Controls Could Halve Packaged HVAC Energy Use, Says Study
RICHLAND, Wash.—Commercial buildings could cut their heating and cooling electricity use by an average of 57% with advanced energy-efficiency controls, according to a year-long trial of the controls at malls, grocery stores and other buildings across the United States. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) found that commercial buildings could substantially cut their power bills if they retrofitted their packaged rooftop heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units. “We’ve long known that heating and cooling are among the biggest energy consumers in buildings, largely because most buildings don’t use sophisticated controls,” said lead researcher Srinivas Katipamula, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE. “But our tests of controls installed at real, working commercial buildings clearly demonstrate how much more energy efficient air-conditioning systems can be.” Conventional packaged systems use about 2,600 trillion Btus of energy annually.
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