Rule Changes
That same year SEER-10 was named as the measure of energy efficiency for HVAC systems
In 1917, the “spitball” was outlawed, and this effectively ended the careers of pitchers who depended on the saliva-laden pitch. The spitball was not needed by Bob Gibson, the Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Whatever he threw at batters in 1968 resulted in a 1.12 earned run average (ERA) that still stands as a record. Witnesses to that season are amazed at his 22-9 record. The 22 wins were not unusual, rather it was how he managed to lose 9 games that year. The response by rule-makers was to lower the mound by five inches and reduce the size of the strike zone. This didn’t seem to affect Gibson. He won 78 games in the four years after his 1968 season, often called the greatest season by a pitcher in modern history. Like the spitball rule, the “Gibson rule” shortened the careers of many pitchers. Rule changes are the norm as conditions change and technology advances. In the HVAC industry, there was a time when few rules regulated it and there was little concern about refrigerants. That changed in 1970 when the Clean Air Act (CAA) was passed authorizing the EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The initial concern with HVAC was reducing energy costs that would in-turn, reduce pollution from the creation of electrical power. In 1987, the United Nations Montreal Protocol was established to protect the ozone layer by eliminating freon, the “spitball” of refrigerants with its ability to destroy atmospheric ozone. That same year SEER-10 was named as the measure of energy efficiency for HVAC systems. It was the first national standard for the HVAC industry. The search goes on for the refrigerant that will be to HVAC what Bob Gibson was to the Cardinals.