Standards and Legislation

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As the regional standards ruling remains entangled in litigation, it is becoming more difficult for the HVAC industry to determine how to move ahead.

There is growing concern that the DOE is placing undue regulatory burden on the HVAC industry — and especially on manufacturers — by regulating components of appliances that already meet energy-efficiency guidelines.

According to AHRI, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued 86 rules regulating the HVAC industry in the past 13 years. And that’s just the DOE. 

While the economy appears to be picking up for much of the country, some HVAC business owners are concerned that ever-increasing government regulation is threatening the market. 

United Technologies Corp. (UTC) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) praised the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for finalizing new methods for rating and certifying commercial air conditioning, heating, water heating, and refrigeration equipment. 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2013, “Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy,” combines the 2010 standard and 18 published addenda into a consolidated standard. 

2014 could shape up to be an even busier year as a regional standards resolution inches closer, the delayed employer mandate for providing employee healthcare looms, and a variety of other issues come to a head in the next 12 months.

Those involved in the ongoing regional standards lawsuit may get a chance to argue their case in court — but likely not until this summer.

On Dec. 11, the California Energy Commission (CEC) voted to push back the effective date for its 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.