The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration was established by Congress pursuant to Public Law 94-305 to represent the views of small business before Federal agencies and Congress. One of the primary functions of the Office is to measure the impacts of Government regulation on small businesses and make recommendations for eliminating excessive or unnecessary regulation of small businesses. Advocacy strongly supports the 20-percent standard.
Small businesses are vital to the U.S. economy.
Small businesses promote competition, which helps keep prices down, encourages innovation, and provides jobs. The 20-percent standard still represents a substantial improvement in energy efficiency over current levels, so while preserving competition, DOE will achieve many of the benefits associated with the more stringent standard. In short, the 20-percent standard preserves competition, innovation, jobs, and at the same time, significantly increases the energy efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps. It represents a reasonable and cost-effective solution to help address energy concerns. We support it, and we are pleased DOE is also supporting the standard.