Standards and Legislation

RSS

The revised OSHA Hazard Communication Standard now incorporates portions of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, which, according to OSHA, will benefit workers at more than 5 million workplaces in the U.S. by reducing confusion about chemical hazards, facilitating safety training, and improving knowledge of the hazards, especially for low-literacy workers.

Twenty-three addenda to the energy standard published by ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) — ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings — are currently open for public comment.

While many building rating programs exist, there is not anything in the industry that standardizes the contents of those programs, ensuring users are knowledgeable about what impacts their ratings. A proposed standard from ASHRAE, now open for public comment, would serve as the “backbone” of such rating systems.

While it remains to be seen how the new minimum-efficiency standards will impact the industry as a whole, most distributors are breathing a sigh of relief that their decision to stock more 13-SEER equipment is paying off, leaving them time to start thinking about what to do with the next round of minimum-efficiency standards, which the DOE is considering right now for residential furnaces.

As demand and support for energy efficiency, long-term cost reductions, and other benefits provided by solar installations grow, so does concern over how solar will look after current federal tax credits expire at the end of 2016.

The tax credit has undoubtedly been a boon for both the solar and wind industries, and while some have presented benefits to letting the credits expire and go away, many more are hoping they’ll be extended and renewed.

It’s looking more likely that there will be a global agreement to phase down HFCs, and it could come as early as this year or possibly next; either way, it’s coming. 

As the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) works on its final rule and Congress works on possibly delaying that rule, HVAC industry stakeholders have settled into a holding pattern with no other option than to wait and see what happens next.

A proposed standard from ASHRAE and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) to create smart facilities supporting smart grids is open for public review until Oct. 6, 2015.

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America Educational Institute (ACCA-EI) Standards Task Team announced that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has recognized the updated ANSI/ACCA 5 QI (HVAC Quality Installation Specification) standard.