The Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC), an element of the University of California Davis Energy Efficiency Center (EEC), 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) recently 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. July 5th, 2008, is the deadline for interested parties to submit questions and comments to Western Cooling Efficiency Center.

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, reveals the entity’s press release.