The Verified™ RCA Program for new air conditioners provides in-field training and upstream incentives to air conditioning contractors. The program will address lost opportunities for energy and peak demand savings by checking proper RCA at 8,000 residential and 4,000 small commercial sites. The program complements the statewide high efficiency air conditioner rebate program by checking RCA for new units. The program will also work with manufacturers to transform the market so that checking RCA becomes standard practice for all new air conditioners.
The program will attempt to convince manufacturers to offer longer warranties for Verified™ RCA installations. The program will coordinate with professional organizations such as the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) on standards for checking RCA. The program will also work with government agencies to promote checking new air conditioners in codes, standards, and labels (i.e., Federal Trade Commission yellow label).
Verified™ uses innovative computer diagnostic software that quickly determines whether or not there is a problem, and then provides expert recommendations for quickly correcting problems for proper RCA. The program provides several innovative and cost effective communication methods to verify technician supplied measurement results through: 1) web-enabled personal digital assistant (PDA); 2) cell-phone telephony; 3) web-enabled cell phone; 4) web-enabled PC notebook; or 5) toll-free telephone support with an EPA-certified technician. The program offers multiple communication methods to make it easy for technicians to check proper RCA for new air conditioners. Data are collected and archived on a secure database using the patent-pending Verified™ PDA expert-system. Stickers and locking Novent™ Schrader caps are installed on each Verified™ job. This helps save energy, maintain the life of the air conditioning compressor, and avoid venting refrigerant which is illegal and depletes the ozone layer.
The program will inspect a random sample of Verified™ RCA jobs using EPA certified technicians for quality assurance purposes and to guarantee that the program delivers energy and peak demand savings. The program will provide Verified™ certificates and educational materials to all participating customers.
