Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine May 2023

HVACR NewsMagazine May 2023

We’ve gone too far. Efficiency decisions must also be balanced with economic reality. The price of equipment has skyrocketed and now we are demanding that homeowners replace perfectly good equipment. We understood and accepted it when we were required to replace the coil with a condenser but this has gone too far. Need I say it again. The camel has his nose under the tent so what is the next step. Frankly, if the only thing we are concerned about is efficiency, it makes more sense to require redesigning, replacing, or repairing the duct system. I find myself in a strange and uncomfortable position. I was birthed into this industry selling geothermal systems. My proposals were frequently 50 pages long with engineering data to prove that the geo would outperform any other system. I spent years on the radio with an efficiency expert and architect talking about building and remodeling to gain the best efficiency with the best payback. Now I find myself defending gas and resisting energy efficiency ideas; BUT, WE HAVE GONE TOO FAR. With prices escalating, I ask dealers all the time, “What are lower income folks going to do?” The answer, “The future will have window air conditioners in many, many houses.” If people have money, it may not be any big deal other than another example of the federal government forcing us to do something. But what about poor folks? Don’t they deserve some level of comfort and convenience that central air conditioning will bring. You ever been without AC in Arkansas. Probably not. WE’VE GONE TOO FAR.

OK. What are we to do? Good question. Call your representatives. Explain the situation. Surely they have some method of correcting this bureaucratically induced problem. I don’t believe that anyone realized the effect of this unintended consequence. The problem is, we are racing to the nirvana of energy efficiency without thoroughly examining the consequences as well as the benefits. You doubt me. Call someone you trust. Someone that keeps up with legislation and regulation. Ask them what they are hear ing. I don’t have a quotable statement from the DOE but my sources are impeccable. Of course anyone could be wrong and I hope they are and our next article is about the big mistake made in this issue. By way of full disclosure, some of my sources think I am making too big of a deal out of it. That a furnace is relatively cheap and anyone can afford that purchase. Well, ya’ know. Maybe they have never been poor. Maybe they have never had marginal credit. Maybe I ate the “Chicken Little” and am squawking out a ridiculous line of dribble. I don’t think so. You check it out and form your own opinion. In mine, “WE’VE GONE TOO FAR. ”