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John Hollenhorst ReportingWith today being, allegedly, the first day of spring, you probably haven't been thinking too much about air conditioning, but maybe you should. There's quite a stir going on in the usually quiet Air Conditioning industry, and there's a lot at stake.
Picking out a cheap central-air system will likely cost hundreds of dollars more than it used to. The federal government just chopped off the lower end of the market. Old-style, low-efficiency units are now banned from manufacture because they eat up too much electricity.
Jim Manwill says most people who want to improve their homes stopped buying them years ago.
Jim Manwill, Manwill Heating & Air Conditioning: "People already were buying higher-efficiency air conditioners in existing homes. The lower-efficiency air conditioners were most commonly sold in new construction."
A so-called "SEER" efficiency rating of 10 used to be allowed. Now SEER 13 is the legal minimum.
Tim Wagner, Sierra Club, Smart Energy Campaign: "We all save on pollution, on global warming gases, our electricity bills are reduced."
The electricity for that air conditioner has to come from somewhere. In Utah, the power company pretty much gets it from burning coal somewhere. So think of it this way: if you switch from a seer rating of 10 to a seer rating of 13, you'll save a pound of coal for every hour that you use it.
The Clinton administration wrote the new rule. The Bush administration tried to block it when industry objected.
Tim Wagner, Sierra Club Smart Energy Campaign: "The fossil fuel industries, as well, who have a pretty large presence in the ear of the Bush administration, and they see anything as a potential cut in fossil fuels, as a direct threat to their industry."
State Attorneys General and environmentalists won the battle in court. The Clinton-era rule took effect in January.
Jim Manwill, Manwill Heating & Air Conditioning: "I don't like too many regulations. But nonetheless, overall, you are going to save money as a country. Nationwide there's going to be a fantastic savings. And it does help people's operating costs."
The biggest impact, he says, will be on that new home in the suburbs. It will add little extra on the price for a house that's friendlier to the planet.
Some air conditioning companies still have older models in stock, so if you're determined, you can probably find a low-efficiency unit for sale somewhere.
