A Change in Climate

Today, for those of you who are unaware (and I'm sure many are...heck, I was until I heard about this a couple days ago!), is Blog Action Day. Around the world, 1,000's of my fellow journalists, literary hacks - and those who just want to share an opinion - are doing so on one particular topic: climate change.

This certainly is an area that the HVACR arena is very, VERY familar with. The Montreal Protocol, Clean Air Act and other pieces of legislation impact the way our industry does business everyday. The focus on reducing ODP-causing refrigerants is the driving force behind the elimination of HCFCs (hydrochlorfluorocarbons) from HVACR equipment. This will begin in earnest in 2010 when new HVACR equipment can no longer be shipped with an HCFC in the unit. After Jan. 1, equipment manufacturers will have to use hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) such as R-410A or other alternative refrigerants. R-410A is poised right now to serve as the dominant replacement. We've been talking a lot about it on the pages of the RSES Journal and even put up a microsite to discuss the topic and share information with the industry on our Web site. Feel free to click here to find out more about it.

That phaseout of HCFCs - namely the refrigerant R-22, which has been an industry stalwart for decades - has drawn opinions from throughout the industry. And since the U.S. EPA still hasn't formulated final rules for how the implemenation of the phaseout will continue, there is a lot of apprhension and uncertainty in the industry. For more on the EPA's overview of the situation and the proposed rules, just click here.

These rules will certainly impact the legislation and debates going on in Washington, D.C. right now. And almost any bill relating to energy efficiency is sure to see some elements of refrigerant-regulation/taxation/cap-and-trade come in to play. The question will be how much of each of these elements will find their way into any bill that goes before the President.

Again, this is why it is so important to stay on top of these issues. Read relevant publications that are offering information and insight into what is going on. And most importantly, SHARE YOUR OPINIONS WITH YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. They can't know how you feel if you don't tell them. We live in the greatest country on Earth, and a big reason for that is because people's opinions do matter. Make sure you make yours count and be heard!