National efficiency standards for appliances, lighting, and other equipment will save consumers and businesses more than $1.1 trillion and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas pollution and other emissions by 2035, according to a recent study titled “The Efficiency Boom: Cashing In on Savings from Appliance Standards.”

Maryland recently became the first state to recognize geothermal heating and cooling as a renewable energy source. This has many leaders in the geothermal industry hoping this helps serve as a motivator to the other 49 states.

Starting Sept. 1, 2012, all residential boilers must be manufactured to meet new minimum federal efficiency standards. Residential gas hot water boilers must meet 82 percent AFUE; gas steam boilers, 80 percent; oil hot water boilers, 84 percent; and oil steam boilers, 82 percent.

Should a state-endorsed apprenticeship council be allowed to limit the number of training programs, and their locations, within a certain state? Is this power unconstitutional? That question will soon come before a judge in the state of California.

Members of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) recently visited Washington, D.C., to share their thoughts and concerns with legislators through AHRI’s annual Public Policy Symposium.

Two pieces of legislation were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in March with the words “energy savings” in their titles. If Congress chooses to pass these bills, they will ultimately have an impact on how HVAC contractors conduct their businesses.

At the 2012 Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) annual conference, attendees had the opportunity to hear top executives from five major industry manufacturers discuss some of the hottest topics in HVAC. Some of the topics included regional standards, dry-charged unit sales, the R-22 price spike, and more.

Local municipalities may not require residents to install HVAC equipment that exceeds federally preempted standards. That is the message Judge Martha Vazquez, of the Federal District Court for the District of New Mexico, shared in her Jan. 25 ruling in AHRI v. City of Albuquerque.

With the new regional efficiency standards for residential furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps set to become effective beginning in May 2013, many in the industry are wondering: How does the Department of Energy (DOE) intend to enforce these standards?

The future of bypass ducts in zoned California heating and cooling systems appears very bleak. The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently proposed a code change that would prohibit the use of bypass ducts in zoned heating and cooling systems, and eliminate existing Title 24 zonal performance compliance credits.