First they came for your gas stove. And they said Republicans pounce...
Wall Street Journal (5/6/24) op-ed: "Your next new home air conditioner could set you back $12,000 or more, with federal regulators contributing to the rising cost of staying cool. Before 2020, buying and installing a new residential central air conditioner typically cost well under $10,000. Many jobs, including both purchase and installation, fell in the $6,000 to $7,000 range—about half the current price—says Martin Hoover, a co-owner of Atlanta-based Empire Heating & Air Conditioning. While many factors, including rising material costs, have contributed to the increase in prices, regulations have played an outsize role. The Energy Department in January 2023 issued a new efficiency standard for residential systems. It necessitated a major redesign that increased costs by $1,000 to $1,500, according to Mr. Hoover. DOE bureaucrats say the regulation will deliver net benefits for homeowners, but it isn’t clear that consumers will ever earn back in long-term energy savings the steeper upfront costs they’re paying. Next up is an Environmental Protection Agency regulation scheduled to take effect in 2025. It will require air-conditioning equipment makers to use new refrigerants deemed sufficiently climate-friendly...Despite the worrisome trends, federal regulators have shown no signs of letting up, especially now that air conditioners are in the crosshairs of the Biden administration’s obsession with climate change. Team Biden seems to think that affordable air conditioning is one more thing homeowners may have to sacrifice to save the planet."
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"The price system, profit-hungry entrepreneurs, and optimizing consumers are pretty good at remedying scarcities when they emerge."
– Joakim Book, AIER
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