ACCA Responds to Report on National Energy Efficiency Standards Program Issued by ACEEE & ASAP

August 5, 2016

ACCA, the Indoor Environment and Energy Efficiency Association, believes that the recent report from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP)/ American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) entitled “Next Generation Standards: How the National Energy Efficiency Standards Program Can Continue to Drive Energy, Economic, and Environmental Benefits,” misses today's low hanging fruit that will help homeowners acheive energy savings and comfort. 
 
The ASAP/ACEEE Report advocates for higher SEER ratings and new testing methods on HVAC equipment, but none of this matters if an HVAC system is not installed according to the minimum manufacturer-recommended standard – the ANSI/ACCA QI 5 Standard.  The ASAP/ACEEE Report fails to mention that improper installations of HVAC systems can lead to a 30 percent energy loss, and that ACEEE’s own research shows that up to 70 percent of HVAC systems are improperly installed. The EPA, in its ESVI Program, recognizes that nearly half of all HVAC systems in the U.S. are not achieving their efficiency ratings because of poor installation practices.
 
“If the authors of this report got everything they are advocating for, our country will lose thousands of jobs and we will likely see no progress on efficiency,” said Todd Washam, ACCA’s director of industry relations. “If these organizations would work with our industry and push to incentivize minimum installation practices then we could achieve a 30 percent efficiency increase overnight, with jobs that can never be exported.  ACCA wrote to Secretary Moniz about this issue, and we are looking forward to his response.”
 
“People can advocate for more efficient HVAC products all they want, but they will never achieve their nameplate efficiencies unless they follow the recommended installations and designs,” said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA President and CEO. “DOE, and the energy efficiency community, should be focused on incentives for homeowners to demand minimum installation standards from their HVAC contractors.  It’s time to raise the bar for HVAC installation practices, like EPA is doing with its ESVI Program.”
 
The HVAC industry working to educate policy makers and efficiency advocates about minimum installation requirements, including proper equipment sizing, duct design and repair, and adequate refrigerant charges. 
 
To learn more about these standards and training programs, please contact Todd Washam, ACCA’s Director of Industry Relations, at todd.washam@acca.org.

 

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ACCA is a non-profit association serving more than 60,000 professionals and 4,000 businesses in the indoor environment and energy services community. Our member firms are the nation's most professional contracting businesses, serving residential and commercial customers in every state. With roots stretching back a century, ACCA was incorporated in its present form nearly 50 years ago. Today, ACCA sets the standards for quality comfort systems, provides leading-edge education for contractors and their employees, and fights for the interests of professional contractors throughout the nation. Learn more about ACCA here.