Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a long-awaited new rule governing enforcement of the residential central and single-package air conditioner energy conservation standards that took effect Jan. 1, 2015. Most notably, the enforcement rule includes new mandatory recordkeeping requirements.

While certain provisions within the House and/or Senate versions of the bill have received support from industry and environmental organizations, many differences exist between the House and Senate versions of the bill that must be reconciled during conferencing. 

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.

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. 

The DOE’s proposed rule represents a significant increase in efficiency that would effectively eliminate noncondensing furnaces and significantly impact the design, installation, and cost of nonweatherized furnaces.