Over 50 HVACR contractors and industry partners came to Washington this week for ACCA’s 2025 Advocacy Day, holding nearly 90 meetings with senators and representatives about ACCA’s established policy priorities. The two-day event was packed with everything from Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) sharing his path from plumber to the Senate to contractors teaching lawmakers the basics of the HVACR industry and its consumers.
Tuesday: Getting ready for the Hill
The day started with an ACCA Board of Directors meeting, followed by the Government Relations Committee meeting. The committee hosted Allison Ealey, Senior Director of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy – the American Gas Association, who discussed energy choice with committee members and guests — one of ACCA’s top policy priorities.
In the afternoon, all attendees joined a lunch session with ACCA Managing Director, Government Relations – Federal Affairs, Will Stone, who shared his perspective on effective advocacy based on his experience as a Capitol lobbyist.
The afternoon continued with networking opportunities for attendees to connect with contractors from their own and neighboring states who would be joining them for Wednesday’s congressional visits. Sessions covered ACCA’s policy priorities, advocacy training, and guidance on communicating with legislators during visits and follow-up.
A major highlight came when Senator Markwayne Mullin joined advocates to share his remarkable story from plumber to senator, showing contractors that their voices and experiences can reach the highest levels of government.
The evening wrapped up with a Welcome to Washington reception hosted by ACCA strategic partner Daikin at their Sustainability and Innovation Center. Advocates networked, heard remarks from Charlie McCrudden, Daikin’s government affairs director, and toured the state-of-the-art facility, which included an on-site cold weather performance chamber.
Wednesday: Capitol Hill meetings
Wednesday morning, advocates gathered at the Capitol Visitors Center, where ACCA hosted legislators and staff for HVAC 101. ACCA Chair Eddie McFarlane moderated the session, with panelists Martin Hoover (ACCA Government Relations Committee Co-Chair), Dave Kyle (ACCA Government Relations Committee Co-Chair), Melissa Frause (ACCA Government Relations Committee member), and Wes Davis (ACCA Director of Technical Services), educating attendees on what they (and their constituents) need to know as consumers before buying a new HVAC system and how ACCA’s policy priorities impact the end user.
Throughout the late morning and afternoon, over 50 advocates participated in nearly 90 meetings with legislators and staff, asking for help on ACCA’s four key priorities:
- Workforce: Help address the 42,500 unfilled HVACR jobs by funding training programs like WIOA and Perkins grants.
- Energy choice: Support the Energy Choice Act to stop states from banning natural gas equipment and forcing less efficient alternatives.
- Tax incentives: Bring back tax credits for efficient HVACR systems since most installations have problems that waste 30-50% of their efficiency.
- Refrigerant rules: Prevent states from creating a confusing patchwork of different refrigerant requirements that would hurt contractors and customers.
Read the complete leave-behind materials that Advocacy Day attendees presented.
Wednesday afternoon, advocates wrapped up their time in the capital with a bus tour of D.C.’s monuments, giving them a chance to see the city’s landmarks after two days of intensive meetings and advocacy work.
Special thanks to our sponsors
ACCA’s 2025 Advocacy Day was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors and Strategic Partners: Copeland, Mitek® Wrightsoft®, Mitsubishi Electric, and Daikin.
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