Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy May 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver from AHT Cooling Systems GmbH and AHT Cooling Systems USA Inc. (AHT) seeking an exemption from specified portions of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the energy consumption of commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator- freezers (collectively ``commercial refrigeration equipment'') under the regulations. AHT seeks to use an alternate test procedure to address issues involved in testing forty-eight basic models identified by AHT as part of its petition that do not have a typical defrosting cycle (i.e., the cooling coils are built into the body of the units and require defrosting once or twice per week). Consequently, AHT seeks to test and rate these basic models as ice cream freezers only and to use an alternate two-part test procedure to account for the infrequent defrosts. This notice also announces that DOE is declining to grant AHT an interim waiver regarding multi-mode operation, but DOE is granting an interim waiver to address the defrost cycles, with modifications to AHT's requested approach. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning AHT's petition and its suggested alternate test procedure to inform its final decision.

The U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'') gives notice of a Decision and Order (Case No. RF-043) that grants to Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Systems Corporation of America (``PAPRSA'') a waiver from the DOE test procedure for determining the energy consumption of electric refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers. Under this Decision and Order, PAPRSA is required to test and rate specified basic models of its combination cooler-refrigerators in accordance with the applicable DOE test procedure, with the exception that it must calculate energy consumption using a correction factor (``K-factor'') of 0.85.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends to extend for three years with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the EERE Environmental Questionnaire (OMB No. 1910- 5175). Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of DOE, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of DOE's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.