Department of Energy December 8, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) includes amendments to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to provide for new Federal energy efficiency and water conservation test procedures, and related definitions, for certain consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment. The amendments direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish new test procedures for many of these products and certain equipment, in most cases EPACT 2005 requires the new test procedures to be ``based on'' certain identified testing practices generally accepted by industry and other government agencies. Today, DOE adopts test procedures for eleven types of products for which EPACT 2005 identified specific test procedures on which the federally-mandated test procedures are to be based. In addition, DOE adopts test procedures for three other products for which EPACT 2005 did not specify specific test procedures, and for which test procedures have not previously been established. Furthermore, DOE is adopting a new version of the current test procedure for small commercial package air-conditioning and heating equipment, which will not change the existing requirements. DOE is also adopting technical corrections to the October 18, 2005, final rule, 70 FR 60407, which DOE described in detail in the July 25, 2006, notice of proposed rulemaking in this proceeding (July 2006 proposed rule), 71 FR 42178, 42195-96. However, DOE is not finalizing the procedures for sampling during compliance testing, and compliance certification and enforcement that were included in the July 2006 proposed rule. Such procedures will be addressed in a subsequent final rule.