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RTF Quarterly Newsletter: Quarter No. 30, October - December 2017

  • January 08, 2018

The fourth quarter of 2017 was full of activity here at the RTF, with important new measures being approved, thought-provoking presentations being offered, and vital subcommittee discussions taking place. Below is a review of some of what occurred in the last three months of 2017. For a full review of RTF decisions, click here. 

Non-residential lighting midstream measure approval

At the November RTF meeting, the Forum approved a much anticipated analysis for the Non-Residential Midstream Lighting UES Measure. This measure was brought before the RTF several times, and through the subcommittee process to ensure it was done in the best way possible. In November the RTF signed off on this measure analysis, with a few caveats, including removing TLEDs from the analysis until those products could be examined more closely. The measure was adopted as Proven with a sunset date of December 31, 2018.

Commercial ARC measure approval

Also in November, the RTF voted to approve a new measure for Advanced Rooftop Controls. This measure applies to retrofits of existing packaged heating and cooling equipment with constant speed supply fans installed on rooftops of commercial buildings. This measure was approved as Planning, meaning there is an associated research strategy that outlines potential research needed to sure-up these energy savings estimates. The sunset date for this measure was set to November 30, 2020.

New residential lighting analysis

In December the RTF approved updates to the Residential Lighting UES workbook. This high profile, and very large UES analysis, was approved with some caveats by the RTF, and, like all RTF measures, will undergo a thorough quality control process before being finalized. The analysis for screw-in lamp measures was approved as Proven. The pin-based lamp measure analysis was approved as Small Saver, and the analysis for fixtures was approved as Planning with an associated research strategy. The sunset date for all measure applications was set to January 31, 2019.

Update on the status of federal standards

The December meeting began with an especially exciting item, a visit from semi-retired Council staff member Tom Eckman to offer the Forum an update on the status of federal efficiency standards. For this agenda item, Mr. Eckman detailed the current status of efficiency standards for a variety of products, some that have recently been finalized, and others that are involved in litigation and negotiated rulemakings. The status of these federal standards is something the Council continues to monitor, and could likely be a topic that comes before the RTF again.  

Subcommittee roundup

The RTF relies on its subcommittees to review and provide oversight or guidance on projects, provide feedback to the RTF on specific issues, and help develop and update sector-specific measure savings assumptions. The following subcommittees convened at some point in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Guidelines: The RTF Guidelines Subcommittee meets on a need basis to discuss updates and additions to the RTF’s Operative Guidelines, which dictate the course of RTF decision making. In the fourth quarter of 2017 the subcommittee met twice, once to discuss a suite of proposed revisions to the Guidelines, and again to discuss ongoing work on the associated capacity benefits of energy efficiency.

Advanced Rooftop Controls: This subcommittee convened once in the fourth quarter of 2017 to discuss complications around determining the measure baseline for the new Commercial Advanced Rooftop Controls UES measure analysis, as directed by the RTF at the September meeting. This measure was adopted by the RTF in November 2017.

Research and Evaluation: The Research and Evaluation Subcommittee convenes on a need basis to discuss the development of RTF Research Strategies and the framing and utility of ongoing research in the region. In Q4 of 2017 the subcommittee met twice; once in October to discuss NEEAs research plan for Residential ENERGY STAR clothes dryers, and a research strategy for Commercial Connected Thermostats; and again in December to discuss a research strategy for Residential Lighting: Pin-Based Lamps and LED Fixtures.

Implementers Group: The Implementers group meets every month after the monthly RTF meeting to discuss the outcome of the RTF meeting, upcoming RTF meeting topics, and other topics that affect program implementers in the region.

Non-Res Lighting: This subcommittee was convened once in the fourth quarter of 2017 to discuss assumptions used in the measure analysis for the mid-stream non-residential lighting measures approved at the December 2017 RTF meeting.

Market Analysis: This subcommittee was created to discuss ongoing market analysis being conducted in the region, as well as to provide review of said research. The RTF’s Market Analysis Subcommittee met once in the fourth quarter of 2017 to discuss the development of Bonneville’s Residential Hot Water Market Model.

Operations: The RTF Operations subcommittee meets monthly to review and discuss the RTF meeting agendas, decisions, and contracts.

Small and Rural: The Small/Rural Subcommittee maintains a dedicated function within the RTF to support the specific needs of small and rural utilities. This subcommittee met once in Q4 of 2017 to discuss changes to UES measures that may affect small/rural utilities differently, as well as the measure specifications for two new UES measures to be utilized by small and rural utilities.

Approved measure changes

In addition to the items highlighted above, the fourth quarter of 2017 the RTF voted to approve the following changes to UES measures and Standard Protocols:

  • For the Advanced Rooftop Controls UES Planning measure the RTF directed the CAT to change the analysis to estimate savings as if X% of the Rooftop Unit's would have operated with the supply fan in "auto" mode in the baseline. In the Research Strategy, the CAT was directed to ask about pre-existing operation of the supply fan: the percent in auto mode 1-day prior to measure, 2 weeks prior to measure, and 1 year prior to measure installation. The CAT was also directed to look at available data to help with determining X.
  • Approve the updates to the Industrial and Agricultural Green Motor Rewind UES measures. Use a current practice based on 2016 NEEA market study, segmented by industry and three motor size ranges. Keep the Category at “Small Saver”. Keep the Status at “Active”. Set the sunset date to October 31, 2022.
  • Adopt the Non-residential Lighting Mid-stream Retail UES measure as presented, with some modifications. Change the baseline replacement model assumption to 100% current practice, and exclude TLEDs from this analysis. The Category for this measure was set to Proven, Status to Active. The Sunset Date was set to December 31, 2018. Staff were directed to reconsider the constant lumen assumption in future updates.
  • Adopt the measure specification, savings, cost, life, and research strategy for the Advanced Rooftop Control UES measures. The Category was set to Planning. The status was set to Active, and the Sunset Date was set to November 30, 2020. Additionally, the RTF directed the CAT to add to the Research Strategy a recording of the pre-existing economizer settings.
  • Approve the analysis and Research Strategy for the Residential Lighting UES measure as presented, with the following exceptions:
    • Remove Pin-base Lamps from the Research Strategy
    • Adjust screw-in lamp removal and storage rates as proposed on Slide 26, with an adjustment to the retail storage rate to 15%
    • Adjust analysis to remove the lumen maintenance factor from the competing products
    • Direct staff to consider an alternative approach before the next update
    • Adjust hours of use for the lamps in non-residential lighting to be consistent with the non-residential lighting midstream UES assumptions
    • Adjust halogen lifetime to 2,000 hours (from the 1,000 hours currently assumed)
    • Change the specification for unsolicited mail to be 4 lamps per household per technology
    • For Screw-base Lamps:
      • Keep the Category at Proven
      • Keep the Status at Active
    • For Pin-Base Lamps:
      • Change the Category to Small Saver
      • Keep the Status at Active
    • For Fixtures:
      • Keep the Category at Planning
      • Keep the Status at Active
    • For all applications:
      • Set the sunset date to January 31, 2019
  • Accept the new measure applications for the Variable Speed Pool Pump UES measure as proposed. The RTF voted to rename the measure from "Variable Speed Pool Pumps" to "Efficient Pool Pumps”. Additionally, the RTF directed the CAT to adjust the analysis for pressure cleaner booster pumps to set the head assumption to 80 feet. The Category was set at Small Saver, Status at Active. The Sunset Date was set to June 30, 2021.
  • Revise the measure specifications, as proposed, for the existing-home DHP UES measures to allow the installation of a short duct run minisplit in lieu of the ductless heat pump.