The agreements were negotiated by ARI and energy-efficiency groups, represented by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

ARI President William G. Sutton hailed the enactment of these agreements into federal law, stating it "helps manufacturers by creating a regulatory certainty that enables them to research and develop new models for 2010 that will meet both the new efficiency standards and EPA regulations to phase out the use of HCFC refrigerants that can deplete the ozone layer."

According to ARI, the efficiency levels contained in the law will reduce peak power needs by an estimated 8,000 MW by 2020, which is equivalent to the output of 27 new power plants of 300 MW each.

The energy bill also included language proposed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). The bill instructed the Secretary of Energy, in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration, to educate homeowners and small-business owners about the energy savings gained by having their HVACR systems properly maintained.

ACCA was disappointed that the bill repealed the Public Utility Holding Company Act. It said it would continue to dialogue with Congress to address the problem of unfair competition from public utilities. Several senators agreed to hold further hearings regarding the subject and directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to prepare an investigative report.

Publication date: 12/26/2005