Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office March 7, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended (EPCA), establishes energy conservation standards for various commercial and industrial equipment. EPCA further provides with respect to certain equipment covered by this rule, that if the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) amend ASHRAE/ IESNA Standard 90.1 as in effect on October 24, 1992, then the Department of Energy (DOE) must establish amended national standards at the ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90-1 minimum energy efficiency levels unless DOE determines that evidence supports adoption of higher standard levels or certain other circumstances exist. ASHRAE/IESNA amended ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 on October 29, 1999 (ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999), and DOE initiated this rulemaking to consider amendments to the national standards. DOE has concluded that it lacks authority to pursue higher standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters and large commercial packaged boilers. For small commercial packaged boilers with capacities greater than 300,000 Btu/h and less than or equal to 2.5 million British thermal units per hour, DOE is declining to adopt revised efficiency standards contained in the ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999 because the revised levels are less stringent than the current national standard. In addition, DOE has decided to conduct a separate rulemaking to consider whether standards at higher levels than those in the ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999 are warranted for packaged terminal air conditioners and packaged terminal heat pumps. Finally, DOE has concluded it does not have the authority to adopt, as uniform national standards, efficiency standards contained in Addenda f and b, respectively, to ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 for three-phase air conditioners and heat pumps with cooling capacities less than 65,000 British thermal units per hour, and single-package vertical air conditioners and single-package vertical heat pumps with cooling capacities less than 65,000 Btu/h.