2021 started with a bang as the RTF continued to work hard updating and developing measures, providing technical support to Council Staff as they close in on releasing the 2021 plan, and aiding the region’s EE programs with the best available data and analysis.  Meetings have remained all virtual and despite missing the energy and camaraderie of a full room, members have stayed productive and engaged.  The quarter has been all about heat pump water heaters, with major changes to some of the previously adopted residential HPWH measure applications and discussions spanning many subcommittee meetings and two RTF meetings. This …

In January of 2021 RTF staff made available a white paper summarizing the energy impacts of installation practices on single-speed air-source heat pumps installed in residences in the Pacific Northwest Region. The goal of the paper was to provide a technical explanation of the impact of installation practice to help identify promising directions for program evolution. It was written with energy efficiency program operators in mind with the energy impacts presented as recommendations for consideration in program designs.