The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) praised U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, (R-MI), for reintroducing legislation that would provide an incentive for building owners to replace inefficient cooling equipment. The Cool and Efficient Buildings Act (H.R. 1888) would amend the U.S. tax code to reduce the depreciation period for commercial cooling systems from the current 39-year period to 20 years. A wide range of commercial buildings from shopping malls to hospitals would qualify for the new depreciation rate. It’s hoped that the legislation would spur the replacement of more than 35,000 chillers using ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants with equipment that is 40% more efficient and uses modern refrigerants that are less detrimental to the earth’s ozone layer.
