HVACPlumbing
Senate bills aim to speed apprenticeship approvals, track outcomes
The moves follow the Trump administration’s efforts to champion apprenticeships
Legal
HVAC
New-home efficiency rule gets the axe
The rule would have required that gas furnaces and heat pumps meet certain energy efficiency standards, and also included requirements for duct sealing and air leakage
HVACPlumbing
Contractors descend on Capitol Hill
Members of PHCC, as well as the American Supply Association, are meeting with legislators on May 5 and 6 about efforts regarding the skilled trades
HVAC
Trump administration backs push for Supreme Court to scrap gas furnace rule
The Energy Department in 2023 finalized a rule requiring all residential gas furnaces manufactured after December 18, 2028, to have an AFUE rating of at least 95 percent
HVAC
HVAC manufacturers hit with two more price-fixing lawsuits
The suits, which were filed by contractors and follow an initial March lawsuit, open the door for similarly situated contractors to join the litigation
HVAC
DOE to release billions in stalled home energy rebates
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act allocated $8.8 billion to states to set up two point-of-sale rebate programs for consumers who make qualifying home upgrades, including gas furnaces and heat pumps
Plumbing
To boost the plumbing workforce, ease licensing rules, some say
In St. Louis, where regulations currently require a one-to-one ratio of apprentices to licensed journeyman plumbers, some contractors are pushing to loosen the ratio to five apprentices per journeyman
HVAC
DOL recovers $122,000 in back wages for 140 HVAC workers
MS-based AirSouth Cooling and Heating did not include non-discretionary bonuses when calculating overtime wages for workers, and failed to issue final paychecks to two employees
HVAC
Trump takes another shot at low-income HVAC program
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) assists roughly 6.7 million households with utility bills, weatherization projects, and HVAC repairs and replacements
HVACPlumbing
Labor Department moves to streamline new apprenticeship programs
The efforts stem from an April 2025 executive order signed by President Trump aimed at reaching and surpassing one million new active apprentices in the U.S., including in the skilled trades