers.
“The challenge aims to accelerate the adoption of regionally appropriate cooling technologies for new and existing low-rise, nonresidential buildings (such as suburban retail and office buildings).” It is a voluntary program that will require industry to meet performance specifications for new rooftop A/C units. US Western states that have dry summer climates are the target (e.g., California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico). The program specifically is aimed at reducing peak demand, one of the greatest challenges facing utilities. "With the Western Cooling Challenge, and its goal of reducing both energy use and peak demand from cooling by more than 40 percent, we are targeting a large market sector: the rooftop air conditioners that cool 70 percent of the floor area in non-residential buildings in the western U.S.,” said Dick Bourne, Associate Director of the WCEC. “These units are not optimized for dry climates, so there is a significant opportunity here to reduce electricity use and demand." See UC Davis press.
Some of the equipment suppliers who had signed on by October included:
- Trane: A world leader in air conditioning systems, services and solutions;
- Aaon: Industry leader in creating comfortable and healthy indoor environments, efficiently, through the manufacture of premium eating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) equipment; and
- Munters: A global leader in energy-efficient air treatment solutions and restoration services based on expertise in humidity and climate control technologies.
The Challenge is voluntary and a new certification of "Western Cooling Challenge Compliant" is being established to help building owners identify the new units in the marketplace. Mark Modera, Director, WCEC said the program will begin field-testing new equipment in summer 2009 with the first new products available by 2010. More details on the Western Cooling Challenge and a complete list of the firms that have already enrolled are available at: http://wcec.ucdavis.edu/.