Commercial Gas Kitchens Expose Workers to a ‘Soup of Pollution,’ High Heat
Commercial kitchens can be hot, smoky workplaces—but they do not have to be. New research covered by KQED found that gas-fired commercial kitchens can expose workers to harmful pollutants and extreme heat, while all-electric kitchens were cooler and had pollution levels near background conditions. Our Associate Faculty Director, Theresa Pistochini, put it plainly: while chefs […]
Stakeholders Agree California’s Grid Flexibility Technology Is Ready. State Rules and Guidance Needs More Work.
Across the board, participants said the devices and systems needed to shift electricity use in response to grid conditions already exist or are close to ready. What’s missing is clarity on how rates will be structured, what technical standards devices must meet, and whether state agencies have the political will and staffing to enforce any of it.
Flex Appeal: Emerging Best Practices for Communications to Recruit Households into Load Flexibility Programs
Virtual power plants and automated demand-response programs have increased across the U.S., though the industry still hasn’t figured out how to talk to the customers it needs to enroll.
Free Tool Brings Consumer Reports-Style Testing to Commercial Energy Efficiency Products
Commercial customers in California lack support when purchasing advanced energy efficiency products and distributed energy resources. These decisions are complex and reliable product performance information, particularly for comparing specific products, can be difficult to find. Yet, these customers are crucial to advancing the state’s electrification and energy efficiency goals.
California Pilot Finds Cost, Not Product Availability, Is Still the Main Barrier to High-Efficiency Commercial Heat Pumps
Space heating and cooling account for 41% of total commercial energy use nationwide, and in California, most of it still runs through gas-fired rooftop units. New research presented at the 2026 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, based on two CalNEXT pilot incentive programs, finds that higher efficiency heat pump rooftop units, known as HP RTUs, are increasingly available on the market. The bigger obstacle to adoption is that current incentive levels don’t cover enough of the added cost.
Smart Controls Cut Peak Water Heating Costs for Low-Income Households, but Only When the Closet Has Room to Breathe
New research on heat pump water heaters was presented at the 2026 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings tested a smarter approach in real homes, and found it can meaningfully cut costs and emissions, but only where the equipment has room to work.
WCEC Engineer Named One of ACEEE’s 2026 Champions of Energy Efficient Buildings
UC Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center engineers and researchers attended the ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings this month. WCEC contributed to five papers presented at the conference. We would like to also congratulate Subhrajit Chakraborty who was named one of ACEEE’s 2026 Champions of Energy Efficient Buildings on behalf of his work […]
WCEC Researchers Model High-Efficiency Cooling for Modular Data Centers
WCEC researchers have published a new study on a liquid-cooled modular data center design for high-density computing and artificial intelligence applications.
WCEC Researchers Test Ventilation Controls to Improve Classroom Indoor Air Quality
WCEC has published a new study evaluating a low-cost ventilation control strategy designed to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality in school buildings.
CalNEXT Launches Knowledge Sharing Series with WCEC Residential Energy Research
CalNEXT recently launched its Knowledge Sharing Webinar series with a residential energy technologies event featuring three projects led by UC Davis researchers.