Selecting energy efficient products for public buildings can be overwhelming. Until now, there hasn’t been a great way to learn about new technologies, verify product performance, and compare options all in one place. The Hub changes that.

With a grant from the California Energy Commission, University of California-Davis and its research partners evaluated the performance of more than 100 energy efficient products for commercial buildings. Independent product testing was conducted at research laboratories and compiled in a Consumer Reports-style buyer’s guide that can be found on the Hub website (energyproductevaluations.org). It’s a free, easy-to-use resource. There are no logins or subscriptions required. The website does not include any ads or product endorsements. Just unbiased information you can use to guide your purchasing decisions.

The Hub provides technical specifications, performance data, and user experience insights for 118 products across 18 technologies spanning HVAC, lighting, water-heating, plug loads, building envelopes, and more. 

Whether you are looking to get general information about a technology (like air-source heat pumps) or do a deep dive to compare specific products, the Hub has the data you need. To get up to speed on new technologies, the Hub provides accessible overviews of each of the 18 categories: 

• How the technology works and what common features are available. 
• An application guidance page on factors to consider before purchasing. 
• Estimated impacts on energy consumption and costs, including expected savings for some products. 

When you are ready to take a deeper dive into the products, you can use the filter feature to locate products that meet your specific needs. Product-level information features the results of rigorous performance testing under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, as well as technical specifications and insights related to user experience. The Hub also has a compare tool, enabling side-by-side comparisons between products so that you can see how the technical specifications, performance, and user experience vary. For those who want to customize their data analysis, all of the evaluation data can be downloaded.

The Hub development team at UC Davis is hoping to spread the word about the Hub far and wide. Please share the link with anyone who could benefit from this resource. If you or your colleagues would like to learn more about the Hub, please contact Emily Searl (esearl@ucdavis.edu) and Sarah Outcault (smoutcault@ucdavis.edu). We are happy to provide a webinar or presentation to talk more about how the Hub could help local government procurement.