DrivePak™ is an energy-saving upgrade for existing packaged rooftop air conditioning units, found in quantity on nearly all retail, restaurants, grocery, finance, travel and leisure, entertainment, federal, municipal and Government buildings, schools and universities.

It means that almost all standard rooftop units with years of remaining usable life can be upgraded to the newest variable flow, load-matching technology now being offered by major manufacturers in their newest designs – generating immediate cost savings.

Yes and no. A rooftop air conditioning unit’s capacity is selected to produce a comfortable environment during the most extreme conditions of heating and cooling for the geographic area. There is only a very small fraction of the time during the year when these extreme conditions actually occur.

Engineers typically use ASHRAE guideline design data at “98%”, which means the design conditions only exist 2% of the time or less. Add into the design process a situation in which the estimated capacity needed falls “in between” sizes offered by the preferred manufacturer, the result is that the larger size is often selected by the design engineer, erring on the side of caution. Don’t forget, manufacturers try to ship the largest number of units, with the lowest possible cost – so they aren’t tuned to individual and specific needs. One size fits all may suit them, but it doesn’t suit your business.

So, standard rooftop unit blower fans have only one speed (100%) and that is the speed required to meet that extreme “design” condition. In effect, even a properly sized unit is “oversized” most of the time.

A variable speed drive is installed, along with a control interface board which reduces the speed of the rooftop unit’s blower fan. This standalone control logic “matches” the speed to the actual heating or cooling load as indicated by the “calls” for heating and cooling sent by the EMS system or thermostat. Air flow measurements are taken, and in almost every case, even the maximum cooling mode speed can be reduced from the existing full speed setting. The fan runs no faster than needed to meet the actual load required to condition the space.

Physics! Reduced fan speed dramatically reduces the power consumption of the motor. For a fan, 20% reduction in speed equals 44% reduction in power used, and a 50% reduction in speed results in a power reduction of approximately 83%.

In a real world, retail store example with seven rooftop units (4@ 7.5HP, 1@ 5HP and 2@ 3HP) and occupancy schedule of 9a-9p Monday thru Saturday, Sunday 11a-7p, with electricity cost of $.10/kWh, this speed reduction leads to a reduction of over 75% of the fan energy. This is equivalent to a reduction of over 100,000 kWh used and over $10,000 in cost savings.

The performance of most standard rooftop units suffers under these commonly occurring “part-load” conditions. In cooling mode, the large capacity of the unit cools the space to the setpoint quickly and the runtime for each cooling cycle is short. This produces a couple of negative results.

One is that short cycling shortens compressor life. Another common side-effect is higher than desired humidity levels in the space.

Some retailers have experienced this to the degree that they have resorted to replacing perfectly good rooftop units with smaller capacity units. Others have resorted to even more expensive units having special dehumidification capabilities… a tough way to spend valuable capital dollars, plus these units almost always use more energy!

In cooling mode, especially in stage one, the air moves more slowly across the cooling coil, removing more moisture from the air. The runtime of the compressors is also slightly extended, so that more efficient moisture removal takes place longer for each cooling cycle.

With continuous (but reduced) airflow when the cooling or heating is cycled on and off, the space temperature is also smoother and more consistent – improving customer comfort.

Done incorrectly, this is certainly a possible result…. all the more reason to choose DrivePak™. Our installation teams combine technicians that have HVAC testing and balancing expertise with those having controls and electrical experience. They follow detailed installation procedures that include taking temperature, RPM and air flow measurements. Speed settings for each mode are then determined and custom-applied to each unit to prevent potential damage.

No. Aside from the potential indoor air quality issues with turning the fan off when no heating or cooling is taking place, the cost is higher to operate the fan at 100% speed even at the reduced annual hours of operation in most cases. Multiple example calculations have shown that the annual operating cost of the fan with DrivePak™ can be less than half that of simply using AUTO mode and leaving the constant speed operation in place. A case can also be made that setpoints will have to be adjusted to avoid customer discomfort during the “off” cycles of the fan, using more energy.

Not reaping the benefits of the savings and ROI over those five years is a big reason. The typical payback for DrivePakTM is under two years. Another is portability. When replacement of an RTU becomes necessary, DrivePak™ can be removed and re-installed on the new unit very easily – protecting your investment.

There should be a positive impact on the demand component of your electric bill as well. There is normally a demand spike when starting constant-speed motors. With DrivePak™, that spike is removed due to the “soft start” of a VFD.

Additionally, in almost every case we will reduce the maximum speed of each fan motor by at least 5%. Thus, each unit’s starting current will be reduced, as well as the overall total demand of the rooftop unit fan motors equipped with DrivePak™.

Yes. A VFD has a power factor of .96 to .98, while a constant speed motor is typically from .75 to .85. Each VFD installed improves the overall power factor. If you are in a situation where you are paying a penalty to your utility provider because your power factor is too low, your power factor penalty payment should be reduced, or possibly eliminated.

No. In fact, longer equipment life can be expected. Starting “softly”, reduced vibration, and running at a lower speed will cause less wear and tear on mechanical equipment, such as bearings and belts.

Quieter operation! Both mechanical and airflow noise will be reduced significantly. This can be especially important in some entertainment and retail facilities.