GM First to Announce HFO-1234yf Plans

Thanks to member CD Jones for forwarding: GM vehicles will use low-GWP alternative refrigerant, HFO-1234yf in most US vehicles starting in 2013. Here's the full release.

JP Morgan Continues Commercial HVAC Optimism

Quoted from their Alert sent earlier today:

"There have been several positive data points out of commercial HVAC during the 2Q earnings season. For IR, total commercial HVAC equipment orders were up 7%. While the US is a bit softer than international markets such as Asia, both NA applied and unitary are getting less bad, with applied turning earlier. Carrier also posted a 6% increase in orders earlier this week, with North America up high single digits, helped by strong trends in the retrofit market. For JCI, the only other Applied North American player, Building Efficiency orders were up 9%, with double-digit increases in North America (+15%) and ROW offset by declines in Europe. On the negative side, JCI noted that the education end market has been weak, something to watch. On the controls/non-residential side, HON said that commercial construction trends are showing modest growth, bucking the general non-residential down trend, helped by building solutions and energy efficiency themes."

ACCA Sends Excellent Letter to Senate re Home Star

Hats off to ACCA. This is an excellent letter they sent to all members of Senate outlining in great detail what they see as essential for actually making Home Star work.

White House to Let Some Tax Cuts Expire

Treasury Secretary Geithner said today that the Administration plans to allow the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire at the end of the year and reiterated their intent to extend the same cuts for low and middle-class taxpayers. This was reiterated by House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, earlier in the day. Despite growing concerns that the economy might be unable to sustain any tax increases, it's looking more certain individuals and small businesses filing as individuals earning over $200k/year (and families earning >$250k) need to start reaching deeper into their pockets soon.

Responding to questions about potential small business pushback to the tax hike, Geithner said, "Business always wants their taxes lower and always wants to live with less regulation," adding that U.S. firms are "doing very well…competing around the world."

NATE/SNIPS Article Misreads HOME STAR Tea Leaves

HARDI just posted an alert on our website responding to this SNIPS article promoting the benefits of the potential HOME STAR bill for NATE Certified technicians. NATE certifications are fantastic and HARDI and our members work hard each day to get more HVACR technicians certified, but understand that the current HOME STAR bill still needs significant improvements to truly benefit NATE certified technicians and their contractor firms. If enacted in its current form, over a third of the requested $6 bil in funding would NOT be available to the vast majority of NATE certified professionals. HARDI would love to see a simple, widely accessible, and immediate rebate incentive programs for high-efficiency retrofits, but right now HOME STAR meets none of those criteria.

HARDI Joins Workplace Safety Coalition, Opposition to OSHA Changes

HARDI has joined the Coalition for Workplace Safety, www.workingforsafety.com, and is joining in its opposition to H.R. 5663, the “Minor Safety and Health Act of 2010”. In this coalition letter sent to committee members Tuesday afternoon, opposition is raised to four specific provisions of the bill which would:

• Expand and strengthen employees’ OSHA compliance whistle blowing abilities with no corresponding increase in burdens of proof
• Mandatory and immediate abatement by employers if charged with a violation without due process
• Dramatically increase civil and criminal penalties on employers
• Establish “Pre-Final Order Interest Penalties” which would charge employers interest on their penalties while challenging a citation

If the bill clears committee today with these dangerous changes to OSHA regulations in it, HARDI will issue a call to action urging all member employers to urge Congress to either strip these provisions or defeat the bill in its entirety.

ACCA and Others Seek Improvements to Home Star

According to ACCA's official release, the HVACR contractor association has joined with the Green Mechanical Council, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, the National Roofing Contractors Association, and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association on a letter to the Senate urging two primary improvements to the latest "Home Star" bill:

1. Redirect the rebates to homeowners rather that to contractors
2. Open up "Gold Star" and the parallel 25E tax credit to more than BPI Accredited contractors

The bill faced signficant challenges prior to the concerns raised by these six influential organizations. Whether these changes are made might not matter since there continues to be little agreement on how to pay for the $6 billion program. HARDI agrees that opening up the contractor eligibility is essential for passage of the bill, however passage of an unappropriated Home Star could be far more disruptive and costly on the industry than no passage at all.