House advances bills targeting energy efficiency rules

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted Wednesday, Dec. 3, to advance several bills that would have downstream impacts on the HVAC industry. 

What’s happening: Lawmakers voted largely along party lines to advance the bills, previously described by Homepros, when they were discussed during separate subcommittee hearings before moving to the full committee on Wednesday.

• The Energy Choice Act would prohibit state and local governments from restricting energy-related services based on the type or source of energy to be delivered — effectively pre-empting natural gas bans.
• The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act would repeal elements of the Inflation Reduction Act, including one of two consumer-facing rebate programs, which helps qualifying households pay for heat pump installs. 
• The Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act would reform how the Department of Energy regulates appliances, including central air conditioners and heat pumps, making it harder for the agency to set new efficiency standards. 

Go deeper: Another bill — the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act of 2025 — was passed unanimously.  

• It would reauthorize the ‘Weatherization Assistance Program,’ which helps low-income families afford energy-efficient retrofits, and effectively increase the amount of assistance households can receive. 

What they’re saying: “Across the country, Americans are confronting the issue of affordability,” said Congressman Brett Guthrie, the committee’s chairman, in an opening statement. “Today, our Committee will aim to improve consumer choice, secure our grid, and lower prices for the communities we represent.” 

• Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter noted, “The American public deserves affordable, reliable energy. Limiting what sources of energy can be used is foolish in a time where AI is on the rise, [and] electricity demand is forecast to skyrocket across the country. We must look at all of the above solutions for energy.”

The other side: “While American families back home are clamoring for help from Congress to help them lower the cost of living, Republicans are simply offering them inferior products,” said Florida Rep. Jane Castor. 

• Virginia’s Jennifer McClellan added, “[T]his committee spent so much time — months — arguing over a bill that made permanent tax breaks for people who made over $500,000, to allow them to have up to a $15 million exemption for gift and estate taxes, [and] allow tax credits for them to buy airplanes.”
• “And yet, for a family in the city of Richmond that makes less than $70,000, this committee is now going to say, ‘You can’t get a rebate of up to $1,600 to upgrade insulation and air sealing and ventilation in your home, even though we know that’s going to ultimately reduce your cost.’” 

What we’re watching: To become law, the bills would have to clear the full House of Representatives, while similar versions would need to pass in the Senate, before heading to the president’s desk. 

• Only about six percent of bills introduced in Congress become law, per Emory University. 
• Sean Robertson, ACCA’s Vice President of Membership, Advocacy, and Events, told Homepros on a call that “marking up these bills is an important step in the process, but I have not yet heard a credible strategy to secure 60 votes in the Senate for this current package of bills.” 
• He noted, however, “these could be ingredients for a broader, must-pass package.”