Through the Commercial Building Heat Pump Accelerator, manufacturers will produce higher-efficiency and lifecycle-cost-effective heat-pump rooftop units and commercial organizations will evaluate and adopt next-generation heat-pump technology.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently passed five proposals that, collectively, would prevent the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) secretary from “prescribing or enforcing energy conservation standards” for dishwashers, refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers, and room a/c units “that are not cost-effective or technologically feasible.”

DOE already implemented minimum lightbulb efficiency levels that were specifically directed by Congress in the bipartisan Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. These new standards set efficiency levels for LEDs.

Standard 90.1-2022 marks the first time onsite generation of renewable energy systems has been incorporated as a prescriptive requirement.