The rule will effectively ban the sale of non-condensing gas furnaces and, according to the American Gas Association (AGA), will affect 55% of U.S. households.
The transition to A2Ls will likely serve as an interim solution. Europe has already embraced propane in certain heat pump systems, and the U.S. may follow suit, albeit with a different low-GWP refrigerant.
California, New Mexico, New York, and Hawaii are the first states to apply for federal rebate money for high-efficiency equipment. Twenty-three states have received funding to set up and manage rebate programs.
Food retailers shared their concerns and experiences with refrigeration systems that use alternative refrigerants at the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI’s) 2023 Energy & Store Development Conference.
The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently turned down the city of Berkeley’s request for another hearing in the case brought by the California Restaurant Association (CRA), which had challenged the ban.
The EPA initially faced backlash from the industry regarding the sell-through mandate for certain HVAC systems. The Agency revised the provision by allowing one additional year, until January 1, 2026.
The HVACR industry was initially surprised by a date-of-install requirement, mandating installation of certain equipment by January 1, 2025, but EPA extended sell-through period to January 1, 2026.
Chris Forth, VP at Johnson Controls, navigates the complex challenges in the HVAC industry, which include addressing regulatory, code, and environmental concerns.
The final rule from the U.S. Department of Energy, issued recently, requires newly manufactured indoor residential gas furnaces to be at least 95% efficient starting in December 2028, meaning furnaces made after then will have to be condensing models.