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APGA Responds to ENERGY STAR Program Furnace Specifications Proposal

By Sydney Novoa posted 05-23-2024 11:13 AM

  
On May 16, APGA jointly submitted comments in response to ENERGY STAR’s proposed Version 5.0 Furnace Specifications.  The input detailed concerns about how the proposal could prevent reliable and innovative gas-fired appliances from being a part of the ENERGY STAR program. For this submission, APGA joined the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), American Gas Association (AGA) and Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors. Additionally, as of today, the Carolinas Natural Gas Coalition, the Alabama Natural Gas Association, and the North American Gas Heat Pump Collaborative engaged in these efforts by submitting letters in response. We appreciate their support in highlighting concerns with the proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 
 
The EPA proposed an alternative to the full product specification sunset that includes increasing the residential gas furnace requirement to 97 AFUE from the current requirement of 95 AFUE in the northern states and 92 AFUE in the southern states starting in 2026. As outlined in the filed comments, APGA opposes the proposal because of various factors including the proposed effective date of 2026 and potential consumer confusion regarding rebate eligibility under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
 
The current proposal comes following ENERGY STAR’s prior proposed sunset of their furnace certifications, which eliminated gas products. This resulted in significant pushback from stakeholders, which caused EPA to walk back the sunset and issue the current proposal, the Version 5.0 Furnace Specifications. In 2023, APGA submitted comments in response to the EPA’s proposed sunset, strongly opposing the proposed action. Read more here. 
 
To read APGA’s jointly submitted comments, click here.
 
APGA will continue to work on this issue and will inform members of any future actions by the EPA. For questions on this article, please contact Sydney Novoa of APGA by phone at 202-464-0834 or email at snovoa@apga.org.

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