SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California has issued a permanent injunction enjoining the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (CEC) from enforcing its appliance marking, information filing, and compliance regulations on equipment including central air conditioners and heat pumps covered by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

“The court recognized the problems that come with a patchwork of state regulations and gave a significant victory to manufacturers and consumers by ensuring that the principle of one federal regulation, not fifty separate state regulations, govern the manufacturing of federally covered HVACR products and equipment,” said William G. Sutton, president of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).

ARI and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Associations (GAMA), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) filed a complaint with the federal court seeking relief from regulation promulgated by the CEC regarding federally “covered products” and “covered equipment” that are pre-empted expressly by EPCA.