Broader HVAC View in New CA Energy Plan

Everyone who registers to join the WHPA agrees to read Section 6 of the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan); those 8 pages are devoted to HVAC. That's expected to change soon.

The Strategic Plan is a significant public document in California, and to the HVAC industry. It presents a 10- to 15-year outlook on the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC's) vision for energy efficiency (EE), and includes high-level strategy, long-term goals, and interim milestones and metrics. Its impact is very broad, including informing major public policy decisions, industry and local government efforts, and IOU programs.

Strategic Plan 2.0 Integrates HVAC Throughout Document

Development of an update, "Strategic Plan 2.0," is now underway, led by CPUC staff. The general context for the update was presented in November 2013 to the WHPA Executive Committee and Council of Advisor by Simon Baker, Branch Manager, Demand Response, Customer Generation and Retail Rates, Energy Division, CPUC... READ MORE

WHPA Expected to be Major Contributor to Strategic Plan 2.0

The WHPA did not yet exist when the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan) was developed via stakeholder input, and written and adopted by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) in 2007.

Work is now well underway by the CPUC to develop Strategic Plan 2.0, and this time the WHPA is expected to be a major contributor to the HVAC content.

Leading the development of WHPA input is a Working Group reporting to the Council of Advisors—the Plan Revision Working Group.

James Tuleya (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) is the Chair of the Working Group. He characterized the primary task of the Working Group as to take the HVAC goals and... READ MORE

$6.5M in Funding Outlined in HVAC Research Roadmap

The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) recently presented the HVAC Research Roadmap at an open webinar to WHPA members. The CPUC-led studies are allocated $6.5 million for evaluation projects outlined in the Roadmap for 2013-2014.

Nils Strindberg, a regular participant in the WHPA Executive Committee and a regulatory analyst for the Energy Division of the CPUC, discussed the Research Roadmap. He said that the goals of the Roadmap are: 1) to determine energy saved by the IOUs' HVAC programs, and 2) to provide suggestions based on the evaluations which result in program improvements. The research projects have multiple inputs, including field measurements and monitoring, laboratory testing, and observation.

Six HVAC studies Cover Broad Spectrum

The six studies managed by the CPUC are:

• Upstream HVAC Evaluation
• Quality Installation Evaluation
• Quality Maintenance Evaluation
• Deemed HVAC Evaluation
• HVAC Laboratory Testing
• HVAC Market Assessment Code Compliance

Currently the Research Roadmap is being refined as Energy Division and its contractors work to develop a comprehensive draft document of the research plan. Mr. Strindberg said that the CPUC welcomes all public comments on the Roadmap. They are especially looking for any data sources or suggestions on the research plan's methodologies that could improve the accuracy of the evaluation. For that reason... READ MORE

New Website "Toolkit" Provides Guidance for Running Committees

WHPA committees and working groups have established credibility within and outside of California for the breadth of HVAC and energy efficiency industry participation, and for the quality of deliverables developed by the industry experts on these committees and working groups.

On April 7, the Executive Committee sent a communication that described the resource constraints for live staff support of committees and working groups. The staff-supported groups are named in the letter.

To ensure the efficient and continued credible operation of the WHPA, and to minimize the effort required by volunteer members performing administrative tasks associated with running committees and working groups, the WHPA staff has developed a set of tools, templates, and instructions regarding the operating of WHPA bodies and the creation of WHPA deliverables.

This "toolkit" is available on the WHPA website under the "Committee" tab, on a page titled "Tools and Templates for Chairs".

Committee and Working Group Chairs are encouraged to use these tools and templates.

Dale Gustavson leaves Chief of Staff Position;
Mark Lowry, COA Chair, Assumes Role

In February 2014, Dale Gustavson left the WHPA Chief of Staff position which he had held since he played an instrumental role in forming the WHPA in 2009.

The new Chief of Staff is Mark Lowry, former RSES Executive Vice President. Mark is a charter member of the WHPA and has held many leadership positions in the WHPA, including most recently Chair of the WHPA Council of Advisors. He vacated that position upon joining the WHPA staff and the Executive Committee will appoint a new COA Chair. Mark was also serving as Chair of the Plan Revision Working Group; James Tuleya of Pacific Gas and Electric Company has assumed that position.

Bob Baker, Co-Chair of the Executive Committee, shared his thoughts: "I greatly admire Dale who, against huge odds, pushed the concept of the WHPA and who has been its consummate cheerleader. Dale not only helped bring the WHPA into birth, he also helped the WHPA become a significant force in California and throughout the entire country."

Dale is widely known in the WHPA and throughout the HVAC industry nationwide. He wrote the following open letter:

"Rumors of My Retirement Are Severely Exaggerated"
By Dale Gustavson

I have always planned to step aside from my WHPA Chief of Staff role at the "appropriate time." The WHPA has come of age; it has a mind of its own... READ MORE
 

More than 200 Organizations Now in WHPA

The original WHPA Charter was signed by 27 organizations in 2009. They were, so to speak, the founders of the WHPA. It was a diverse group even then, including utilities, public agencies, manufacturers, HVAC contractors, educators, labor, and consultants.

As the WHPA approaches its five-year anniversary, the number of organizations is 201, after the March 12 Executive Committee meeting which included the acceptance of six new organizations.

Together, WHPA organizations represent 21 stakeholder categories; this chart shows the number of organizations in each category. Numbers can be deceptive, however. For example, of the two Engineering Societies that are WHPA members, one is ASHRAE with more than 50,000 members worldwide.