Outgoing Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced Jan. 19 that central air conditioners will have to meet a minimum SEER of 13. The standard for heat pumps will rise to 13 SEER and 7.7 HSPF. The minimum efficiency requirements are scheduled to take effect Jan. 23, 2006.
The Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute blasted the rule. The U.S. Department of Energy has "burdened the American consumer with a multibillion-dollar regulatory rip-off that makes a mockery of the rule-making process," said Clifford H. "Ted" Rees Jr., president of ARI.