Department of Energy October 24, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to revise its test procedures for direct heating equipment and pool heaters established under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. This rulemaking will fulfill DOE's statutory obligation to review its test procedures for covered products at least once every seven years. For direct heating equipment, the proposed amendments would add provisions for testing vented home heating equipment that utilizes condensing technology, and to incorporate by reference six industry test standards to replace the outdated test standards which are referred to in the existing DOE test procedure. These industry standards reflect the current practice in test set-up and test conditions for testing direct heating equipment. For pool heaters, the proposed amendments would incorporate by reference ANSI/Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Standard 1160-2009, ``Performance Rating of Heat Pump Pool Heaters,'' and ANSI/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 146- 2011, ``Method of Testing and Rating Pool Heaters,'' to establish a test method for electric pool heaters (including heat pump pool heaters). The proposed amendments would also clarify the test procedure's applicability to oil-fired pool heaters. DOE is also announcing a public meeting to discuss and receive comments on issues presented in this test procedure rulemaking.