ROSSLYN, Va. - The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) have announced an agreement to promote programmable thermostats that have earned the Energy Aware® certification. NEMA launched the Energy Aware certification, labeling, and marketing program for thermostats in June 2010 to help distributors, contractors, retailers, and consumers identify programmable thermostats that are designed and built to reduce household energy bills without sacrificing the performance of heating and cooling systems or individual comfort. The first Energy Aware labeled products will appear on the market later this year.

The HARDI-NEMA agreement is a memorandum of understanding signed by the principals of the two associations.

“HARDI and our member distributors are excited about the opportunity to work with NEMA on promotion of Energy Aware thermostats,” said Talbot Gee, HARDI executive vice president and COO. “It is important for distributors to be able to rely on certification programs such as Energy Aware to help their customers easily identify products that meet their HVAC and energy performance needs.”

“Energy Aware thermostats are, in part, required to achieve better temperature control, which allows for reduced room temperature swings, resulting in less energy usage,” said Evan Gaddis, NEMA president and CEO. “The NEMA Energy Aware program will label only programmable thermostats whose manufacturers certify they meet high standards for usability, HVAC system control, and temperature accuracy.”

Gaddis added, “We are very pleased to be able to expand on our relationship with HARDI to get the word out about Energy Aware thermostats.”

To learn more about the Energy Aware program, visit www.getenergyaware.com.

For more information on HARDI, visit www.hardinet.org. For more information on NEMA, visit www.nema.org.

Publication date: 05/23/2011