How to Beat the High Cost of Cooling

Biden climate rules made air-conditioning more expensive. Trump and Congress can reverse them.

By Ben Lieberman. Excerpts:

"The Energy Department’s latest efficiency standard for these systems  [home air conditioners]took effect in 2023 and knocked the most affordable models off the market."

"the Biden EPA issued a rule requiring that systems manufactured after Jan. 1, 2025, use refrigerants that meet new climate-change requirements. This mandate has increased costs by $1,500 per system on average"

"These and other regulations, combined with nonregulatory factors such as higher materials costs and rising wages for service technicians, have dramatically increased the cost of buying and installing a new system. A homeowner replacing a 15-year old system that likely cost around $5,000 at the time of installation now faces a price tag “in the $13,000 to $14,000 range”"