I continue to be somewhat baffled by all the hub bub about the 13 seer minimums. Anyone actively engaged in HVAC should already be familiar with the 13 seer units so that shouldn't come as a surprise. I you break it down to it's most basic, the government is forcing us to provide our customers a more efficient product. Remember when they did away with the 67 - 70% furnaces? Screaming through the streets....widespread panic. We managed to survive that, and the only ones who got caught were those individuals who thought they would "corner the market" and bought up all the old standing pilot furnaces. What I remember happening is that they just wound up with a lot of outdated equipment they had trouble getting rid of. Sort of backfired on them. WE, in the industry, should be up to this task without any concern whatsoever. What is the major concern anyway? Just like with the furnaces the public is initially upset because they have had a choice taken away, but NOT by us. I wish I could still buy a new gas-guzzling mustang for $6500 but those days are gone as well.
If someone is not "ready" or "prepared" for this eventuality, then shame on them! It is not some small segment of the industry that this will occur in, but across the board. To be honest, I welcome the 'help' from our legislators to sell our customers a better product.