Over the past year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued more than a dozen final rules that directly or indirectly impact the HVACR industry. Two, in particular, directly regulate minimum efficiency requirements for HVAC motors (see the DOE’s Motor Standards sidebar below).
While some in the industry believe regulating motors helps increase competition among manufacturers and spur technological advancements, others say the DOE is overregulating an industry that is already striving for efficiency. Meanwhile, the initial cost to comply will put pressure on manufacturers and, eventually, trickle down to consumers in the form of higher equipment prices.