Q1 2026 Emerging Technology Newsletter
The Q1 2026 Emerging Technology Newsletter showcases a range of impactful work led by the product management team to support the emerging technology program at NEEA. Some key activities include:
- Selecting new field sites to study Luminaire Level Lighting Controls (LLLC) integration with HVAC system controls. These field studies will help refine savings estimates compared to modeling efforts and to start testing the technology as a load flexibility resource.
- Starting field testing of a new dual-fuel residential water heating product. This dual-fuel product is scheduled for release later in 2026 and includes fully integrated operation between gas and electric heating sources. This design is meant to provide maximum flexibility in efficiency, performance, reliability and grid-enabled benefits.
- Partnering with The Motors Coalition to develop and align on the Power Index metric for motors with variable speed controls, including drives, through its member energy efficiency advocates and motor industry organizations.
- Conducting field tests on:
- Small commercial (unitary and split system) electric heat pump water heaters
- Room heat pumps to understand performance in real-world residential applications
- Commercial central electric heat pump water heater systems designed for load flex capability
Future quarterly newsletters will include status updates and links to published reports on the activities above as they become available. NEEA staff scan for new emerging technologies for all sectors and end uses. Please let us know if you have a product or research idea. We would love to hear from you.
NEEA’s emerging technology team also has several interesting Product Councils scheduled and is always open to topic ideas. Information on upcoming Product Councils is available on neea.org. Please reach out to any of NEEA’s product managers with questions or suggestions on the organization’s emerging technology work.
RECENT AND UPCOMING PRODUCT COUNCILS
- January 26, 2026 – Heat Pump Equipment Commissioning Systems
- March 10, 2026 – ResHVAC Dual-Fuel Systems Analysis
To view recordings from any past session, visit our Materials Library.