The goal of the Energy Star for New Homes program has been to help homebuyers identify homes that are significantly more energy efficient than typical homes in the marketplace. As code requirements have become more rigorous over the years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responded by modifying the Energy Star guidelines periodically.

You may be familiar with the Energy Star® label on energy efficient heating and cooling equipment, but did you know there are also Quality Installation (QI) guidelines to help ensure that heating and cooling equipment is installed properly? Nearly half of all heating and cooling equipment in U.S. homes never performs to the advertised capacity and efficiency due to installation problems.

Energy Star, the consumer information program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recently released new eligibility requirements for furnaces. On June 13, EPA released Version 3.0 and Version 4.0 of Energy Star requirements for furnaces.

Two refrigeration equipment manufacturers have received recognition for their energy efficiency efforts: Scotsman Ice Systems and Freeaire Refrigeration.

It is one thing to install efficiently running refrigeration equipment. But it also has to be energy efficient – according to a wide range of standards. That’s why Emerson recently issued a white paper called Status of Energy Regulations for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment.

After being in the HVAC industry as a contractor and a rater for 30 years, I’ve seen a lot of things that have been done wrong. But really, there has never been a system in place that required contractors to do things correctly - and verified that they had. All that is changing with the Energy Star for New Homes version 3.

The EPA and DOE announced recognition of products seen as the most energy-efficient in their categories among those that have earned the Energy Star label.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that new multifamily high-rise residential buildings are now eligible to qualify as Energy Star buildings.

Next year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to release a new Energy Star specification for climate controls. This spec will replace the discontinued Energy Star spec for programmable thermostats.

An oft-repeated comment from me in recent years is that while the air conditioning side of the HVACR industry has been dealing with 13 SEER and R-410A as its basic components, we over on the refrigeration side deal with a wide range of efficiency standards.