Obtained for the APGA a favorable ruling from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) interpreting the use of non-condensing technology on residential natural gas furnaces as a performance-related feature that cannot be eliminated by adopting an energy conservation standard under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The DOE correspondingly withdrew a proposed efficiency standard that would have required many residential consumers to replace non-condensing technology natural gas furnaces with costlier higher efficiency condensing technology gas furnaces or electric heat pumps.