Lawmakers oppose higher HVAC market furnace standard
A group of federal lawmakers is urging the Energy Department to reconsider its proposal to boost the efficiency standard for residential HVAC market furnaces.
In a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz dated Monday, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) said the proposal to boost the annual fuel utilization efficiency rating from 78 percent to 92 percent could cost U.S. homeowners money while not meeting the department’s energy-savings goals for HVAC construction.
The letter was signed by Moniz and 120 other members of Congress.
"By setting a nationwide energy efficiency standard that precludes a consumer from choosing to install a non-condensing furnace, DOE will be forcing many homeowners either to abandon the use of natural gas to heat their homes or pay substantially more for the installation of a furnace that meets the new standard," the letter said. "We strongly encourage DOE to avoid such an 'either-or' approach to furnace efficiency, by establishing separate product classes for condensing and non-condensing furnaces, each with its own efficiency standard.”
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