New efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces — including rooftop units (RTUs) — were announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2015. The standards were to be implemented in two phases, with the first phase taking effect on January 1, 2018. By that date, OEMs were required to increase the minimum efficiency of their RTUs by about 13%. The second phase will take place on Jan. 1, 2023, and require an additional 15% increase in efficiency.
RTUs are ubiquitous in the U.S., cooling about half of the total commercial floor space in applications ranging from office buildings and restaurants to schools and retail spaces. Given that the two efficiency increases were not that far apart, RTU manufacturers were proactive, with many already offering products that meet the 2023 standard.