by Brianna Crandall — April 27, 2015—The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Tuesday nearly $8 million to advance research and development of next-generation heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) technologies, supporting the Obama Administration’s goal of saving money by saving energy, and phasing down the use of chemicals that are said to have a devastating effect on the global climate.
With air conditioning using large and growing amounts of energy in the United States and worldwide, these innovative solutions offer significant energy and cost savings in new and existing buildings, says the DOE.
Currently, HVAC systems are the largest energy end-use in buildings, using almost 14 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of primary energy annually, or nearly 30% of all energy used in U.S. commercial and residential buildings, according to DOE statistics. Non-vapor-compression HVAC systems have the potential to use as much as 40% less energy than current systems.
The selections just announced are under two major topic areas: advanced vapor compression technology and non-vapor compression technology. Advanced vapor compression systems will use highly efficient versions of the technologies that currently drive HVAC systems, but use refrigerants that have a minimal effect on the environment. Non-vapor compression systems will employ new technologies that use refrigerants that do not affect the environment.
Details of the R&D funding recipients are available on the Web site of the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). More information about the DOE’s efforts to help homes and buildings save energy is available on the EERE Building Technologies Office Web site.
