Due to a recent court settlement between the U.S. Department of Energy and Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International, the DOE has released new minimum standards that could effect your future HVAC purchases and repairs. Most of the new DOE energy efficiency standards will go into effect Jan 1, 2015. This settlement allows the industry time to sell through current inventories while providing them additional time and access to future rulemakings for regional and national standards.
Below are the summarized regional and national standards for A/Cs (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating [SEER] and Energy Efficiency Rating [EER]), heat pumps (Heat Seasonal Performance Factor [HSPF] and EER), and furnaces (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency [AFUE]). Of particular interest to Indianapolis area residents will be the national standards and North Region standards, which apply to Indiana.
Minimum Regional Standards for Split-System A/C
- South 14 SEER
- North 13 SEER
- Southwest 14 SEER and 12.2 EER for systems under 45,000 BTU; 14 SEER and 11.7 EER for systems greater than 45,000 BTU
Minimum Regional Standards for Single-Package A/C
- North 14 SEER
- Southeast 14 SEER
- Southwest 14 SEER and 11 EER
Minimum National Standards Heat Pump, Furnaces, and space-constrained A/Cs
- 14 SEER and 8.2 HSPF for split-system heat pumps
- 14 SEER and 8.0 HSPF for single-package heat pumps
- 13 SEER and 7.7 HSPF for small duct, high velocity systems
- 12 SEER for space-constrained AC
- 12 SEER and 7.4 EER for space-constrained heat pumps
- 83 percent AFUE for non-weatherized oil-fired furnaces
- 75 percent AFUE for mobile home oil-fired furnaces
- 81 percent AFUE for weatherized gas furnaces
- 78 percent AFUE for weatherized oil-fired furnaces and electric furnaces.
In general, the new minimum standards won’t affect current HVAC owners. These new regulations and terms of the lawsuit settlement primarily protect dealers and distributors. However, customers who are considering buying a new HVAC system next year should familiarize themselves with these new minimums. If you have questions about your HVAC system or DOE energy efficiency standards, please contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We have more than 40 years of experience in heating and cooling, and we’re dedicated to bringing you excellent service.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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