Heating and AC distributors file petition against Energy Dept.

[Geee]

Daily Caller:

 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have cursed his memory when he forgot the Department of Energy during a Republican debate in Michigan, but some in the heating and air-conditioning industry would certainly like to also forget the DOE.

Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), a self-described voice of wholesale distribution within the HVACR industry, has filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit, through their attorneys, against a new DOE rule which establishes regional standards for air conditioners, heat pumps and furnaces.

The new rules, which go into effect in May 2013, divide the country into three regions with different minimum efficiency standards for HVAC appliances.

According to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), the new regional standards will mean that a typical new air conditioner in the South will use 40 percent less energy, and a typical new furnace in the North will use about 20 percent less energy “than before national standards were established in the late 1980s.”

“Climates as different as those of Minneapolis and Miami need different furnace and AC standards,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of ASAP, in a statement. “Until now, we’ve had one-size-fits-all national standards. These new, regional standards are a major breakthrough that will benefit consumers and the environment.”

Cause of Action, representing HARDI, however, claims that the new standards will result in the loss of nearly 17,000 jobs, $7 million in lost wages and that the elderly will be disproportionately affected because they will not be able to recover the costs associated with purchasing more expensive yet energy efficient appliances.

The group is seeking judicial intervention on the grounds that the DOE did not follow proper procedures when adopting the so-called direct final rule, mandating the regional standards.