Department of Energy September 13, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance a proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed collection will gather opinions of experts in industry and other organizations regarding the impact on the development and diffusion of energy-efficient technologies and techniques in the construction of residential buildings of DOE/EERE Building Technologies Office (BTO) investments. Expert opinions are necessary to characterize expected patterns of technology development and diffusion in the absence of DOE investments, and so (by comparing these expectations with actual observations) estimate the difference DOE investments have made. This information is needed by DOE for budget justification and strategic planning. Respondents will include representatives of production builder companies (including companies that received DOE R&D funding and companies that received no direct funding from DOE).

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (``EPCA''), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including walk-in coolers and freezers. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') to periodically determine whether more-stringent, amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. DOE proposes prescribing energy conservation standards for certain categories of walk-in cooler and freezer refrigeration systems and plans to hold a public meeting to receive comment on these proposed standards along with their accompanying analyses.