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.
