Articles Tagged with ''regulations for HVACR''

While ACCA and its members had a successful year, there were a number of challenges the industry faced as a whole. Some of the biggest were keeping up with the regulatory proposals and bills in Congress.

The ASRAC established the Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps Working Group in July 2015; it is the latest of several working groups to successfully create negotiated efficiency standards for industry equipment. Other negotiated rulemakings aided by working groups include walk-in coolers and freezers, regional standards enforcement, and commercial rooftop air conditioners and furnaces. 

More than half of U.S. commercial building space is cooled by packaged HVAC equipment, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Additionally, existing rooftop units consume more than 1.3 percent of the country’s annual energy usage. It’s no surprise the biggest trend driving the rooftop market is efficiency.

In October 2014, the EPA announced its final phasedown schedule regarding the production and importation of HCFC-22. The order called for an immediate drop from 51 million pounds allowed in 2014 to 22 million pounds in 2015, 18 million pounds in 2016, 13 million pounds in 2017, 9 million pounds in 2018, and 4 million pounds in 2019. No new or imported R-22 will be allowed in the U.S. on or after Jan. 1, 2020.

Just as the 2016 elections are already having an impact on the country’s airwaves, many industry leaders agree they’ll also have a significant impact on both the regulatory and legislative environments impacting the HVACR industry through the end of the calendar year.