The Air Conditioning Contractors of America has ceased its endorsement of USA Refrigerants after discussions with HARDI.

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America has ceased its endorsement of USA Refrigerants after discussions with HARDI. By partnering with USA Refrigerants last year, ACCA members were provided with a nationally uniform refrigerant reclamation program.

According to HARDI, its  distributor members operate over 2,000 locations across the United States where HVACR contractors can turn in recovered refrigerants. Those distributors expressed opposition to the partnership and urged ACCA to end the relationship.

On March 11, ACCA's leadership sent a letter to USA Refrigerants announcing that they needed to end their exclusive relationship for refrigerant reclamation services because “the maintenance of harmony between ACCA and HARDI is critical to both organizations and to the entire HVACR industry. Discord in relations between our organizations is not healthy and any particular item of contention must be addressed for the better good of all parties.”

HARDI's executive vice president and COO, Donald Frendberg, praised ACCA’s decision saying, “I cannot overstate the importance of ACCA’s difficult decision on this issue. Doing so eliminates a barrier to what has become a highly effective, trusting, and powerful partnership between our two organizations. This announcement ensures that this strong alliance on many vital issues -particularly at this crucial time- will remain united and coordinated to pursue the best interests of the industry's contractors and wholesale distributors.”

In the letter to HARDI announcing its decision regarding the USA Refrigerants program, ACCA’s president and chief executive officer, Paul Stalknecht, urged that this positive momentum behind a renewed ACCA-HARDI partnership now be focused on addressing ACCA concerns regarding the proliferation of unlicensed contractors. HARDI has agreed to take up the issue and is currently discussing next steps which could include a summit for HARDI members to begin initial considerations of ways to support ACCA's contractor licensure objectives.