Updates should ‘reflect new technologies and economic realities’
ARLINGTON, Va. — Stephen Yurek, president and CEO, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), recently called on Congress to reform the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), the law governing product energy-efficiency standards. Yurek told members of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power that the current law, at nearly 40 years old, “has not been updated to reflect new technologies and economic realities.”
Yurek noted that “consumers are paying a heavy price, both in real monetary costs and in comfort and safety,” because of the continuous cycle of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) rulemakings that result in higher and higher energy-efficiency levels.
“When new equipment costs more than consumers can afford, they find alternatives, some of which compromise their comfort and safety while saving less energy or no energy at all,” he said.