U.S. manufacturers of HVAC equipment say they now support
regional energy-efficiency standards for their products.
The
October announcement by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute,
the industry’s main lobbying group, reverses more than 25 years of supporting a
single national efficiency standard. The agreement between the AHRI and seven
other groups including the Alliance to Save Energy and the Natural Resources
Defense Council, calls for the nation to be divided into three zones: North,
South and Southwest, with different efficiency standards required for units
sold in each region.
The agreement also drops the AHRI’s
longstanding support of federal preemption and allows states to set even higher
standards for HVAC systems installed in new homes.
The new
standards would raise the minimum efficiency of residential air-conditioning
systems by about 8 percent and furnaces by 13 percent, according to the groups.
By 2030, when most of the nation’s HVAC equipment is expected to be compliant,
consumers will save $13 billion and 3.7 quadrillion Btus of energy, as well as
eventually reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 23 million metric tons
annually, they added.
“In addition to saving significant
amounts of energy for the nation - and saving consumers considerable money -
this agreement provides industry with greater certainty in the marketplace,
which enables more investment, enhances global competitiveness, and preserves
jobs,” said AHRI President Stephen Yurek.
The groups said
they would jointly lobby Congress to include the new, more aggressive standards
in any final legislation dealing with climate change.
“We believe this proposal represents a large leap forward in improving our
nation’s energy efficiency, while also reducing consumer energy bills and
helping to clean our environment,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, one of the groups that signed
the agreement. “Regional standards are a major step for cost-effective savings
and will help manufacturers meet the very different needs of homes in cold, hot-humid,
and hot-dry climates.”
Other HVAC industry associations were
not so pleased. In an e-mail to members, David McIlwaine, the Heating,
Airconditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International’s 2008-2009
president, said the group declined to sign the agreement and regretted AHRI’s
decision “to negotiate and finalize such a significant agreement in isolation
from the rest of the industry.”
McIlwaine added that HARDI
believed the AHRI’s actions were intended to be in the best interests of the
industry.
In a statement, Air Conditioning Contractors of
America Chairman Stan Johnson, and President and CEO Paul Stalknecht, said
their group was withholding its verdict on the agreement until members were
polled. Like HARDI, the ACCA said it chose not to endorse the proposal.
“Once
our member contractors have had time to analyze and respond to this proposal in
accord with the realities of their businesses, ACCA will determine the path
forward that best meets the needs of the contractor community, our customers,
our economy, and our environment,” ACCA officials said.
HVAC makers agree to regional standards
December 1, 2009
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