Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), New Buildings Institute (NBI), and the University of Idaho Integrated Design Laboratory (IDL) collaborated to measure the energy performance of higher-efficiency-rated products in the unitary, vapor-compression, direct-expansion (DX) package rooftop unit (RTU) class of commercial building heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The project sought to use experimental data to evaluate the operational capabilities of three RTUs, first in a relatively controlled lab setting and then in a field operating setting. The primary goal of the study was to analyze a typical (or baseline federal minimum efficiency rated) RTU alongside two examples of an emerging class of advanced-performance RTUs.
