Advocacy News

03.26.25

Signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1975, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) has been a cornerstone for the federal government in setting energy policy for the past half-century. The law was the United States’ response to the 1973 oil crisis that saw energy supplies become largely unavailable, causing prices to soar for American consumers and businesses. Among the many …

03.25.25

Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep government open in time for the March 14 deadline. The CR funds federal government operations at previous FY24 levels, but came to a head under contentious circumstances as Democrats, struggling to find footing under Republican majorities, faced pressure from the party base to negotiate a better deal that would push back against proposed cuts …

02.27.25

After years of consideration, DOE announced on January 17, 2025, that they would be withdrawing their proposed rule to increase the minimum energy efficiency performance standards for residential boilers. As it related to gas-fired hot water boilers, the Department had previously proposed, in August 2023, that these products meet or exceed an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of 95%. …

02.27.25

The House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation package this week with unanimous Republican support. This sets the stage for a framework to determine a path forward to pass a government funding measure for the remainder of FY25 while encompassing the Trump administration’s priorities on which the President campaigned. However, there are differences between House and Senate leadership …

02.05.25

Contractors invited to attend Legislative Conference May 20-21 The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) will host its 2025 Legislative Conference on May 20-21 at the YOTEL Washington D.C. This annual event provides plumbing and HVAC contractors with the opportunity to connect directly with federal lawmakers and advocate for the industry’s most pressing priorities. The …

01.23.25

On December 26, 2024, DOE published a Final Rule in the Federal Register setting more stringent minimum efficiency standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters, which will apply to any such product manufactured on or after December 26, 2029. In this action the Department maintains their initial proposal from July 2023 that will require all these products to utilize condensing technology. …

12.20.24

With the 2024 election now in America’s rearview mirror, it’s normal for people to start looking forward to better understand what these results mean for our industry. To recap, Donald Trump will be moving back into the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, and he will be working with a Congress that is narrowly held by Republicans in both Congressional chambers. At the state level, little has changed …

12.19.24

On the cusp of approving a continuing resolution (CR) to keep government funded into March 2025, with much-needed provisions extending the Farm Bill, FEMA emergency funding, reauthorization of workforce investment programs, and a one-year delay on implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was forced to renege on the spending agreement after …

11.25.24

With the dust finally settled on the 2024 presidential elections, PHCC’s team in Washington has a legislative strategy in place and ready to execute going into the 119th Congress next year. We expect many new opportunities, as well as a few challenges, for our policy priorities: Energy Policy PHCC has made clear prior to November 5 that a Republican administration and Congress would bode well …

11.25.24

While much of the regulatory focus in the water heater industry has been appropriately focused on the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) energy conservation standards’ final rules for commercial and residential water heaters, there are still significant rules impacting our industry that are scheduled by the Department to be finalized in the coming weeks. The first is somewhat related to …