Former Energy Star Manager Chandler von Schrader Takes on Advisory Role with ACCA
The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced that it has retained the services of Chandler von Schrader, the former National Manager of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ENERGY STAR Verified Installation Program (ESVI), to address energy gaps in the residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) market. Currently, most ENERGY STAR HVAC equipment is not installed properly and not providing consumers with the benefits they believed they were purchasing.
Mr. von Schrader has decades of experience within the HVAC industry. Prior to working with ACCA, he served at the EPA to create the ESVI Program with the goal of ensuring that ENERGY STAR labeled HVAC equipment performs as promised. Before serving in the EPA, he worked as an HVAC contractor in northern Virginia.
“I am very excited to have Chandler working with ACCA to promote quality installation practices,” said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. “Chandler has long recognized that the ENERGY STAR label on HVAC equipment is meaningless if it is not installed properly. He is a tireless advocate for quality installation practices and I am certain that he will continue to make positive contributions to consumers, the environment, and professional HVAC contractors,” Stalknecht continued.
“I am glad to be working alongside ACCA’s professional staff and contractor members to ensure consumers get their anticipated comfort and energy savings from investments into ENERGY STAR-labeled HVAC products,” said Chandler von Schrader. “HVAC systems typically account for about half of a home's total energy use, so designing and installing systems according to ACCA standards is essential to meet the efficiency and comfort demands of homeowners. HVAC products are not like dishwashers or refrigerators, and treating them as such weakens the ENERGY STAR label's value,” von Schrader continued.
ACCA has led efforts to address the widely-recognized energy and safety degradations from poorly designed and installed HVAC systems by creating the ANSI-recognized ACCA 5 Quality Installation (QI) Standard (see download below). If an HVAC system is not installed correctly, it may function at 60 percent of its labeled efficiency and increase opportunities for refrigerant leaks, fire hazards, and mold growth. The QI Standard details the minimum requirements needed to ensure an HVAC system is installed properly, and was created by collaboration between contractors, manufacturers, government officials, and other interested parties.
ACCA’s overarching policy and advocacy goal is for policy makers to consider HVAC systems in a holistic manner and focus on the realized efficiency of equipment by promoting the value of properly designed and installed HVAC systems. ACCA has urged regulators and elected officials to end the decades-old focus on equipment-only efficiencies and to protect consumers by addressing the problems caused by poorly designed and installed HVAC systems.