New agreement sets regional standards for heating and cooling appliances, could save consumers billions
The voluntary "Agreement on Legislative and Regulatory Strategy for Amending Federal Energy Efficiency Standards, Test Procedures, Metrics and Building Code Provisions for Residential Central Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps, Weatherized and Non-Weatherized Furnaces And Related Matters" splits the country into north, south, and southwest regions (shown) and mandates new, tougher efficiency standards for that heating and cooling equipment. The agreement raises the minimum efficiency of residential central-air-conditioning systems by about 8 percent and furnaces by about 13 percent.
The agreement was signed by the Alliance to Save Energy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project; the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute; the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; the California Energy Commission; the Natural Resources Defense Council; Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships; and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Among the manufacturers who inked the agreement are Bard Manufacturing, Carrier Corporation, Goodman Manufacturing, Johnson Controls/York, Lennox International, Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics USA, National Comfort Products, Nordyne, Rheem Manufacturing, and Trane/Ingersoll Rand.
The new standards will go into effect in 2013, and by 2030 they could save consumers $13 billion, an average annual savings of $100 per household. Over that time, the more-efficient equipment will use 3.7 quadrillion Btu less energy, equivalent to that used by about 18 million households in a year, and in 2030 reduce annual greenhouse-gas emissions by 23 million metric tons, equal to what equal to 4 million cars produce every year.
Manufacturers should benefit from not having to deal with multiple state standards. "Massachusetts, for example, applied for a waiver from federal furnace standards they felt were too weak, so there was a lot of uncertainty among manufacturers of what the requirements they were going to be," notes Lowell Ungar, director of policy for the Alliance to Save Energy.
Tougher standards might also prompt manufacturers to try to exceed them. "It depends on the circumstances, but air conditioners in general have gotten much more efficient. The shift from the SEER-10 to SEER-13 minimum standard was a 30 percent improvement, and the market also shifted, so you could find SEER-14 and -15 models, and if the standard were to go higher, manufacturers will come out with SEER-17 and -18 models," says Ungar.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook
Essential information: Check out our free buyer's guides to furnaces and air conditioners and refer to our brand repair history for gas furnaces and central-air-conditioning systems (available to subscribers). See our Energy Saving & Green Living guide for more details on ways to cut your utility bills and improve your home and stay on top of the news related to the cash for clunkers for appliances rebate program.
Image courtesy of Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, Alliance to Save Energy, and American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Previous
Comments