A representative of an AHRI member company told a U.S. House committee Wednesday that the lack of coordination in rulemaking by the Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency are harming the HVAC market.
Viktor Anderson, a chief engineer with commercial HVAC construction refrigeration manufacturer Structural Concepts of Muskegon, Mich., testified before the House Small Business Committee that with the Department of Energy establishing new energy-efficiency levels for commercial HVAC market refrigeration equipment while the EPA sets allowable refrigerants regulations, small businesses are confused.
Companies such as Structural Concepts and other Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute members are forced to spend money and time to comply.
“We could potentially be redesigning our products every two to three years for more than 12 years in a row,” Anderson told the committee.
The engineer asked the committee to review the Energy Department and EPA’s operations, because "with its never-ending wave of new rules and ever-more-stringent standards, the administration is threatening our ability to do business, provide jobs, and provide critical products to American consumers."