Standards and Legislation

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced new energy efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and commercial warm air furnaces that DOE said will save more energy than any other standard issued to date.

Although it’s commonly acknowledged that there is no one-size-fits-all answer, natural refrigerants, such as carbon dioxide (R-744), ammonia (R-717), and the hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants propane (R-290) and isobutane (R-600), have been garnering attention.

The Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI) is seeking applications from individuals interested in serving on its Standards Technical Committees (STCs). BPI continually reviews and updates technical standards used by the residential energy upgrade industry to encourage adoption of industry best practices.

The Nov. 19 publication of the NOPR tentatively ends a one-year period of uncertainty for the HVACR industry, which adapted as best it could to the new energy conservation standards in the absence of enforcement guidance from the DOE. 

The amendment, deemed the “Dubai Pathway,” is expected to be completed in 2016 and puts to rest an ongoing discussion regarding HFC usage that’s persisted among Montreal Protocol members for more than five years. 

Emerson Climate Technologies Inc. addressed issues like the delisting of specific gases in certain applications and energy consumption reduction regulations at its E360 event held Sept. 3 at the Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport Hotel in Dallas.

In an effort to quantify the health of municipalities nationwide, ACEEE released its State and Local Policy Database. The report includes comprehensive information on energy-efficiency policies currently implemented at the state and local levels and policy activity across multiple sectors, including government, utilities, transportation, buildings, combined heat and power, and appliance standards.

In an effort to provide Congress with appropriate guidance on the impact buildings have on our health, safety, and welfare, the HVAC industry has banded together to form the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC).

The Daniels have been members of SMAC PAC’s Congressional Insiders Club for nearly 20 years and consistently attended the Washington Issues conferences and convention political events. 

The Thursday release of the NOPR tentatively ends a one-year period of uncertainty for the HVACR industry, which has adapted to the new energy conservation standards without any enforcement guidance from DOE.