Retrofitting Packaged Rooftop Units (RTUs) Saves Money and Improves Comfort

Packaged rooftop units (RTUs) are used in more than 2.1 million commercial buildings in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). That is nearly 50% of all the commercial buildings in the country. The problem: many of these units are old and inefficient, wasting as much as $3,700 per unit annually. These older RTUs may not adequately control space temperature and humidity. They are costly to maintain, but even costlier to replace. So many building owners and property managers simply decide to live with high energy bills, unable to afford replacement. But there is a better solution: Retrofitting.

Retrofitting Packaged Rooftop Units (RTUs)

Retrofitting older RTUs with advanced controls can not only save money, but also improve comfort, lower HVAC unit noise, and reduce air drafts.

Enerfit Retrofit

Enerfit is an indoor fan variable-speed retrofit – consisting of a variable-frequency drive (VFD), a controller, and a set of precision sensors – designed to reduce the electrical consumption of RTUs. Enerfit fully modulates the supply fan to provide proper dew point temperature of the air delivered to the conditioned space in cooling mode.

Because of internal heat gains, most HVAC systems run in cooling mode between 50-70% of the time. In cooling mode, Enerfit dramatically reduces fan energy, significantly reduces relative humidity, decreases fan heat and reduces building cooling load. In heating, ventilation, and economizer modes, Enerfit indexes the fan speed to a preset speed depending on the specific unit characteristics of the HVAC unit on which it is installed.

Enerfit is intended for single-zone commercial units with a three-phase fan motor. Building owners and property managers who utilize Enerfit usually experience paybacks in the range of one to three years.

Transformative Wave’s Catalyst

Transformative Wave’s Catalyst is a complete RTU retrofit kit that upgrades existing HVAC equipment into dynamic part-load systems that match energy use to actual need. Catalyst involves the addition of multiple sensors, a pre-wired external enclosure, a variable-frequency drive, direct control of the economizer actuator, an energy measurement sensor, wireless communication, and IT components.

Catalyst is designed for constant-volume HVAC systems and works best on RTUs that have run times in excess of 4,400 hours annually. Building owners and property managers who utilize Catalyst usually experience paybacks in the range of one to three years. Equipment that runs longer than 4,400 hours annually will see even greater savings and a quicker return on investment.

Bes-Tech’s Digi-RTU

Bes-Tech’s Digi-RTU retrofit control kit is designed to modulate the capacity of rooftop units to match cooling or heating requirements. This helps improve energy efficiency, humidity control, noise, and frequent on-off issues, while reducing operating and maintenance costs. The kit includes supply fan management, compressor management, economizer control, demand control ventilation. Digi-RTU is designed for all types of HVAC equipment, including RTUs.

Crockett Facilities Services – Helping Business Owners and Property Mangers Reduce Energy Costs and Maintain Occupant Comfort

As a commercial HVAC and mechanical contractor, Crockett Facilities Services helps building owners, property managers and facility engineers to lower their operating expenses and energy costs through preventive HVAC maintenance. Whether you need mobile HVAC services for installations and repairs, or on-site facilities engineering services, we can augment your existing facility staff to meet your needs.

Give us a call to set up an appointment for a building assessment to help you with our 2015 budget and capital expenditure planning. To learn more about Retrofitting Packaged Rooftop Units (RTUs), please contact Crockett Facilities Services (CFSI) at 202.600.2787, sales@crockett-facilities.com or complete our online form for a free quote. We’re In This Building Together! Like us on Facebook; follow us with our weekly blogs on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+.

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Rooftop Retrofits Put HVAC Contractors in Control: Advanced Controls Help Improve Comfort, Save Money and Energy

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014 at . Both comments and pings are currently closed.