The Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) recently reported a legislative victory for its segment of the industry. On Nov. 18, President Obama signed into law an appropriations bill which included $1 million for on-bill financing of geothermal systems for small businesses.

In the category of “as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation,” the HVACR industry has been closely watching the impact of what is being called “the nation’s first comprehensive regulation to reduce potent greenhouse gases from commercial and industrial refrigeration.”

After much debate, new regional standards for HVAC equipment have become a reality. On Oct. 25, the Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that it adopted new residential appliance standards for central air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps.

Regional standards for HVAC equipment have been a hot topic of discussion in the industry, and the proposed rule for the standards could be finalized next week. Currently, the Department of Energy (DOE) is making the rule available for public comment until today, Oct. 17.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed to change the rules for union elections. The proposed rules, which have stirred up political controversy across the country, are being debated by the HVAC community.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is in the midst of creating guidelines that could become the standard to which contractors must be certified to do work involving federal funds. However, a coalition of industry organizations says the guidelines are flawed.

On Aug. 3, members of the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) visited more than 20 Congressional offices as part of AHRI’s inaugural lobby day and Congressional reception.

Some noteworthy industry events.

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.