In 2017, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) collaborated with Pacific Gas & Electric to develop a Clothes Dryer Test Procedure that calculates an accurate metric for clothes dryer energy use (Version 1.2). Since then, NEEA conducted laboratory testing and applied the Version 1.2 test procedure to more than 60 dryers to gather information on efficiency and qualify heat pump dryers for regional stakeholders’ incentive programs. The experience of using the test procedure in this large sample size revealed several opportunities to improve, resulting in Version 2.0.
NEEA’s Dryer Test Procedure Version 2.0 includes the adoption of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Cotton textiles, a reduction in test runs from three to five, a new definition of utility combined energy factor (UCEF), a smaller load for the large test for compact dryers, and an adjustment to alternate final moisture content (FMC) thresholds at the end of the dryer cycle. These changes improve the repeatability, reproducibility, and representativeness of the test procedure while making it more reasonable by reducing the overall test burden. Lastly, NEEA developed a crosswalk methodology to translate Version 1.2 results into Version 2.0 without significantly impacting regional energy savings.
