Ah, the United States government. It does not matter how good the idea originally is, they will find a way to confuse and ruin it. The regional standards established by the Department of Energy (DOE) that are set to go into effect May 1, 2013, is one such instance.
Cause of Action has filed a joint brief in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) following what it says is DOE’s “move to impose unreasonable energy efficiency standards on distributors, installers, and users of residential heating and cooling products in the United States.”
While it can be easy to get fixated on one issue during an election cycle, there will be many other effects of the ballots we submit in November. And many of these results will not be evident for years down the road.
The next steps in the lawsuit against the Department of Energy’s (DOE) regional efficiency standards for residential air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces have been announced by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
This month on www.achrnews.com we are running an online poll to gauge our web visitors’ opinions on the regional standards rule established by the Department of Energy (DOE). Although the poll has only been up for a week at the time of writing this column, I am already disturbed by the early results.
With the new regional efficiency standards for residential furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps set to become effective beginning in May 2013, many in the industry are wondering: How does the Department of Energy (DOE) intend to enforce these standards?
Despite lingering economic blight, a gridlocked political climate, and mild winter temperatures, Paul Stalknecht, president and CEO of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), is beaming with optimism.
We, as contractors, have to walk a very fine line when it comes to deciding what issues/opportunities we go after. The reason for this is that we have a responsibility to our customers to make them aware of upcoming issues in order that they, the customers, may make informed decisions regarding the issues confronting them.
