ACCA Advocates for You and Your Business

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The ACCA team is working hard to meet and exceed the needs of members. Here are several high-profile issues that ACCA is fighting for on your behalf:  

The Department of Energy’s update to regional standards: After Jan. 1, 2023, energy efficiency requirements for residential air conditioning systems in the Southeast and Southwest regions will be based on “date of installation” as opposed to “date of manufacture.” This means that systems that do not meet the new efficiency ratings will be illegal to install in these regions.  

ACCA is supporting H.R.5845 — SMART Energy Efficiency Standards Act, which would fix this problem by changing the “date of installation” to “date of manufacture.”  

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) disposable cylinder ban: The EPA intends to eliminate the use of disposable cylinders for HFC refrigerants, citing the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. However, this costly and unnecessary change would adversely affect the industry. 

ACCA is suing the EPA over this ban because the AIM Act says nothing about banning disposable cylinders. ACCA’s “Stop the Ban” campaign encourages members to reach out to their representatives and the EPA and urge them to stop the ban. So far, members have sent more than 1,500 letters to their respective Congressional legislators and the Administrator of the EPA to stop the ban on disposable cylinders. 

Career technical education (CTE) programs: ACCA members’ No. 1 concern is finding and keeping skilled workers. ACCA supports more funding for CTE programs and is also working on legislation that makes these opportunities more accessible to more people. 

Decarbonization/electrification: ACCA has worked with Allied Contracting Organizations (ACOs) across the country to preserve contractor and consumer choice when it comes to their energy needs. Last year ACCA supported a bill in Ohio, passed in July, that stops cities and counties from banning access to natural gas. This year, ACCA supported similar legislation in New Jersey, which has a good shot at passing. ACCA’s position is that contractors and consumers should have access to whatever source of fuel makes the most sense for their business and economic needs.  

Refrigerant transition and A2L refrigerants: The AIM Act, passed in 2020, transitions the industry away from commonly used HFC refrigerants and towards A2L refrigerants.  

A2Ls are mildly flammable, so it’s important for contractors to prepare themselves and their teams. ACCA has developed on-demand A2L training for residential uses which is designed to help HVACR professionals prevent ignition while working with A2L refrigerants and to educate staff on the best safety practices to keep everyone safe.  

ACCA is pressing the EPA to use this opportunity to update its refrigerant handling requirements (608), which have not been changed in decades. ACCA believes that periodic updates to refrigerant handling requirements should be made and should reflect the current state of the industry. 

ACCA continues to look for ways to make sure COVID-19 relief is meaningful to your business. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 that ACCA fought for made several changes to the employee retention tax credits previously made available under the CARES Act, including modifying and extending the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), for six months through June 30, 2021.  

ACCA’s team meets regularly with lawmakers and other decision-makers to educate them on the issues important to members, but the fruits of their efforts can be greatly enhanced with your participation in the process. 

ACCA members can visit ACCA’s advocacy page to participate in action alerts and send letters to their members of Congress on issues that affect us all. You can also follow up with phone calls to these elected officials. It’s important to let them know who you are, where you work, the type of essential work that you do, how many employees your company has, and how many locations your company operates. These are the details that matter to people in Congress and their staff when they’re talking to constituents. 

ACCA is the only HVACR Association fighting on behalf of the interest of HVACR Contractors and your business, representing the contractor community, both residential and commercial. It all boils down to empowering and growing businesses with as little distraction or harm from the state and federal governments. 

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Posted In: A2Ls, ACCA Now, Electrical, Government, Top Priorities, Workforce