High-efficiency all-electric HVAC systems continue to be a priority for CalNEXT. This includes maturing products such as high-efficiency air-to-air packaged heat pumps as well as less mature product markets, like air-to-water heat pumps intended for gas boiler replacements. CalNEXT is also focused on deploying scalable HVAC solutions and advancing decarbonization design strategies that target the commercial and large multi-family sectors.
The Research Initiatives tables below describe the most important topic areas these technology research areas should be focused on, and the simplified icons indicate where the topic areas stand along the path of progression to technology transfer. The tables are meant to encourage research projects to fill the current gaps and advance the topic areas on the technology transfer path of progression.
High Needs |
Medium Needs |
Low Needs |
Future Needs |
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having high impacts within the Technology Category.
Room heat pumps are efficient, rapidly deployable heat pumps (HPs) that can be installed without the need for professional HVAC and electrical skills. They are suitable for compact spaces where HPs can replace electric space heaters or where traditional split systems are costly or onerous to deploy. They should connect with standard 110V/120V National Electrical Manufacturers Association 5-15 outlets, without any field-installed refrigerant lines. They can appear in the market in several form factors such as saddle (also referred to as U-shaped), window box units, portable, and through-the-wall. Saddle, window, and portable units are generally do-it-yourself, while others—including through-the-wall—may require infrastructure costs. Typical uses include single-family, accessory dwelling units, multifamily situations, mobile homes, hospitality spaces, assisted living facilities, and schools. Unit condensate is managed through drip-free meltwater atomization or water dispersion into air, inside or outside, and drip pan systems for portable units.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window/Saddle HPs |  |  | | |
| Portable HPs | | | | |
| Through-the-wall HPs (PTHPs/SPVHP) | |  | | |
Room HPs have the potential to rapidly electrify space heating, replacing existing portable space heaters and older, less efficient room air conditioners with more efficient HPs. As these products become more widely available, they offer various opportunities. For example:
Barriers may include the following:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having high impacts within the Technology Category.
This category includes commercial air-to-air heat pump equipment with over 65,000 British thermal units per hour (Btu/h) cooling capacity (5.4 tons) or smaller-capacity rooftop units (RTUs), serving commercial spaces and capable of providing both space cooling and heating. Commercial air-to-air heat pump equipment includes split and packaged units. Common examples of air-to-air heat pumps include variable refrigerant flow (VRF), dedicated outdoor air systems, and heat pump RTUs. Other technologies that are considered part of this technology family include those that complement heat pump systems, such as improved control systems.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Pump RTUs: Controls and Infrastructure | | | | |
| Efficient Mechanical Ventilation Strategies | | | | |
VRF System Optimization for Efficiency | | | | |
Strategies for Reducing Reliance on Supplementary Electric Resistance Heat | | | | |
Note: The heat pump refrigerant maintenance topic is noted in the “Commercial HVAC Equipment Installation, Operation, and Maintenance” technology family.
The increased adoption of commercial air-to-air HP equipment represents a significant opportunity for energy efficiency and decarbonization of the HVAC energy end use in commercial buildings. Opportunities for increased system efficiency and decarbonization include:
Addressing barriers to HP adoption will increase uptake of HPs in the commercial HVAC market. Examples of barriers to increased adoption include:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having high impacts within the Technology Category.
These complex HVAC systems feature a holistic design, aimed at achieving high energy efficiency and low emissions in both new and existing buildings.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
All-electric Design for New Construction | | | | |
All-electric Design for Existing Buildings | | | | |
| Standardization for Interoperability of Component Systems | | | | |
Emerging research in this technology family will yield strong energy efficiency savings potential and decarbonization by electrifying space heating, enabling energy recovery, and/or removing design barriers to decarbonization in large commercial buildings. Example opportunities include:
HVAC designs have been evolving to meet the needs of a decarbonized building future. While technical understanding is growing, particularly in the new construction market, the existing building sector needs to overcome considerable technical and market barriers in transitioning these complex systems, such as:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having high impacts within the Technology Category.
This technology family is focused on tools, techniques, and practices that improve the installation, operations and maintenance, and commissioning of HVAC systems, particularly for small- to medium-sized commercial buildings. The goals are to optimize the operational performance and efficiency of HVAC equipment at the time of installation through quality installation practices and commissioning, and to sustain optimal performance through continuous commissioning and maintenance.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scalable technologies and approaches for quality installation, FDD, and continuous commissioning | | | | |
| Tools for continuous commissioning in small to medium buildings without BMS | | | | |
Improvements in installation practices, operations, and maintenance will result in energy savings, demand flexibility, and a reduction in refrigerant release emissions. A 2020 Lawrence Berkeley National Lab study found the median simple payback for existing building commissioning is less than two years. The continued advancements within the various normalized metered energy consumption programs mean there is the potential for program delivery improvements within this technology family.
Example opportunities for improving installation, operations, and maintenance of HVAC equipment include:
To date, commissioning practice has been mostly driven by mandatory building code requirements or voluntary code requirements, such as California Green Building Standards (Title 24, Part 11) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings. While research indicates that existing buildings still have significant cost-effective energy savings opportunities through proper installation and maintenance, some barriers have been identified that could hinder the adoption of the most efficient options, such as:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having high impacts within the Technology Category.
Commercial hydronic heat pumps serve space conditioning and service water needs for multifamily or non-residential buildings with large heating needs, such as a commercial kitchen or a large office building. These may be air-to-water heat pumps (AWHP) designed as boiler replacements or water-to-water heat pumps, such as heat recovery chillers, which can provide partial heating and cooling for facilities with simultaneous loads. This technology family is focused on advancements of the product itself.
Note: This technology family will not focus on the holistic system design or interoperability with other large components, which are spread across several technology families.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Recovery Chiller | | | | |
| Low-GWP Air-to-Water Heat Pumps | | | | |
| Software tool development to support product specification | | | | |
| Test Method Development & Validation | | | | |
Hydronic heat pumps can provide multiple hydronic services to a building to address efficiency and decarbonization market needs across the California multifamily and non-residential sectors. Opportunities for emerging technology research include:
There are several barriers to hydronic heat pumps that could be addressed through emerging technology efforts:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having high impacts within the Technology Category.
Residential multifunction heat pumps (MFHPs) use an efficient compressor system to serve both space conditioning and water heating requirements of a household, typically configured as a primarily hydronic system. MFHPs can come in multiple formats. Two-function (or combination) heat pump systems serve space heating and water heating demands. Three-function MFHPs provide space cooling in addition.
Note: This technology family is cross-listed with the Water Heating TPM.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-function: Water Heating & Space Heating | | | | |
| Three-function: Hot Water, Space Heating & Space Cooling | | | | |
| Selection Guidelines | | | | |
Residential MFHPs offer a novel pathway to decarbonization, providing an efficient alternative to existing gas-fired equipment or the current approach of multiple heat pumps (heat pump water heaters and a packaged central heat pump). MFHPs can potentially replace space heating, space cooling, and water heating with a single system, depending on the configuration and design. MFHPs have the potential to provide much higher total system benefits by extending the benefits of thermal storage to space heating (and potentially space cooling). In addition, the single heat pump may free up a home’s electrical panel capacity for other electrification uses and could be deployed with less overall refrigerant charge than current heat pump practices.
MFHPs are relatively new to the US market, and as a result, there are many opportunities to improve the understanding of their performance and impact on the residential sector. Opportunities for research include:
As an emerging technology in the US market, there are many barriers to MFHP adoption that could be addressed. Understanding the performance of MFHPs in the context of US homes, the development of testing and installation standards, and the development of equipment selection guidelines are all necessary for understanding the efficacy of MFHPs in meeting California’s decarbonization goals and encouraging MFHP use in California. Specific barriers include:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having moderate overall impacts within the Technology Category.
These are advanced, high efficiency air-to-air heat pump (HP) units for use in the residential market, including ducted unitary HPs and ducted or ductless split systems. This technology family includes strategies to ensure adequate part-load performance (proper system sizing or use of variable-speed equipment); commissioning techniques; connected features that improve the installation, operation, and maintenance of residential systems; and deployment of smart thermostats to ensure proper control of variable speed systems and the ability to participate in demand response programs.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated or Connected Controls | | | | |
| Variable Capacity Heat Pumps | | | | |
| Optimized Design and Quality Installation | | | | |
| Commissioning and Continuous Maintenance | | | | |
California’s residential HP market has seen significant activity as the market continues to take shape through large market transformation efforts, such as TECH Clean California. However, to maximize the overall impact of HPs, there needs to be a continued effort to ensure they operate efficiently while satisfying heating and cooling needs—as well as assurance that this technology is capable of providing grid services through flexing electric demand.
Example opportunities for increased efficiency and performance in the residential air-to-air HP market include:
Example barriers to increased adoption of residential air-to-air heat pumps include:
CalNEXT has highlighted this technology family as having moderate overall impacts within the Technology Category.
Commercial scalable thermal energy storage (TES) systems encompass heat energy-based systems in commercial buildings, which are capable of decoupling the coincident time of HVAC loads and HVAC energy input. Commercial scalable TES systems can reduce peak demand and shift energy inputs to a period when electric grid power is lower cost and less greenhouse-gas-intensive; they should be designed and operated for higher energy efficiency, e.g. shifting cooling loads to time periods with lower ambient temperatures. Scalable systems have already been implemented in commercial or residential building applications and therefore, could be implemented in larger sizes and higher percentages of building projects. Additionally, they have the potential for innovative improvements in terms of load shift, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
| Research Initiatives | Performance Validation Needs | Market Analysis Needs | Measure Development Needs | Program Development Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Water Hydronic Thermal Storage | | | | |
| Cold Water or Ice Hydronic Thermal Storage | | | | |
| Thermal Storage | | | | |
| Building Mass Thermal Storage | | | | |
Thermal energy storage systems have been in commercial use for decades and present an opportunity for an increased scale of application for higher efficiency and decarbonization. Example opportunities include:
Prospective emerging technology studies should build upon the California IOU CASE team’s ongoing research on this topic, as well as pursue lab and field demonstrations with a viable path to scalability.
Technical and market barriers for various TES technologies and system types include:
Thermal energy storage ideas and projects should identify barriers and provide strategies for mitigating or removing such barriers.
Please refer to the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council for a complete list of active and completed projects to ensure your project is not duplicative.
