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Evaluation of the U.S. Test Procedure for Residential Clothes Dryers
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with Kannah Consulting to evaluate whether the U.S. Department of Energy’s current clothes dryer test procedure (Appendix D2 to 10 CFR Part 430) accurately predicts dryer energy use under real-world operating conditions. The study assessed 12 top-selling electric clothes dryers representing three efficiency groups: non-qualified, ENERGY STAR® qualified, and heat pump models. Each…
Residential -
HVAC Thermal Storage for Enhanced Heating & Cooling
Recorded July 14, 2026 – Adding energy storage to buildings not only saves energy, energy costs, water and carbon, but it now gets a boost with substantial federal tax incentives. Presentation covers innovations, challenges, and opportunities in the transition to electrified heating systems using thermal storage. Several system choices will be reviewed from a high-level…
Commercial + Industrial|Residential -
Q2 2026 RETAC Meeting Notes
The Regional Emerging Technology Advisory Committee (RETAC) held their second quarterly meeting of 2026 on June 17th. Topics included a review of the research around heat pumps conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute, as well as an overview of current projects by the Emerging Technologies Collaborative (ETC), which is part of the Consortium for…
Commercial + Industrial|Residential -
Q2 2026 RCC Meeting Notes
The Q2 committee meeting will focus on key regional heat pump initiatives, including a review of draft resources from the NW Heat Pump Symposium, NEEA’s proposed draft of the Advanced Heat Pump specification highlighted at Efficiency Exchange, and discussion on the RTF’s “Minimizing Supplemental Heat” measure development, facilitated by Sr. Program Manager Suzi Asmus. The…
Residential -
Retail Product Portfolio: High-Performance Dryer Naturally Occurring Baselines Review
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted with Cadmus to review the naturally occurring baselines1 for ENERGY STAR® clothes dryers and heat pump clothes dryers. The study also explored whether separate baselines should be developed for clothes dryers based on drum sizes (compact or standard). Methods included a review of NEEA documentation, secondary research, and interviews with three clothes dryer market experts. Report findings suggest that no…
Residential -
Q2 2026 AHPC All Member Webinar
Recorded June 30, 2026 – The Advanced Heat Pump Coalition (AHPC) will hold its Q2 all-member webinar, with presentations from several work groups, who will provide updates on their current activities. The presentations for Q2 include: WG#2 – Roadmap and Manufacturer Engagement; WG#4 – Heat Pump Only Homes; and WG#10 – Heat Pump Program Management…
Residential -
Room Heat Pumps – An Update for 2026
Recorded June 23, 2026 – Room Heat Pumps are an emerging variant on the classic room air conditioner. The key difference is that new systems have defrost capability and can operate at temperatures below zero Fahrenheit. This presentation covers an update on current products in the market and high-level findings from field studies conducted in…
Residential -
Tri-Mode Heat Pumps
The tri-mode heat pump is a new type of residential heat pump solution that can provide space heating and cooling and domestic water heating from a single outdoor unit feeding multiple indoor units. The goal of this study was to understand the current market landscape for tri-mode heat pumps and how they compare to standard…
Residential -
End-Use Load Flexibility: Connected Water Heater Study
Since 2023 in Washington and 2025 in Oregon, state regulations have required electric storage water heaters with capacities of 40–120 gallons to include an EcoPort®, enabling direct communication with the water heater through the ANSI/CTA-2045 standard. As adoption of EcoPort-enabled water heaters increases, utilities have a growing opportunity to leverage these devices as flexible grid…
Residential -
HVAC Installation Contractor Market Research
The Northwest Energy Alliance (NEEA) contracted with Evergreen Economics to conduct qualitative research with residential HVAC contractors across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The study sought to understand how heat pumps are selected, installed, and configured in real-world practice. Through focus groups and in-depth interviews, research examined contractor perspectives on connected commissioning, cold-climate heat pumps, auxiliary electric resistance…
Residential