October 27, 2008 Announcement 

June 5, 2008 Announcement

 On June 5, 2008, the WCEC and its partners (including Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Sempra Energy, Southern California Edison, Target Corporation, Wal-Mart, the California Energy Commission, and the U.S. Department of Energy, among others) announced the Western Cooling Challenge for the design, production, and marketing of high-efficiency rooftop cooling units for dry climates. The Challenge will help Western States to meet their green-house gas reduction targets, and supports a policy directive from the California Public Utilities Commission. It offers a major opportunity for the HVAC industry to begin to transition to a climate-sensitive future. 

In the Western Cooling Challenge, HVAC manufacturers will be challenged to develop and market a rooftop unit that meets very ambitious performance targets. The Challenge offers a unique opportunity for manufacturers to capture a significant share of future Western U.S. cooling markets by developing and marketing a leading-edge high-efficiency product line that will be supported by government and utility infrastructures. The Challenge brings together an alliance of large retailers poised to purchase technologies that meet Challenge specifications. The Challenge will also champion appropriate utility incentives that recognize the societal value of high efficiency cooling equipment. The resulting new products are expected to have substantial market impact beginning in 2011.  

For more information, click here for the program announcement, and click here for the WCC Requirements and Performance Metrics (Oct 27 Note: these requirements have been superseded...see above).

• Western Cooling Challenge Question and Answer Meeting