High Efficiency Rooftop Unit (HE RTU) Focus Pilot

The High Efficiency Rooftop Unit (HE RTU) Focused Pilot builds off the recently concluded ET23SWE0073 Focused Pilot (Fosberg, et al. 2025). The goal of the ET23SWE0073 Focused Pilot was to streamline the incentive process and increase program participation above the lower documented levels in the existing statewide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) program. The eligibility of HP RTUs was limited to efficiency and capacities that qualified for the current fuel substitution measure. (https://www.caetrm.com/measure/SWHC046/03/)  In addition to addressing known participation barriers, supply chain interviews aimed to identify additional barriers to entry for HP RTU technologies.In contrast, this Focused Pilot seeks to examine the characteristics of HP RTUs that make them most efficient while maximizing decarbonization impacts for this technology. We hypothesize that the market will identify variable capacity capability as the primary efficiency driver but anticipate other characteristics—such as energy and/or heat recovery and controls—to be identified as additional drivers of system efficiency. Through the ET23SWE0073 Focused Pilot, the project team learned that at least two manufacturers are already producing and selling variable capacity HP RTUs in the California market with limited uptake.This Focused Pilot aims to develop higher efficiency requirements for heat pump rooftop units and dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS), with the goal of informing the development of a higher tier to be added to California’s prescriptive measure portfolio. This work also supports the addition of a measure for DOAS, which are not currently included in California’s RTU measure portfolio. Additionally, this research supports California’s Market Transformation Administrator’s (CalMTA’s) current market transformation initiatives (MTI), which prioritize commercial RTU installations in California to leverage increased energy savings (CalMTA 2024).