While some industry leaders and organizations are cooperating with the DOE to develop the standards, others claim fan and blower regulation is unnecessary, redundant, and could negatively impact the industry.
Representatives from many of the industry’s manufacturers recently congregated in Washington, D.C., for two days of networking, lobbying, and discussing industry issues at this year’s annual Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Public Policy Symposium.
A rule requiring all nonweatherized gas furnaces in the northern region adhere to a minimum 90 percent AFUE standard beginning May 1 will not be immediately enforced. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in an April 5 statement, declared that enforcement of the rule will not be pursued until the U.S. Court of Appeals rules on a pending lawsuit settlement agreement.
The Department of Energy released an enforcement policy statement announcing that it will not be enforcing the May 1, 2013 deadline for regional standards on non-weatherized gas furnaces. What does that mean and how should distributors proceed?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule in regards to hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) allocations. This new final rule was effective April 3, 2013 and overrides the previous interim rule that went into effect on Aug. 5, 2011. What is it and has anything changed?
The fiscal cliff has been avoided but there are new pieces of legislation that small business owners should be aware of. What has been passed and what does it mean for your business?
“We do not object to the whole settlement. We don’t object to APGA’s ability to settle with the department on the matter of furnaces,” said Jon Melchi, director of government affairs, HARDI. “We reject the premise that the case should be dismissed outright because of that settlement. We believe the judge should allow us to continue our case as it relates to the direct final rule process which established these standards, including air conditioners.”
It might be late in the game, but Heating, Air-conditioning, Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) is going for the win, not the tie. What is the latest in the regional standards case?
