That is the message Judge Martha Vazquez, of the Federal District Court for the District of New Mexico, shared in her Jan. 25 ruling in AHRI v. City of Albuquerque.
Vazquez ruled that provisions of the 2007 Albuquerque Energy Conservation Code relating to the energy efficiency of federally covered residential and commercial HVAC equipment and water heaters are preempted by federal law, specifically the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).