ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America Educational Institute (ACCA-EI) Standards Task Team announced that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has released ACCA-EI's Quality Installation Specification for public review.

The HVAC Quality Installation Specification has been developed to establish minimum criteria to assist contractors in installing HVAC systems that meet residential and commercial customer demands for energy efficiency, comfort, and indoor air quality.

The public review comment deadline is June 19, 2006.

"The best contractors know what a quality installation is and train their technicians accordingly," said Richard Dean, ACCA 2006-2007 chairman. "However, there have been no clear guidelines to follow and the consumer doesn't know what to expect. An industry standard allows the good contractors to differentiate themselves and educate their customers about what quality means in our industry. Then consumers will be able to make more informed decisions."

The proposed standard establishes minimum attributes and specifications for:

  • Quality Contractors, including business prerequisites, contract or business practices, adequate sales and technician support, and customer satisfaction.

  • Quality Installation, including design and equipment selection, equipment installation, distribution, system documentation, and owner education.

    The standard is BSR/ACCA 5 QC/QI-200x, and can be downloaded at www.acca.org/tech/ansi/qispec.pdf. Comments and questions should be addressed to Dick Shaw at dick.shaw@acca.org.

    Publication date: 05/15/2006