Rooftop Air Conditioning Unit Evaluation Methodology
This toolkit contains resources to guide building owners and facility managers through a step-by-step method of evaluating and managing their inventory of RTUs and how to make the business case for replacements, retrofits, and quality maintenance practices.
-
TOOLSThis decision tree guides the reader through the challenging task of determining how to manage existing rooftop units with easy to follow evaluation questions and links to additional resources for more information.
RTU Inventory Spreadsheet GuidanceUse the RTU Inventory Spreadsheet to gather basic information (i.e., number, size, age, condition, etc.) about your RTUs. Use the detailed fields to gather additional information (i.e., controls, usage patterns, features, etc.) for additional analysis of the RTUs identified for retrofit, replacement, or further analysis.
RTU Incentives Database ToolsThis spreadsheet lists financial incentives and financing programs in areas for the highest energy savings opportunities.The Rooftop Unit Comparison Calculator (RTUCC) compares high-efficiency rooftop air conditioners to standard equipment in terms of life cycle cost.
This document introduces the key elements to consider in making the business case for a proactive high-efficiency RTU replacement strategy for facility maintenance staff and building engineers responsible for energy management.
RTU Sizing Guidance GuidanceCommon sizing mistakes (with respect to cooling tonnage and supply fan horsepower) can be controlled with these recommended processes to help project teams avoid those mistakes and ensure effective RTU replacement investments.The purpose of this document is to provide a menu of lease clauses to facilitate rooftop unit (RTU) efficiency in retail leases for both retail tenants and commercial real estate landlords.
The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the rooftop unit (RTU) model offered for sale in response to this Solicitation.
This specification provides a description of rooftop unit (RTU) efficiency and functionality characteristics that align with the goals of DOE’s Advanced RTU Campaign for new or replacement installations.
Advanced RTU Controller Specification SpecificationThis specification lists potential important features and best applications for advanced rooftop unit controllers.Adidas developed an RTU procurement specifcation to standardize equipment and to obtain competitive pricing through National Accounts for future planned replacements.
This report from the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) highlights the benefits of proactive rooftop unit replacement and retrofits within the retail sector with support from Advanced RTU Campaign resources.
RTU Measurement and Verification Guidance Fact SheetThis fact sheet explains the variety of benefits from rooftop unit (RTU) replacements by validating energy and cost savings and other improvements through measurement and verification (M&V) methods.
Adidas: Rooftop Unit Replacement Case StudyAs part of their efficiency efforts, Adidas is involved in DOE's Advanced Rooftop Unit Campaign (ARC). They successfully implemented a planned rooftop unit (RTU) replacement program to save energy and avoid costly emergency replacements. The new high-efficiency RTUs have helped Adidas reduce both maintence costs and electricty consumption by 20% and 40% depending on location.
Arby’s Innovative RTU Management Approach Case StudyArby's Restaurant Group developed a comprehensive, portfolio-wide rooftop unit (RTU) assessment approach that has led to over $280,000 and nearly 3 million kWh in annual savings.Fontana Unified School District in Southern California used grant money to install over 200 high-efficiency RTUs in 30 buildings across four schools, resulting in $214,000 saved per year.
Efficiency Vermont successfully completed a 66-rooftop unit (RTU) high-efficiency replacement project on a large 140,000 square foot office building in Vermont. Real savings nearly doubled the estimated savings of $41,000 annually and was recognized by DOE's Advanced RTU Campaign.
JC Penney pursued a pilot program for RTU variable frequency drive (VFD) technology. Following the successful pilot program, JC Penney retrofitted 1,330 rooftop units in 130 stores with the VFD solution and reported saving $5 million and 48 million kWh, a 22% reduction from before the VFD retrofit.
Publix: RTU Evaluation Case StudyThe U.S. Department of Energy developed the RTU Challenge to test high performance rooftop air- conditioning units versus standard units at two Publix store locstions, which resulted in anual energy and utility costs savings of 16,000 kWh and $1,600 respectively.As part of the U.S. Navy’s overall energy strategy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) partnered with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) to demonstrate market-ready energy efficiency measures, renewable energy generation, and energy systems integration.
Target: Rooftop Unit Replacement Case StudyThrough its partnership with the Better Buildings Advanced Rooftop Unit Campaign (ARC), Target has developed a highly successful rooftop unit replacement program that will produce estimated cost savings of $1.3 million annually.This case study details Walgreens' successful development of a program to strategically retire RTUs prior to failure and replace them with high-efficiency units. In just 150 stores, this project brought back more than $1 million in savings from material and labor budgets.
Tool type:
Toolkit
Technology:
HVAC, Rooftop Unit