The complex regulatory landscape that HVAC contractors must navigate is always shifting — and it received another jolt last month when news broke that the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) regional appliance standards for furnaces were potentially changing.
It might be late in the game, but Heating, Air-conditioning, Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) is going for the win, not the tie. On Jan. 25, HARDI filed a motion responding to the proposed regional standards settlement filed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Public Gas Association (APGA). HARDI has no problem with the furnace aspect of the settlement, but still wants to fight the air conditioner standard.
Just when Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) president Doug Dougherty thought Congress had passed a bill recognizing geothermal heat pumps as renewable energy sources, it was taken away.
A proposed settlement in the regional energy-efficiency standards lawsuit would exempt nonweatherized gas furnaces from the law, thus eliminating a May 1, 2013 requirement that would mandate 90-percent AFUE furnaces in the North, and 80-percent AFUE furnaces in the Southeast and Southwest.
Manufacturers of walk-in coolers and freezers; water heaters; deli-style coolers; through-the-wall central air conditioners and heat pumps; and small-duct, high-velocity systems are rejoicing the passage of HR 6582, the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act.
While the so-called fiscal cliff legislation affects the HVACR industry in a variety of ways, the most significant change may be the retroactive extension of the 25C Residential Energy-Efficiency Tax Credit, which expired Dec. 31, 2011.
A 30-day mediation period has passed and the discussions have yet to yield a resolution, leaving the HVACR industry on hold regarding a decision on the pending regional energy-efficiency standards lawsuit.
More than 80 Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) members marched through the halls of the Senate and House of Representatives this spring, meeting with members of Congress on various HVACR-related issues. Leading the charge: Jon Melchi, HARDI’s director of government affairs.
Contractors, take note: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently stepping up its vigilance with new regulations and a new national safety campaign to prevent jobsite falls.
Barack Obama has been re-elected president, Republicans have retained control of the House of Representatives, and Democrats continue to rule the Senate. To naysayers, the election may have seemed like one big waste of energy; however, to energy-efficiency advocates, the election may help eliminate a great deal of energy waste.
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