“The result: HVACR became a regulated industry,” Powell wrote. And EPA became the industry’s favorite punching bag. 

The 1970s were a time of change for the HVAC industry. 

“Government regulation swooped in aggressively to become a permanent part of the business landscape. ‘Energy crisis’ and ‘energy conservation’ became common phrases,” wrote Greg Mazurkiewicz, ACHR NEWS web editor, in an article for the publication’s 75^th anniversary coverage. 

They were also a time of growth. 

“Overall, as the energy landscape changed, the HVACR industry adjusted to its vagaries and came up with various energy-conserving measures. Heat pumps overcame earlier problems and experienced a boom time,” he wrote. “Solar became the energy darling, garnering a lot of research, government awards, and scattered field applications. Nuclear energy finished the decade with a big mistake. And air conditioning kept on saturating the nation.” 

Read on for 10 things that happened to HVAC in the ‘70s, as excerpted from the ACHR NEWS 75^th anniversary coverage. 

1. Teamster strikes in April 1970 had an impact on the HVACR business. A compressor plant was forced to close temporarily because it couldn’t get steel, and other plants had their deliveries and shipments slowed. The strikes also affected the supply lines to some distributors and contractors. 

2. The first AHR Expo jointly sponsored by ARI and ASHRAE was held in New Orleans from January 24-27, 1972. About 9,000 people attended. Before that, the two organizations ran separate events. ACHR NEWS coverage of the next year’s show reported that energy conservation received a lot of attention, “some of it real, some promotional.”  

3. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) jolted the U.S. later in 1973, drastically raising oil prices and imposing an embargo. Federal regulations that went into effect on January 14, 1974, put petroleum allocation and price regulations in place. In the February 4, 1974 issue, The ACHR NEWS called for a comprehensive national energy policy, not just emergency legislation. 

4. A major issue discussed in a 1974 NEWS editorial was competition between HVAC contractors and manufacturers. Contractors were concerned about losing service work to manufacturers. They contended that some manufacturers were preventing even the installing contractor from getting service jobs, sometimes by making parts difficult or impossible to get. Manufacturers argued that they wouldn’t refuse to sell to anyone, including owners, and that they regularly sold maintenance contracts. The ACHR NEWS noted that this competition for service work had been going on for years. However, localized problems were now gaining national attention. It was suggested that legal action by contractors might be inevitable if negotiations couldn’t resolve their differences. 

5. “Industry moving with caution toward heat pumps,” said a page-one headline in the August 5, 1974 issue. Equipment manufacturers told ACHR NEWS  that they were being cautious about the development and introduction of new heat pumps to avoid the “heat pump fiasco” that had happened a decade before. At the 1976 AHR Expo, the Fedders rotary-powered heat pump was dubbed a “sensation” by The ACHR NEWS. The company said that its rotary compressor solved problems long associated with heat pumps. One contractor remarked, “I went in curious and came out convinced.” In August 1977, Lennox introduced a high-efficiency heat pump line with energy efficiency ratios (EERs) as high as 8.4, said to be the highest in the industry.  

6. An ACHR NEWS survey found that flexible duct had “come into its own.” Sales were increasing steadily each year and were expected to continue to grow. One manufacturer estimated the growth rate at 20%. 

7. Much like AI today, the “minicomputer” in the ‘70s was considered cutting-edge technology. A multi-part series beginning in the September 8, 1975, ACHR NEWS issue discussed “The contractor and the computer.” It asked: Why do you use a computer? The answer: to be a better manager.  

8. On August 28, 1972, the Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Wholesalers (ARW) and a present and former officer were indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges of conspiring to monopolize the sale of refrigerant. A companion civil antitrust suit was also filed against ARW and six refrigerant manufacturers. Six years later, a consent decree stated the defendant manufacturers were required to sell refrigerant to any reseller, and that ARW must create a new membership class open to resellers. 

9. In July 1976, at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first reported outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease occurred. 

10. The Census Bureau released data showing that the saturation of central air systems from 1970-77 jumped from 10.7% to 22.4% of occupied homes — more than doubling in seven years. The saturation of homes with some type of air conditioning, central or room unit, grew from 35.7% to 51.6%, a 45% gain.