Standards and Legislation

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The bills would ensure that industrial energy efficiency technologies are treated in a manner that is on par with other renewables covered by the investment tax credit.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a new rule to protect workers in confined spaces, including residential attics and crawl spaces, that will impact the work of home performance contractors, notes the Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI).

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) applauded two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) final rules that adopt ASHRAE 90.1 efficiency levels for three-phase unitary products less than 65,000 Btuh, water-source heat pumps, commercial oil-fired storage water heaters, and packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs).

The Tenant Star program will give tenants and building owners a way to work together to achieve significant energy savings in leased commercial spaces.

On July 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its Final Rule — Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Change of Listing Status for Certain Substitutes under the Significant New Alternatives Policy Program.

Guidance for the HVAC industry on legionellosis is now available in a new standard from ASHRAE. The document establishes minimum legionellosis risk management requirements for building water systems.

The 92 percent proposed standard is just one of the DOE’s rulemakings to be challenged recently by stakeholders, and it’s unlikely to be the last. 

More than 80 HVACR distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, and reps recently attended the seventh annual event with the goal of bringing their concerns directly to the elected officials who represent their states and districts. 

The New Energy for America Act extends Investment Tax Credits for energy-efficient residential and commercial property for five years beyond their current sunset date of Dec. 31, 2016, through the end of 2021.

PHCC, and other groups in the construction arena, claims the rule improperly aims to define waters protected under the Clean Water Act.