Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a nonprofit working in partnership with local utilities to increase awareness and adoption of energy-efficient technologies for a sustainable future in the Northwest. As one of many active market transformation strategies, NEEA provides technical support to emerging technologies in the form of field-performance testing to demonstrate the potential for energy savings and identify barriers to market adoption.
NEEA has identified condensing rooftop units (C-RTUs) as an efficient natural-gas HVAC solution with energy savings potential. While condensing appliances with 90–97% efficiency are not new technologies in the boiler and water heating sectors, RTUs equipped with condensing burners that deliver conditioned air at greater than 90% efficiency are an emerging product. C-RTUs face several challenges in becoming widespread, including added complexity and cost for managing condensate, contractor unfamiliarity with the technology, and limited manufacturer offerings. To better understand these challenges and to evaluate field performance, user acceptance, reliability, and energy savings potential in the Northwest, NEEA installed and monitored four C-RTUs. This report summarizes the field study results from those four units during the 2018/2019 heating season.
For more detailed information and findings, view the C-RTU Field Study Final Report at: betterbricks.com/resources/condensing-rooftop-unit-field-study-final-report