Department of Energy January 11, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Through this Request for Information (RFI), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is initiating the rulemaking and data collection process to develop a uniform efficiency descriptor and accompanying test method for residential water heaters and commercial water heaters. This test procedure rulemaking is intended to fulfill DOE's statutory obligation to develop a uniform efficiency descriptor for residential and commercial water heaters pursuant to the amendments to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) brought about by the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act (AEMTCA; H.R. 6582), which was signed into law on December 18, 2012 (Pub. L. 112- 210). To inform interested parties and to facilitate this process, DOE has identified several issues in this RFI on which DOE is particularly interested in receiving comment from interested parties. In overview, the issues outlined in this document are mainly associated with: Currently available efficiency metrics and test procedures for rating the efficiency of residential and commercial water heaters; the requirements for a uniform metric set forth in the AEMTCA; and available options for DOE to address those statutory requirements. DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this rulemaking (including relevant topics not specifically raised in this RFI).