The heating, ventilation and air conditioning field undergoes continual HVAC industry changes in order to improve their products for consumers and the environment. In 2018, several new regulations might affect homeowners who are selling or buying a home, or having their aging air conditioner serviced.

Refrigerant Handling Changes

Because of the phase out of R-22 in 2020, more regulations will be in force for licensing HVAC technicians who handle environmentally unsafe refrigerants. They must take written examinations before they’ll be allowed to handle it. Once certified, they’ll have to maintain precise records of the amount they retrieved from HVAC systems and whether they recycled or disposed of it.

This new regulation will cover all systems that contain more than five pounds of refrigerant, which covers nearly all central heat pumps and air conditioners.

Ventilation Changes

The HVAC industry changes apply to ventilation standards, and someone buying or selling a home may notice the difference should they request an energy efficiency evaluation. The industry standard for ventilation is reverting back to 2010.

If someone buying your home requests a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) analysis of your home, the results for the ventilation rate will be different in 2018 than they would have been in prior years. It may or may not make a difference if you or the buyers want an energy efficient mortgage (EEM), Changes may need to be made to increase ventilation.

Home ventilation systems include exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms or whole-house fans. Ventilation also applies to balanced systems, like energy and heat recovery ventilators.

These HVAC industry changes will impact the industry, and are more likely to affect people working behind the scenes. To learn more, contact Jackson & Sons, providing HVAC services for eastern North Carolina homeowners.

Jackson & Sons, Inc.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).