Bradford White

09.26.24

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a piece of federal legislation that was signed into law by President Joe Biden over two years ago. While not necessarily indicated by its name, the IRA is touted by its supporters as the largest investment in clean energy in American history. As it relates to home appliances, one main program in the IRA that contractors and installers should know about is the …

08.28.24

Observers of American politics often note that policymaking swings like a pendulum. One political party will earn control of government and enact policies they believe will improve the country. Later, the opposing political party will inevitably seize governmental control and undo much of the work of their predecessors. This process then repeats. While there may be examples of this idea proving …

07.24.24

Since the City of Berkeley passed an ordinance that prohibited natural gas hookups to newly constructed homes in 2019, the future of natural gas as a building fuel source has been a hotly debated topic in our industry. Indeed, Berkeley was followed by dozens of other California communities that adopted similar policies, and Washington State even enacted residential and commercial building codes …

06.04.24

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a Final Rule for energy conservation standards for residential water heaters. While this topic has understandably caught the attention of many in our industry who are still working on examining and analyzing the document, it in some ways serves as a reminder that DOE has already finalized energy conservation standards for …

04.24.24

On February 28, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) put forth a landmark proposal to require all space and water heater equipment sold in the state of California to meet zero-emissions by a set date. The proposal comes on the heels of the Zero-NOx space and water heating standards adopted by Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) in March 2023, and recent Zero-NOx water heating …

03.26.24

At the beginning of this year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposed amendments to how the state regulates HFC refrigerant gasses that are contained within appliances. While other states have been content to largely follow the lead established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on regulating these substances, DEC’s proposal represents an …

02.21.24

In 2023, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) was very active in regulating residential water heater and boiler product efficiencies, as has been addressed in this column previously. But what gives DOE the authority to take such actions, and what exactly are they allowed and not allowed to do? The answer to these questions come from EPCA. It is a federal law that was passed in 1975 and …

01.24.24

Happy New Year everyone! After what we at Bradford White hope was a relaxing holiday season for you and your family, legislative and regulatory bodies at all levels of government are beginning to go back to work. In this post, we’ll examine what we expect to see from them in 2024 at each level of government, and how it may impact the HVAC industry. Federal The United States Department of Energy  …

09.25.23

On July 28, 2023, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) released over 2,000 pages of information that include a pre-published Final Rule for commercial water heater energy efficiency standards, as well as proposed rules for energy efficiency standards for both residential water heaters (published) and residential boilers, the latter of which was officially published on Aug. 14, 2023. …