Energy conservation: Commercial and industrial equipment; energy efficiency program Commercial heating, air-conditioning, and water heating equipment,
[Federal Register: March 13, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 48)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 12634-12647]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13mr06-8]
Proposed Rules Federal Register
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
[[Page 12634]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
10 CFR Part 431
[Docket Nos. EE-RM/STD-03-100, EE-RM/STD-03-200, and EE-RM/STD-03-300]
RIN Nos. 1904-AB16, 1904-AB17, and 1904-AB44
Energy Efficiency Program for Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Efficiency Standards for Commercial Heating, Air- Conditioning and Water Heating Equipment
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of document availability and request for comments.
SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended, establishes energy efficiency standards for various commercial equipment. The Department of Energy (the Department or DOE) is assessing whether to adopt, as uniform national standards, efficiency standards contained in amendments to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Standard 90.1 for certain types of commercial equipment. Such commercial equipment includes gas-fired instantaneous water heaters, packaged terminal air conditioners and heat pumps, commercial packaged boilers, three-phase air conditioners and heat pumps Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: ASHRAE.Product.Rule@ee.doe.gov. Include EE-RM/STD- 03-100, EE-RM/STD-03-200, and EE-RM/STD-03-300 and/or RIN 1904-AB16, 1904-AB17, and 1904-AB44 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards-Jones, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, ASHRAE Commercial Five- Products Standards, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. Please submit one signed original paper copy.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards-Jones, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Room 1J-018, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) for this proceeding. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the proceeding, see section III of this document (Public Participation).
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents and the TSD, or comments received, go to the U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 1J-018 (Resource Room of the Building Technologies Program), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, (202) 586-9127, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Please call Ms. Brenda Edwards-Jones at the above telephone number for additional information regarding visiting the Resource Room. Please note: The Department's Freedom of Information Reading Room (formerly Room 1E-190 at the Forrestal Building) is no longer housing rulemaking materials. The docket will also be posted to the Federal Docket Management System through the Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov) after the comment period closes.
You can also obtain the report of DOE's screening analysis (discussed below) and the TSD electronically from DOE's Building Technologies Program's Web site at the following URL address: http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/ .
This notice refers to industry standards established by ASHRAE and IESNA in ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (Standard 90.1). The revisions of Standard 90.1 are referred to by year of publication. For example, the 1999 revision is referred to below as Standard 90.1-1999. This standard is available at the Resource Room of the Building Technologies Program at the address stated above. Copies are also available by mail from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc., 1971 Tullie Circle, NE., Atlanta, GA 30329, or electronically from ASHRAE's Web site, http://www.ashrae.org/book/bookshop.htm .
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maureen Murphy, Project Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-9127, or e-mail: Maureen.Murphy@ee.doe.gov.
Francine Pinto, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel, GC-72, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585- 0103, (202) 586-9507, or electronic mail: Francine.Pinto@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Introduction
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Authority
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Background
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ASHRAE Amendment of Standard 90.1 and DOE Response
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Subsequent Action by the Department
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The Energy Policy Act of 2005 II. Discussion
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Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners and Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps
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Small Commercial Packaged Boilers
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Large Commercial Packaged Boilers and Tankless, Gas-Fired Instantaneous Water Heaters
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Three-Phase Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps =65 kBtu/h and =65 kBtu/h and =135 kBtu/h and =135 kBtu/h and 300 kBtu/h........... Combustion
Thermal
None. 2,500 kBtu/h......... Combustion
Combustion
None. Efficiency\*\: Efficiency\*\: 80% Gas, 83% Oil. 80% Gas, 83% Oil. Tankless, Gas-Fired
VThree-Phase Split-System, Air-Cooled Air Conditioners Three-Phase Single-Package, Air-Cooled Air Conditioners Three-Phase Split-System, Air-Cooled Heat Pumps Three-Phase Single-Package, Air-Cooled Heat Pumps Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners
Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps
Small, Gas-fired Boilers 0.3-2.5 Million Btu/h (MMBtu/h)
Small, Oil-fired Boilers 0.3-2.5 MMBtu/h
Large, Gas-fired Boilers >=2.5 MMBtu/h
Large, Oil-fired Boilers >=2.5 MMBtu/h
Tankless, Gas-Fired Instantaneous Water Heaters
Single-Package Vertical Air Conditioners \2\
Single-Package Vertical Heat Pumps \3\
\2\ Because of the circumstances described in footnote 1, DOE did not address SPVACs in the screening analysis it originally conducted.
\3\ Because of the circumstances described in footnote 1, DOE did not address SPVACs in the screening analysis it originally conducted.
The screening analysis results for these equipment categories are shown in Table I.3, except for the oil-fired packaged boilers and SPVUs, which DOE did not study in the screening analysis. For each equipment category, Table I.3 shows the efficiency level corresponding to the lowest average LCC and highest NPV, taking into account both the costs of efficiency improvements and the savings from reduced energy consumption. Each efficiency level is above the level specified in Standard 90.1-1999. Table I.3 also shows the following potential benefits, which the screening analysis estimates for the period from 2004 to 2030, from setting a standard at the higher level:
The estimated nationwide energy savings, expressed in trillions of British thermal units (Tbtu);
The estimated net nationwide direct economic benefit, represented by the NPV; and
The estimated reductions in atmospheric carbon emissions, in millions of tons.
Table I.3.--Energy Savings, Net Present Value and Carbon Emission Reductions From 2004 to 2030 at Energy Efficiency Levels Corresponding to Lowest Life-Cycle Cost [Source: screening analysis]
Relative to ASHRAE standard 90.1-1999
National Equipment category
Efficiency level at National National total carbon minimum life-cylce cost energy savings NPV (millions emission (TBtu) of 1998 $'s) reductions (million tons)
3-Phase, Single-Package Air-Source Air 12.0 SEER...............
1412.7
897.7
21 Conditioners, =2.5 MMBtu/h. Tankless, Gas-Fired Instantaneous 81.5%...................
102.0
45.3
2 Water Heaters.
\*\ Efficiency shown is shipment-weighted averaged value of Large, Steam Commercial Packaged Boilers (76-81 percent), and Large, Hot Water Commercial Packaged Boilers (78-88 percent). \**\ PTAC/PTHP minimum LCC EER values are based on capacity-weighted shipments.
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Subsequent Action by the Department
The Department has further reviewed the energy savings potential and the efficiency levels in Standard 90.1-1999 for four out of the five types of equipment, as set forth in the TSD. Table I.4 summarizes the Department's actions for each product in today's notice.
Table I.4.--Summary of DOE's Actions by Product
Product
DOE's action
PTACs and PTHPs........................ Seek a more stringent standard. Small, Commercial Packaged Boilers..... Reject Standard 90.1-1999 efficiency levels. Tankless, Gas-Fired IWHs............... The Department does not have authority to pursue a standard level higher than those specified in Standard 90.1- 1999. Large, Commercial Packaged Boilers..... The Department does not have authority to pursue a standard level higher than those specified in Standard 90.1- 1999. Three-phase ACs and HPs =65,000 Btu/h to =135,000 Btu/h to =240,00 Btu/h to =65,000 Btu/h to =65,000 but =135,000 but =65,000 Btu/h but =65,000 Btu/h but
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