Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Notice of Petition for Waiver of General Electric Company (GE) From the Department of Energy Residential Refrigerator and Refrigerator-Freezer Test Procedure, 22586-22588 [2010-9969]
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22586
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 82 / Thursday, April 29, 2010 / Notices
Consultations With Other Agencies
DOE consulted with the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) staff concerning the
Electrolux petition for waiver. The FTC
staff did not have any objections to
granting a waiver to Electrolux.
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FPHC23****
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FFSC23****
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EW23CS****
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(3) Electrolux shall be required to test
the products listed in paragraph (2)
above according to the test procedures
for electric refrigerator-freezers
prescribed by DOE at 10 CFR part 430,
appendix A1, except that, for the
Electrolux products listed in paragraph
(2) only:
(A) The following definition is added
at the end of Section 1:
1.13 Variable anti-sweat heater control
means an anti-sweat heater where power
supplied to the device is determined by an
operating condition variable(s) and/or
ambient condition variable(s).
(B) Section 2.2 is revised to read as
follows:
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
2.2 Operational conditions. The electric
refrigerator or electric refrigerator-freezer
shall be installed and its operating conditions
maintained in accordance with HRF–1–1979,
section 7.2 through section 7.4.3.3. except
that the vertical ambient temperature
gradient at locations 10 inches (25.4 cm) out
from the centers of the two sides of the unit
being tested is to be maintained during the
test. Unless shields or baffles obstruct the
area, the gradient is to be maintained from 2
inches (5.1 cm) above the floor or supporting
platform to a height 1 foot (30.5 cm) above
the unit under test. Defrost controls are to be
operative. The anti-sweat heater switch is to
be off during one test and on during the
second test. In the case of an electric
refrigerator-freezer equipped with variable
anti-sweat heater control, the result of the
second test will be derived by performing the
calculation described in 6.2.3. Other
exceptions are noted in 2.3, 2.4, and 5.1
below.
(C) New section 6.2.3 is inserted after
section 6.2.2.2.
6.2.3 Variable anti-sweat heater control
test. The energy consumption of an electric
refrigerator-freezer with a variable anti-sweat
heater control in the on position (Eon),
expressed in kilowatt-hours per day, shall be
calculated equivalent to:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
Conclusion
After careful consideration of all the
material that was submitted by
Electrolux and consultation with the
FTC staff, it is ordered that:
(1) The petition for waiver submitted
by Electrolux Home Products, Inc. (Case
No. RF–012) is hereby granted as set
forth in the paragraphs below.
16:19 Apr 28, 2010
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EI26BS****
EON = E + (Correction Factor)
where E is determined by sections 6.2.1.1,
6.2.1.2, 6.2.2.1, or 6.2.2.2, whichever is
appropriate, with the anti-sweat heater
switch in the off position.
Correction Factor = (Anti-sweat Heater Power
× System-loss Factor) × (24 hrs/1 day) ×
(1 kW/1000 W)
Where:
Anti-sweat Heater Power = A1 * (Heater
Watts at 5%RH)
+ A2 * (Heater Watts at 15%RH)
+ A3 * (Heater Watts at 25%RH)
+ A4 * (Heater Watts at 35%RH)
+ A5 * (Heater Watts at 45%RH)
+ A6 * (Heater Watts at 55%RH)
+ A7 * (Heater Watts at 65%RH)
+ A8 * (Heater Watts at 75%RH)
+ A9 * (Heater Watts at 85%RH)
+ A10 * (Heater Watts at 95%RH)
Where A1–A10 are defined in the following
table:
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
=
=
=
=
=
0.034
0.211
0.204
0.166
0.126
A6 = 0.119
A7 = 0.069
A8 = 0.047
A9 = 0.008
A10 = 0.015
Heater Watts at a specific relative humidity
= the nominal watts used by all heaters at
that specific relative humidity, 72 °F
ambient, and DOE reference temperatures of
fresh food (FF) average temperature of 45 °F
and freezer (FZ) average temperature of 5 °F.
System-loss Factor = 1.3
(4) Representations. Electrolux may
make representations about the energy
use of its adaptive control anti-sweat
heater refrigerator-freezer products for
compliance, marketing, or other
purposes only to the extent that such
products have been tested in accordance
with the provisions outlined above and
such representations fairly disclose the
results of such testing.
(5) This waiver shall remain in effect
consistent with the provisions of 10 CFR
430.27(m).
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Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
(2) Electrolux shall not be required to
test or rate the following Electrolux
models on the basis of the current test
procedures contained in 10 CFR part
430, subpart B, appendix A1. Instead, it
shall be required to test and rate such
products according to the alternate test
procedure as set forth in paragraph (3)
below:
Sfmt 4703
FGHB28****
FGUB28****
FPHB28****
FPUB28****
FGHN28****
FGUN28****
FPHN28****
FPUN28****
EI28BS****
EW28BS****
(6) This waiver is issued on the
condition that the statements,
representations, and documentary
materials provided by the petitioner are
valid. DOE may revoke or modify this
waiver at any time if it determines the
factual basis underlying the petition for
waiver is incorrect, or the results from
the alternate test procedure are
unrepresentative of the basic models’
true energy consumption characteristics.
Issued in Washington, DC on April 22,
2010.
Cathy Zoi,
Assistant Secretary,
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2010–9973 Filed 4–28–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy
[Case No. RF–015]
Energy Conservation Program for
Consumer Products: Notice of Petition
for Waiver of General Electric
Company (GE) From the Department of
Energy Residential Refrigerator and
Refrigerator-Freezer Test Procedure
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of petition for waiver and
request for comments.
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt
of and publishes the GE petition for
waiver (hereafter, ‘‘petition’’) from parts
of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
test procedure for determining the
energy consumption of electric
refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers.
Through this document, DOE is
E:\FR\FM\29APN1.SGM
29APN1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 82 / Thursday, April 29, 2010 / Notices
soliciting comments with respect to the
GE petition.
DATES: DOE will accept comments, data,
and information with respect to the GE
petition until, but no later than June 1,
2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by case number RF–015, by
any of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• E-mail:
AS_Waiver_Requests@ee.doe.gov.
Include either the case number [Case
No. RF–015], and/or ‘‘GE Petition’’ in the
subject line of the message.
• Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S.
Department of Energy, Building
Technologies Program, Mailstop EE–2J/
1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585–0121.
Telephone: (202) 586–2945. Please
submit one signed original paper copy.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda
Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Program, 950
L’Enfant Plaza SW., Suite 600,
Washington, DC 20024. Please submit
one signed original paper copy.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and case
number for this proceeding. Submit
electronic comments in WordPerfect,
Microsoft Word, Portable Document
Format (PDF), or text (American
Standard Code for Information
Interchange (ASCII)) file format and
avoid the use of special characters or
any form of encryption. Wherever
possible, include the electronic
signature of the author. DOE does not
accept telefacsimiles (faxes).
Any person submitting written
comments must also send a copy of
such comments to the petitioner,
pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 430.27(d).
The contact information for the
petitioner is: Earl F. Jones, Senior
Counsel, GE Consumer & Industrial,
Appliance Park 2–225, Louisville, KY
40225. E-mail: earl.f.jones@ge.com.
According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any
person submitting information that he
or she believes to be confidential and
exempt by law from public disclosure
should submit two copies to DOE: one
copy of the document including all the
information believed to be confidential,
and one copy of the document with the
information believed to be confidential
deleted. DOE will make its own
determination about the confidential
status of the information and treat it
according to its determination.
Docket: For access to the docket to
review the background documents
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:19 Apr 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
relevant to this matter, you may visit the
U.S. Department of Energy, 950 L’Enfant
Plaza SW., (Resource Room of the
Building Technologies Program),
Washington, DC, 20024, (202) 586–2945,
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Available documents include the
following items: (1) This notice; (2)
public comments received; (3) the
petition for waiver; and (4) prior DOE
rulemakings regarding similar central
air conditioning and heat pump
equipment. Please call Ms. Brenda
Edwards at the above telephone number
for additional information regarding
visiting the Resource Room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Michael G. Raymond, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies
Program, Mail Stop EE–2J, Forrestal
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121.
Telephone: (202) 586–9611. E-mail:
Michael.Raymond@ee.doe.gov.
Ms. Betsy Kohl, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of the General Counsel,
Mail Stop GC–71, Forrestal Building,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585–0103.
Telephone: (202) 586–7796. E-mail:
Elizabeth.Kohl@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On December 19, 2006, GE filed a
petition for waiver from the test
procedure applicable to residential
electric refrigerators and refrigeratorfreezers set forth in Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) part
430, subpart B, appendix A1. The
products covered by the petition employ
adaptive anti-sweat heaters, which
detect and respond to temperature and
humidity conditions, and then activate
adaptive heaters as needed to evaporate
excess moisture. GE’s petition was
published in the Federal Register on
April 17, 2007. 72 FR 19189. DOE
granted the GE petition in a decision &
order published on February 27, 2008.
73 FR 10425.
II. Petition for Waiver of Test Procedure
On February 16, 2010, GE informed
DOE that it has developed additional
basic models with adaptive anti-sweat
heater technology. GE asserted that
these new products function and
operate the same way as the basic
models listed in GE’s December 2006
petition for waiver with respect to the
properties that made those products
eligible for a waiver. GE requested that
DOE grant a new waiver for these
additional basic models. The following
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
22587
additional products are covered by the
February 2010 waiver request:
All models with the letters
CFCP1NIY****, CFCP1NIZ****,
CFCP1ZIY****, PFCF1NFY****,
PFCF1NFZ****, PFCF1PJY****,
PFCF1PJZ****, PFCS1NFY****,
PFCS1NFZ****, PFCS1PJY****,
PFCS1PJZ****, PFQS5PJY****,
PFSF5NFY****, PFSF5NFZ****,
PFSF5PJY****, PFSF5PJZ****,
PFSS5NFY****, PFSS5NFZ****,
PFSS5PJY****, PFSS5PJZ****,
PGCS1NFY****, PGCS1NFZ****,
PGCS1PJY****, PGCS1PJZ****,
PGSS5NFY****, PGSS5NFZ****,
PGSS5PJY****, PGSS5PJZ****,
ZFGB21HY****, ZFGB21HZ****,
ZFGP21HY****, ZFGP21HZ****. (The
asterisks, or wild cards, denote color or
other features that do not affect energy
performance.)
DOE notes that GE’s February 2010
petition for waiver also includes an
alternate test procedure for testing
products equipped with adaptive antisweat heaters. The alternate test
procedure submitted in the February
2010 petition is identical to the one
contained in GE’s December 2006
petition.
IV. Summary and Request for
Comments
Through today’s notice, DOE
announces receipt of GE’s petition for
waiver from certain parts of the test
procedure that apply to basic models of
refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers
with variable anti-sweat heater controls
and adaptive heaters manufactured by
GE. DOE is publishing GE’s petition for
waiver in its entirety pursuant to 10
CFR 430.27(b)(1)(iv). The petition
contains no confidential information.
The petition includes a suggested
alternate test procedure and calculation
methodology to determine the energy
consumption of GE’s specified
refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers
with adaptive anti-sweat heaters. DOE is
interested in receiving comments from
interested parties on all aspects of the
petition, including the suggested
alternate test procedure and calculation
methodology. Pursuant to 10 CFR
430.27(b)(1)(iv), any person submitting
written comments to DOE must also
send a copy of such comments to the
petitioner, whose contact information is
included in the ADDRESSES section
above.
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 22,
2010.
Cathy Zoi,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
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22588
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 82 / Thursday, April 29, 2010 / Notices
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES
February 16, 2010
Catherine R. Zoi, Assistant Secretary,
Energy Efficiency & Renewable
Energy, Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Ave., SW., Route
Symbol: EE–1, Wash. DC 20585
Re: Case No. RF–007
Dear Ms. Assistant Secretary:
GE Consumer & Industrial, is an
operating division of General Electric
Co., (‘‘GE’’) is a leading manufacturer
and marketer of household appliances,
including, as relevant to this
proceeding, refrigerators. In December
2006, GE filed a Petition for Waiver
(‘‘Petition’’), which requested the thenAssistant Secretary grant it a waiver
from certain parts of the test procedure
promulgated by the U.S. Department of
Energy (‘‘DOE’’ or ‘‘the Department’’) for
determining refrigerator-freezer energy
consumption for its new models of
refrigerator-freezers. These innovative
models were designed with adaptive
anti-sweat heaters, i.e., anti-sweat
heaters that respond to humidity
conditions found in consumers’ homes.
Depending on ambient humidity
conditions, the anti-sweat heaters would
be turned on or off to prevent the
accumulation of moisture inside the
unit and on the outside of the case. And,
because of their ability to sense
humidity conditions, energy used to
turn the anti-sweat heaters on can be
better controlled.
As pointed out in GE’s petition, the
test conditions specified by DOE’s test
procedure neither define required
humidity conditions nor otherwise take
ambient humidity conditions into
account in calculating energy
consumption, the adaptive feature of
GE’s new model cannot be tested.
The Petition also pointed out that, if
GE had tested its new smart-technology
refrigerator per the test procedure the
results would not have accurately
measured the energy used by the new
models.
The Assistant Secretary granted GE’s
waiver petition on February 27, 2008.1
Thereafter, Whirlpool Corp. filed and
was granted its waiver petition, 2 as was
Electrolux 3 and Samsung.4
GE files this request for the sole
purpose of asking that the relief granted
in 2008 be extended to GE’s new models
of refrigerator-freezers.5 If this request
1 FR
Vol. 73 10425 et seq.
Vol. 73 39684 et seq. (July 10, 2008).
3 FR Vol. 74 66344 et seq. (December 15, 2009).
4 FR Vol. 74 66340 et seq. (December 15, 2009).
5 The new models are all models with the letters
CFCP1NIY****, CFCP1NIZ****, CFCP1ZIY****,
PFCF1NFY****, PFCF1NFZ****, PFCF1PJY****,
PFCF1PJZ****, PFCS1NFY****, PFCS1NFZ****,
PFCS1PJY****, PFCS1PJZ****, PFQS5PJY****,
2 FR
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:19 Apr 28, 2010
Jkt 220001
must be treated as a new waiver petition
pursuant to 10 C.F.R. § 430.27, then
please accept it as such. If, however,
this request can be treated as a request
to amend the 2008 decision to cover the
new models, then please accept it as
such.
GE incorporates herein the original
humidity sensor waiver petition and has
attached the petition hereto as Exhibit 1.
Attached as Exhibit 2 is the
Department’s decision granting that
petition.
We believe that granting our request
will be another step in the Department’s
support of advanced technologies,
technologies that promote innovation
and strengthen consumer confidence in
the reliability of the Department’s test
procedures
A favorable and speedy ruling on this
matter is necessary as the new models
are in development and scheduled for
sale in the second quarter of 2010. GE
will be injured in the market if approval
is delayed. Hardship to GE would result
if the benefits of the investment in
developing the new models is delayed.
Respectfully submitted,
llllllllllllllllll
l
Earl F. Jones
Senior Counsel
GE Consumer & Industrial
Appliance Park 2–225
Louisville, KY 40225
earl.f.jones@ge.com
502–452–3164 (voice)
502–452–0395 (fax)
Affected Persons
Primary affected persons in the
refrigerator-freezer category include
BSH Home Appliances Corp. (BoschSiemens Hausgerate GmbH), Electrolux
Home Products, Equator, Fisher &
Paykel Appliances, Inc., Gorenje USA,
Haier America Trading, L.L.C.,
Heartland Appliances, Inc., Kelon
Electrical Holdings Col, Ltd., Liebherr
Hausgerate, LG Electronics USA INC.,
Northland Corporation, Samsung
Electronics America, Inc., Sanyo Fisher
Company, Sears, Sub-Zero Freezer
Company, U–Line, Viking Range, and
Whirlpool Corporation. The Association
of Home Appliance Manufacturers is
also generally interested in energy
efficiency requirements for appliances.
Consumers’ Union, ACEEE, NRDC and
Alliance to Save Energy are not
PFSF5NFY****, PFSF5NFZ****, PFSF5PJY****,
PFSF5PJZ****, PFSS5NFY****, PFSS5NFZ****,
PFSS5PJY****, PFSS5PJZ****, PGCS1NFY****,
PGCS1NFZ****, PGCS1PJY****, PGCS1PJZ****,
PGSS5NFY****, PGSS5NFZ****, PGSS5PJY****,
PGSS5PJZ****, ZFGB21HY****, ZFGB21HZ****,
ZFGP21HY****, ZFGP21HZ****. The asterisks, or
wild cards, denote color or other features that do
not affect energy performance.
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
manufacturers but have an interest in
this matter. GE will notify all these
organizations as required by the
Department’s rules and provide them
with a non-confidential version of this
Petition.
[FR Doc. 2010–9969 Filed 4–28–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. EL10–51–000]
Grassland Renewables Energy LLC;
Notice of Petition for Declaratory Order
March 30, 2010.
Take notice that on March 29, 2010,
pursuant to Rule 207 of the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission’s
(Commission) Rules of Practice and
Procedure, Grassland Renewables
Energy LLC filed an application for
Petition for Declaratory Order,
requesting the Commission to rule on
whether the Petitioner’s proposal to
construct the Wind Spirit Project
Collector System (WSP Collector
System) as a participant funded
transmission facility with priority
transmission service rights assigned to
WSP Poolco and other entities that agree
to pay for the entire cost of the WSP
Collector System by contracting for such
service at cost-based rates in advance of
construction, satisfies the Commission’s
open access transmission requirements,
as the Commission ruled on a
participant funded transmission
facilities in Orders, Northeast Utilities
Service Co. and NSTAR Electric Co., 127
FERC ¶ 61,179 (May 22, Order), and
reh’g denied, 129 FERC ¶ 61,279
(December 29, Order) (2009).
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Protests will be considered by the
Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. Such notices, motions, or
protests must be filed on or before the
comment date. On or before the
comment date, it is not necessary to
serve motions to intervene or protests
on persons other than the Applicant.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
E:\FR\FM\29APN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 82 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22586-22588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9969]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
[Case No. RF-015]
Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Notice of
Petition for Waiver of General Electric Company (GE) From the
Department of Energy Residential Refrigerator and Refrigerator-Freezer
Test Procedure
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of petition for waiver and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of and publishes the GE petition
for waiver (hereafter, ``petition'') from parts of the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the energy consumption
of electric refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers. Through this
document, DOE is
[[Page 22587]]
soliciting comments with respect to the GE petition.
DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information with respect to
the GE petition until, but no later than June 1, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by case number RF-015,
by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: AS_Waiver_Requests@ee.doe.gov. Include either
the case number [Case No. RF-015], and/or ``GE Petition'' in the
subject line of the message.
Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J/1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. Please
submit one signed original paper copy.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Suite
600, Washington, DC 20024. Please submit one signed original paper
copy.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and case number for this proceeding. Submit electronic comments in
WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Portable Document Format (PDF), or text
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)) file
format and avoid the use of special characters or any form of
encryption. Wherever possible, include the electronic signature of the
author. DOE does not accept telefacsimiles (faxes).
Any person submitting written comments must also send a copy of
such comments to the petitioner, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 430.27(d). The contact information for the
petitioner is: Earl F. Jones, Senior Counsel, GE Consumer & Industrial,
Appliance Park 2-225, Louisville, KY 40225. E-mail:
earl.f.jones@ge.com.
According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information that
he or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public
disclosure should submit two copies to DOE: one copy of the document
including all the information believed to be confidential, and one copy
of the document with the information believed to be confidential
deleted. DOE will make its own determination about the confidential
status of the information and treat it according to its determination.
Docket: For access to the docket to review the background documents
relevant to this matter, you may visit the U.S. Department of Energy,
950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., (Resource Room of the Building Technologies
Program), Washington, DC, 20024, (202) 586-2945, between 9 a.m. and 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Available
documents include the following items: (1) This notice; (2) public
comments received; (3) the petition for waiver; and (4) prior DOE
rulemakings regarding similar central air conditioning and heat pump
equipment. Please call Ms. Brenda Edwards at the above telephone number
for additional information regarding visiting the Resource Room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael G. Raymond, U.S.
Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mail Stop EE-2J,
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9611. E-mail:
Michael.Raymond@ee.doe.gov.
Ms. Betsy Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General
Counsel, Mail Stop GC-71, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0103. Telephone: (202) 586-7796. E-mail:
Elizabeth.Kohl@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On December 19, 2006, GE filed a petition for waiver from the test
procedure applicable to residential electric refrigerators and
refrigerator-freezers set forth in Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) part 430, subpart B, appendix A1. The products
covered by the petition employ adaptive anti-sweat heaters, which
detect and respond to temperature and humidity conditions, and then
activate adaptive heaters as needed to evaporate excess moisture. GE's
petition was published in the Federal Register on April 17, 2007. 72 FR
19189. DOE granted the GE petition in a decision & order published on
February 27, 2008. 73 FR 10425.
II. Petition for Waiver of Test Procedure
On February 16, 2010, GE informed DOE that it has developed
additional basic models with adaptive anti-sweat heater technology. GE
asserted that these new products function and operate the same way as
the basic models listed in GE's December 2006 petition for waiver with
respect to the properties that made those products eligible for a
waiver. GE requested that DOE grant a new waiver for these additional
basic models. The following additional products are covered by the
February 2010 waiver request:
All models with the letters CFCP1NIY****, CFCP1NIZ****,
CFCP1ZIY****, PFCF1NFY****, PFCF1NFZ****, PFCF1PJY****, PFCF1PJZ****,
PFCS1NFY****, PFCS1NFZ****, PFCS1PJY****, PFCS1PJZ****, PFQS5PJY****,
PFSF5NFY****, PFSF5NFZ****, PFSF5PJY****, PFSF5PJZ****, PFSS5NFY****,
PFSS5NFZ****, PFSS5PJY****, PFSS5PJZ****, PGCS1NFY****, PGCS1NFZ****,
PGCS1PJY****, PGCS1PJZ****, PGSS5NFY****, PGSS5NFZ****, PGSS5PJY****,
PGSS5PJZ****, ZFGB21HY****, ZFGB21HZ****, ZFGP21HY****, ZFGP21HZ****.
(The asterisks, or wild cards, denote color or other features that do
not affect energy performance.)
DOE notes that GE's February 2010 petition for waiver also includes
an alternate test procedure for testing products equipped with adaptive
anti-sweat heaters. The alternate test procedure submitted in the
February 2010 petition is identical to the one contained in GE's
December 2006 petition.
IV. Summary and Request for Comments
Through today's notice, DOE announces receipt of GE's petition for
waiver from certain parts of the test procedure that apply to basic
models of refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers with variable anti-
sweat heater controls and adaptive heaters manufactured by GE. DOE is
publishing GE's petition for waiver in its entirety pursuant to 10 CFR
430.27(b)(1)(iv). The petition contains no confidential information.
The petition includes a suggested alternate test procedure and
calculation methodology to determine the energy consumption of GE's
specified refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers with adaptive anti-
sweat heaters. DOE is interested in receiving comments from interested
parties on all aspects of the petition, including the suggested
alternate test procedure and calculation methodology. Pursuant to 10
CFR 430.27(b)(1)(iv), any person submitting written comments to DOE
must also send a copy of such comments to the petitioner, whose contact
information is included in the ADDRESSES section above.
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2010.
Cathy Zoi,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[[Page 22588]]
February 16, 2010
Catherine R. Zoi, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency & Renewable
Energy, Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Route
Symbol: EE-1, Wash. DC 20585
Re: Case No. RF-007
Dear Ms. Assistant Secretary:
GE Consumer & Industrial, is an operating division of General
Electric Co., (``GE'') is a leading manufacturer and marketer of
household appliances, including, as relevant to this proceeding,
refrigerators. In December 2006, GE filed a Petition for Waiver
(``Petition''), which requested the then-Assistant Secretary grant it a
waiver from certain parts of the test procedure promulgated by the U.S.
Department of Energy (``DOE'' or ``the Department'') for determining
refrigerator-freezer energy consumption for its new models of
refrigerator-freezers. These innovative models were designed with
adaptive anti-sweat heaters, i.e., anti-sweat heaters that respond to
humidity conditions found in consumers' homes. Depending on ambient
humidity conditions, the anti-sweat heaters would be turned on or off
to prevent the accumulation of moisture inside the unit and on the
outside of the case. And, because of their ability to sense humidity
conditions, energy used to turn the anti-sweat heaters on can be better
controlled.
As pointed out in GE's petition, the test conditions specified by
DOE's test procedure neither define required humidity conditions nor
otherwise take ambient humidity conditions into account in calculating
energy consumption, the adaptive feature of GE's new model cannot be
tested.
The Petition also pointed out that, if GE had tested its new smart-
technology refrigerator per the test procedure the results would not
have accurately measured the energy used by the new models.
The Assistant Secretary granted GE's waiver petition on February
27, 2008.\1\ Thereafter, Whirlpool Corp. filed and was granted its
waiver petition, \2\ as was Electrolux \3\ and Samsung.\4\
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\1\ FR Vol. 73 10425 et seq.
\2\ FR Vol. 73 39684 et seq. (July 10, 2008).
\3\ FR Vol. 74 66344 et seq. (December 15, 2009).
\4\ FR Vol. 74 66340 et seq. (December 15, 2009).
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GE files this request for the sole purpose of asking that the
relief granted in 2008 be extended to GE's new models of refrigerator-
freezers.\5\ If this request must be treated as a new waiver petition
pursuant to 10 C.F.R. Sec. 430.27, then please accept it as such. If,
however, this request can be treated as a request to amend the 2008
decision to cover the new models, then please accept it as such.
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\5\ The new models are all models with the letters CFCP1NIY****,
CFCP1NIZ****, CFCP1ZIY****, PFCF1NFY****, PFCF1NFZ****,
PFCF1PJY****, PFCF1PJZ****, PFCS1NFY****, PFCS1NFZ****,
PFCS1PJY****, PFCS1PJZ****, PFQS5PJY****, PFSF5NFY****,
PFSF5NFZ****, PFSF5PJY****, PFSF5PJZ****, PFSS5NFY****,
PFSS5NFZ****, PFSS5PJY****, PFSS5PJZ****, PGCS1NFY****,
PGCS1NFZ****, PGCS1PJY****, PGCS1PJZ****, PGSS5NFY****,
PGSS5NFZ****, PGSS5PJY****, PGSS5PJZ****, ZFGB21HY****,
ZFGB21HZ****, ZFGP21HY****, ZFGP21HZ****. The asterisks, or wild
cards, denote color or other features that do not affect energy
performance.
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GE incorporates herein the original humidity sensor waiver petition
and has attached the petition hereto as Exhibit 1. Attached as Exhibit
2 is the Department's decision granting that petition.
We believe that granting our request will be another step in the
Department's support of advanced technologies, technologies that
promote innovation and strengthen consumer confidence in the
reliability of the Department's test procedures
A favorable and speedy ruling on this matter is necessary as the
new models are in development and scheduled for sale in the second
quarter of 2010. GE will be injured in the market if approval is
delayed. Hardship to GE would result if the benefits of the investment
in developing the new models is delayed.
Respectfully submitted,
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Earl F. Jones
Senior Counsel
GE Consumer & Industrial
Appliance Park 2-225
Louisville, KY 40225 earl.f.jones@ge.com
502-452-3164 (voice)
502-452-0395 (fax)
Affected Persons
Primary affected persons in the refrigerator-freezer category
include BSH Home Appliances Corp. (Bosch-Siemens Hausgerate GmbH),
Electrolux Home Products, Equator, Fisher & Paykel Appliances, Inc.,
Gorenje USA, Haier America Trading, L.L.C., Heartland Appliances, Inc.,
Kelon Electrical Holdings Col, Ltd., Liebherr Hausgerate, LG
Electronics USA INC., Northland Corporation, Samsung Electronics
America, Inc., Sanyo Fisher Company, Sears, Sub-Zero Freezer Company,
U-Line, Viking Range, and Whirlpool Corporation. The Association of
Home Appliance Manufacturers is also generally interested in energy
efficiency requirements for appliances. Consumers' Union, ACEEE, NRDC
and Alliance to Save Energy are not manufacturers but have an interest
in this matter. GE will notify all these organizations as required by
the Department's rules and provide them with a non-confidential version
of this Petition.
[FR Doc. 2010-9969 Filed 4-28-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
