May 4, 2015: DOE Supplies Funding to Develop Next-Generation HVAC Systems
New Solutions Are Expected to Offer Significant Energy and Cost Savings
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $8 million in funding to advance research and development of next-generation HVAC technologies for buildings. With air conditioning using large and growing amounts of energy in the United States and worldwide, these new solutions are expected to offer significant energy and cost savings in new and existing buildings.
Currently, HVAC systems are the largest energy end-use in buildings, using almost 14 quadrillion Btu (quads) of primary energy annually, or nearly 30 percent of all energy used in U.S. commercial and residential buildings, said DOE. Non-vapor compression HVAC systems have the potential to use as much as 40 percent less energy than current systems.