ACCA Sends Letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Promoting Quality Installations

June 9, 2016

On June 8, 2016, ACCA President and CEO, Paul T. Stalknecht sent a letter Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz,  thanking him for his interest in HVAC equipment efficiency and introducing quality installations as a way to reduce energy consumption.

In his letter, Stalknecht referenced a recent Washington Post article in which Secretary Moniz was quoted as saying, "a 25 to 30 percent improvement in efficiency, which we certainly think is technologically possible, can have an enormous difference in terms of, especially, peak demand for electricity going forward.” Stalknecht noted the quote as a way to introduce quality installations as a viable solution to the problem. 

He also pointed out that in 2014, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a study that examined energy penalties, due to poor installations, in residential HVAC units. The study found that duct leakage is the most significant fault, and by itself can account for a 30 percent energy penalty. Additionally, equipment oversizing and refrigerant undercharging can each decrease efficiencies by 20 percent. If there are multiple installation faults in a residential HVAC system, such as 30 percent duct leakage and 20 percent refrigerant undercharge, then the annual increased energy consumption can be more than 40 percent.  

"ACCA has known for many years that quality installations are the key to ensuring equipment efficiencies and better comfort for homeowners," said Stalknecht. "The NIST study confirms what we already knew. We hope with the third party confirmation, and the growing interest from high level government officials to reduce energy consumption that quality installations will become the basis for future federal rules that regulate HVAC equipment efficiency."

You can read the full letter to Secretary Moniz at www.acca.org/monizletter.

If you have questions about the letter, contact Todd Washam, ACCA's director of industry relations at todd.washam@acca.org or (703) 824-8864. 

 

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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.