Preparing for DOE 2023

DOE 2023 Announcement for TempMaster^®

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Background

Since 1992, manufacturers of small, large, and very large commercial package air conditioners and heat pumps have complied with the DOE energy conservation standards. Back in 2015, DOE announced a new efficiency standard for commercial air conditioners and furnaces. The new standard would improve RTU efficiency, reduce energy usage, and result in environmental benefits in the form of reduced emission of air pollutants associated with energy production. The standard was rolled out in two phases. Phase one was implemented on January 1, 2018, and increased energy efficiency for all RTUs by approximately 13%. Phase two will include warm-air furnaces and will be implemented on January 1, 2023, thereby increasing energy efficiency up to 30% (an additional 15%over 2018). Along with the increase in minimum efficiency requirements, “EER” would be replaced with “IEER” in the DOE standards making part-load energy efficiencies an important metric to consider for future product developments and compliance.

For more information regarding 2023 regulatory requirements affecting commercial units, download the 2023 Regulatory Requirements Guidebook.

Moving forward, how do you prepare?

As we continue into quarter one of the calendar year, products will be phased out and efficiency changes will come into effect on certain product lines. The Ducted Systems product management team will be sharing additional information by hosting webinars, sending commercial letters, and distributing email blasts to help you prepare for these upcoming changes. Below is a timeline for additional information:

Webinars for 2022:

March and June: DOE Efficiency Update Webinars

Email blasts for 2022:

March: Light Commercial Rooftops and Commercial Splits
May: Large Commercial Rooftops

Commercial Letter:

Available Now: Commercial letter with discontinuation/replacement information

In the meantime, we encourage you to start having discussions with engineers, contractors, and customers regarding equipment compliance with DOE regulations and familiarizing yourself with the new energy efficiency metrics. The RTU VAV Application guide is a good resource that covers RTU components, controls strategies for varied applications, and important standards that apply to RTUs.

What are we doing?

RTUs are used in office buildings, schools, restaurants, warehouses, manufacturing applications, and have the largest market size for commercial HVAC applications when compared with other equipment in the same category. Johnson Controls is committed to its customers in saving energy, conserving resources, and complying with efficiency regulations. For this reason, Johnson Controls has dedicated its Rooftop Center of Excellence in Norman, Oklahoma, to the pursuit of innovative manufacturing technologies, advanced testing capabilities, and new modeling and simulation tools to increase speed-to-market to meet customer demands. The state-of-the-art facility features over 900,000 square feet of space that includes a two-story, 52-foot-high testing lab with the ability to test a 150 ton rooftop unit in temperatures ranging from minus 30º to 130ºF. We are preparing for this upcoming change by reviewing all our product lines and market positioning.

Less than 15 ton RTUs and Commercial Splits – Many of our existing models meet the new standard. However, our engineering teams are currently working on implementing and testing new unit control strategies for other models that would not just achieve minimum efficiency requirements but exceed them.
Above 15 ton RTUs - TempMaster® offers several product lines that already meet the 2023 standard for 15 ton and above. The Omni™ Choice (15 to 27.5 ton), Omni™ Select (27.5 to 50 ton), and Omni™ Premier (25 to 80 ton) commercial RTUs have best-in-class efficiencies (IEER), meet minimum gas heat efficiency requirements (81%), and have significantly reduced operational costs over the life of the unit. The Omni™ Elite (90 to 150 ton) product line will also meet the standard in 2023. Changes to Omni™ Elite will be announced at a later date.
Beginning January 1, 2023, we will be obsoleting models that do not meet the DOE 2023 standard.

Please review the TempMaster® DOE 2023 Efficiency Mandate letter that was recently distributed.

For more information on all our product lines, visit www.solutionnavigator.com and navigate to the product literature pages for Technical and Application guides, and visit the DOE page specific to TempMaster®.