Daikin McQuay first to meet RTU challenge

Five manufacturers participating in initiative to build energy-efficient rooftop air conditioning units

As part of the Obama Administration’s energy strategy to help American families and businesses save money on their energy bills, the US Department of Energy announced that Daikin McQuay’s Rebel rooftop unit system was the first to meet DOE’s Rooftop Unit (RTU) Challenge. This was conveyed through the US Energy Department’s EERE News.

Five manufacturers – Daikin McQuay, Carrier, Lennox, 7AC Technologies and Rheem – are participating in the challenge to come up with efficient commercial air conditioners that satisfy a DOE-issued specification for energy savings and performance, the news release said. The companies have until April 1, 2013 to submit a product for independent evaluation according to the specification.

When built to meet the specification, these units are expected to reduce energy use by as much as 50% over current standards. Nationwide, if all 10- to 20-tonne RTUs met the specification, businesses would save over $1 billion each year in energy costs, helping American companies better compete on a global scale, the announcement explained.

It further elaborated that manufacturers now have a strong motivation to produce highly energy-efficient air conditioning units for commercial buildings, and members of DOE’s Commercial Buildings Energy Alliances (CBEA), such as Target, Walmart and other participating commercial building owners have expressed an interest in equipment that meets the new energy efficiency specification at an affordable price.

The Department of Energy is reportedly evaluating potential demonstration sites for high-performing products that meet the RTU Challenge. In addition, the Department is also developing analytical tools that enable businesses to more accurately estimate the energy and cost savings of using high-performance RTUs in their facilities.

According to the news release, the RTU Challenge, aimed at spurring the market introduction of cost-effective, high-performance commercial rooftop unit air conditioners, was announced in January 2011.

The specification that underpins the challenge was developed by DOE technical experts and informed by industry partners.

In a separate announcement, Daikin McQuay claimed that Rebel was one of three industry’s leading technologies unveiled last Autumn to challenge the status quo, and is part of a company-wide movement to deepen market dominance globally to be at the forefront in the Americas.