Going Big on Small Buildings: Spotlight on efforts to improve controls for packaged rooftop HVAC units

Commercial buildings with a floor area under 50,000 square feet comprise 95% of commercial buildings in the United States, representing almost half of all commercial buildings’ energy use. These buildings are typically underserved in terms of energy efficiency programs and are far more likely to be located in rural and disadvantaged communities, when compared with larger commercial buildings.

The past decade has seen significant growth in the array of smart, innovative control technology options available for small to medium buildings, but currently, only 13% of buildings under 50,000 square feet have a building automation system installed. With expected 10% - 20% savings from installing controls, this represents a technical potential of 39 million tons reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously improving energy affordability for small business owners in disadvantaged communities and improving occupant comfort. Improved controls also enable more advanced performance analysis and building-grid integration.

In this paper, we report on a small building controls needs assessment and recent outcomes of a national owner engagement program designed to accelerate control deployment in existing commercial buildings. The program offers technical assistance, recognizes exemplary control installations, gathers cost/benefit data at scale, and develops resources. We will describe two resources developed under the program to help building owners understand the landscape of current offerings, define their needs, and ultimately select a control product. Lessons learned from these efforts will equip stakeholders such as control vendors, utilities, building owners, and HVAC contractors to equitably scale up building decarbonization.