Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedures for Certain Consumer Products and Commercial Equipment; Corrections

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY <CFR>10 CFR Parts 429, 430, and 431</CFR> <DEPDOC>[EERE-2023-BT-CE-0001]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedures for Certain Consumer Products and Commercial Equipment; Corrections</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule; correcting amendments. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) is publishing a final rule to amend and correct certain energy conservation standards and test procedures of consumer products and commercial and industrial equipment, as described in sections I and II of this document. The changes addressed in this document are technical in nature, and neither the errors nor the corrections in this document affect the substance of any rulemaking or any conclusions reached in support of any final rule. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> <E T="03">Effective Date:</E> January 21, 2025. The incorporation by reference of certain material listed in this rule was approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of September 30, 2022, April 24, 2023, June 5, 2023, and June 14, 2023. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Mr. Troy Watson, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Office, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 449-9387. Email: <E T="03">ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov.</E> Mr. Eric Stas. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-4798. Email: <E T="03">Eric.Stas@hq.doe.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Automatic Commercial Ice Makers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Integrated Light-Emitting Diode Lamps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. General Service Lamps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Uninterruptible Power Supplies</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Water Heaters</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Portable Air Conditioners</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, and Freezers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Commercial Package Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Distribution Transformers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">K. Circulator Pumps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">L. Commercial and Industrial Pumps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Need for Correction</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Automatic Commercial Ice Makers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Integrated Light-Emitting Diode Lamps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. General Service Lamps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Uninterruptible Power Supplies</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Water Heaters</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Portable Air Conditioners</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, and Freezers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Commercial Package Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Distribution Transformers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">K. Circulator Pumps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">L. Commercial and Industrial Pumps</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Approval of the Office of the Secretary</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Background</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Automatic Commercial Ice Makers</HD> On November 1, 2022, DOE published a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> amending the test procedure for automatic commercial ice makers (“ACIMs”) (87 FR 65856; “November 2022 ACIM Final Rule”). As part of the November 2022 ACIM Final Rule, DOE codified certification requirements for ACIMs at title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”) 429.45. However, in the publication of the November 2022 ACIM Final Rule, DOE inadvertently updated 10 CFR 429.45(a)(2)(ii) with a typographical error in the formula for the upper 95-percent confidence limit (“UCL”) which used a “minus” sign instead of a “plus” sign between the terms of the UCL formula ( <E T="03">see</E> 87 FR 65856, 65899 (Nov. 1, 2022)). This document identifies and corrects this error. <HD SOURCE="HD2">B. Integrated Light-Emitting Diode Lamps</HD> On July 1, 2016, DOE published a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> amending the test procedure for integrated light-emitting diode (“LED”) lamps (81 FR 43404; “July 2016 Integrated LED Lamps Final Rule”). In the July 2016 Integrated LED Lamps Final Rule, DOE adopted the requirement that testing of lumen output, input power, lamp efficacy, power factor, correlated color temperature (“CCT”), color rendering index (“CRI”), lifetime, and standby mode power (if applicable) for integrated LED lamps be conducted by test laboratories accredited by National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (“NVLAP”) or an accrediting organization recognized by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (“ILAC”), as codified at 10 CFR 429.56(b)(2). Further, in the July 2016 Integrated LED Lamps Final Rule, DOE provided that it would state directly that accreditation by an Accreditation Body that is a signatory member to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (“MRA”) is an acceptable means of laboratory accreditation. 81 FR 43404, 43419 (July 1, 2016). However, DOE inadvertently did not update the certification requirements for integrated LED lamps in 10 CFR 429.56(b)(2) to reflect this statement. This document identifies and corrects this error by specifying in 10 CFR 429.56(b)(2) that the certification report must include the testing laboratory's ILAC accreditation body's identification number or other approved identification assigned by the ILAC accreditation body. Additionally, in the July 2016 Integrated LED Lamps Final Rule, DOE inadvertently updated 10 CFR 429.56(b)(2) to specify that lifetime be reported in years. As indicated in the determinations of their represented values in 10 CFR 429.56(a)(1)(ii)(D) and 10 CFR 429.56(a)(2), respectively, lifetime must be reported in hours and life must be reported in years. This document identifies and corrects this error. <HD SOURCE="HD2">C. General Service Lamps</HD> On August 31, 2022, DOE published a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> amending the test procedure for general service fluorescent lamps (“GSFLs”), incandescent reflector lamps (“IRLs”), and general service incandescent lamps (“GSILs”) (87 FR 53618; “August 2022 Lamps Final Rule”). In the August 2022 Lamps Final Rule, DOE reorganized 10 CFR 429.27 to apply only to GSFLs (as opposed to GSFLs, GSILs, and IRLs), establishing new sections 10 CFR 429.55 for IRLs and 10 CFR 429.66 for GSILs, so that each lamp type ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> GSFL, IRL, GSIL) has its own section within 10 CFR part 429. 87 FR 53618, 53629 (August 31, 2022). However, as part of the August 2022 Lamps Final Rule, DOE inadvertently did not update the certification requirements for general service lamps (“GSLs”) in 10 CFR 429.57 to change references to 10 CFR 429.27 to reflect this reorganization. Specifically, 10 CFR 429.57(a)(2), (a)(5) and (b)(3) refer to certification requirements for GSILs at 10 CFR 429.27 when they should reference 10 CFR 429.66. This document identifies and corrects this error. Additionally, in the August 2022 Lamps Final Rule DOE clarified the definition of “rated wattage” in 10 CFR 430.2, which included replacing the references to appendix R with references to the relevant sections in 10 CFR part 429. 87 FR 53618, 53629 (August 31, 2022). However, in making this update, with respect to GSILs, DOE inadvertently referenced 10 CFR 429.27 instead of 10 CFR 429.66 (see paragraph (2) of the “rated wattage” definition in 10 CFR 430.2). This document identifies and corrects this error. <HD SOURCE="HD2">D. Uninterruptible Power Supplies</HD> On September 8, 2022, DOE published a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> amending the battery charger portion of the battery charger and uninterruptible power supply (“UPS”) test procedure at 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix Y (“appendix Y”) (87 FR 55090, “September 2022 Battery Charger Final Rule”). The final rule also created a new test procedure for both products at 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix Y1 (“appendix Y1”) that expanded the scope of the battery charger test method and established separate metrics for active mode, standby mode, and off mode for all battery chargers other than uninterruptible power supplies. Manufacturers must continue to use the amended test procedure in appendix Y until the compliance date of any new final rule establishing amended energy conservation standards based on the newly established test procedure in appendix Y1 (although early compliance is permitted). 87 FR 55090, 55122 (Sept. 8. 2022). After the compliance date of new standards for battery chargers other than UPSs using these new metrics, manufacturers may no longer use appendix Y and instead will be required to determine compliance using the updated test procedure at appendix Y1. <E T="03">Id.</E> at 87 FR 55125. On April 19, 2024, DOE published a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> (“April 2024 UPS Final Rule”) amending the UPS test procedure in appendix Y and appendix Y1, which incorporated by reference relevant portions of the latest version of the relevant industry testing standard, harmonized the current DOE definitions with the definitions in the latest version of the industry standard, and added a no-load testing condition as an optional test. 89 FR 28581. DOE has identified a r ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 89k characters. 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