DOE bid to overhaul Reagan-era furnace standards sparks industry protest

摘要

The Department of Energy's rewrite of a 1987 energy efficiency standard for residential furnaces has drawn opposition from the gas industry, which says the effort would spur a shift to electric heaters and drive up U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. "We are deeply concerned that -- if not appropriately structured -- this rule could prove to be the first energy efficiency standard issued in the history of the department that has the realworld impact of increasing our nation's overall energy consumption and carbon footprint," American Gas Association President and CEO Dave McCurdy told DOE in a letter late last month. The most advanced "condensing" furnace can reach 90 percent efficiency, but it could require expensive structural changes that could drive people to install electric units, the trade group said. Current "non-condensing" gas furnaces would not meet the proposed efficiency standards being reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, AGA said.