Air-Conditioner SEER 13 Standard Now Final

When the

Bush Administration attempted to lower energy-efficiency standards set by the Clinton White House (from SEER 13 to SEER 12), a coalition of consumer organizations and attorneys general challenged the move. The Second Court of Appeals in New York City rejected the Bush plans (see

EBN

Vol. 13, No. 2), but air-conditioner manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) threatened to appeal the Court’s decision. Both groups have now declined to appeal, allowing the new standard to take effect as scheduled, in January of 2006.