BOSTON — The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) released its revised “High Efficiency Commercial Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Initiative.” The initiative includes a high-efficiency energy performance specification for commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment.

Updated for the first time since 1996, the initiative includes current energy savings potential, equipment trends, and a unitary HVAC market characterization, along with descriptions of market barriers to efficiency. CEE updated the 2009 specification to replace integrated part load value criteria with IEER criteria, providing CEE members an improved basis for claiming energy savings across the full range of equipment operation. The document aligns Tier 0 with the Energy Star® light commercial air conditioner specification, creating an opportunity for program administrators to leverage the Energy Star brand and marketing platform for commercial unitary air conditioners. Incorporating this tier also provides CEE members a transition strategy to meet concerns about introducing both a higher specification and an additional program requirement to their programs in IEER.