This presentation summarizes the results of a four year study on quality installation issues: the effect of installation errors (e.g., leaky duct, improper refrigerant charge, oversized equipment, incorrect air flow, etc.) on the performance of residential unitary equipment; the extent that operational deviations are significant; whether the deviations (when combined) have an additive effect on equipment efficiency; and whether some deviations are affected by geographical/climatic differences. With an understanding of this information, field personnel are better positioned to focus attention, resources, and remediation effort on the varied design, installation, and maintenance practices in the HVAC sector.

The Unites States has the highest building energy use and greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the world. The European Union has much lower use per capita, and the United Kingdom has had one of the fastest declines since 2000. Energy efficient materials and products, building codes and overall energy policy are driving reductions in the UK and other European countries. This presentation highlights the steps taken in Europe to reduce energy consumption, including deep retrofit strategies and incremental options with large market uptake for overall large impact, that can be applied cost-effectively to North American homes.