ARLINGTON, Va. — ACCA vice chair Jerry Bosworth of Galveston, Texas, testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology at a Feb. 10 hearing on federal regulations. His testimony focused on recent U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) appliance standards for residential furnaces and boilers, central air conditioners, and heat pumps, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules on refrigerants, and the lack of regard for installation practices for HVACR equipment.
Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, called the hearing to examine the issue of “midnight” regulations that often appear during the last few months of a president’s term.
In his statement regarding the proposed 92 percent AFUE furnace standard, Bosworth said: “The rulemaking process is broken and needs changes to ensure that new appliance standards designed to save energy realize those expected savings without adding unnecessary burdens to manufacturers, distributors, and contractors. These standards must also promote choice amongst consumers and provide a positive payback on the investment. A standard that would negatively impact 31 percent of homeowners who purchase a new furnace should not be proposed.”
“The aggressive approach in the last few years to increase the energy conservation standards for HVACR equipment has impacted more than just the OEMs,” said Paul Stalknecht, president and CEO, ACCA. “It affects small business contractors and their customers. The proposed 92 percent AFUE nationwide standard is a good example. By the DOE’s own accounting, nearly one-third of homeowners in Southern states would never see a positive payback on the purchase of a new furnace.”
Also testifying before the committee were Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council; and Sam Batkins, director of Regulatory Policy of American Action Forum.
The full recording of the testimony is available online at http://1.usa.gov/1oMIYqe.
Publication date: 3/7/2016
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