Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Furnace Fans

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY <CFR>10 CFR Part 430</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. EERE-2025-BT-STD-0038]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1904-AG03</RIN> <SUBJECT>Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Furnace Fans</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Request for information. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is considering whether to revise its existing regulations regarding the energy conservation standards for consumer furnace fans adopted under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). DOE is initiating this effort through this request for information (RFI) to invite public input on appropriate standard levels that are technologically feasible, economically justified, and result in significant conservation of energy. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> <E T="03">Comments:</E> Written comments and information are requested and will be accepted on or before June 16, 2025. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> under docket number EERE-2025-BT-STD-0038. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Alternatively, interested persons may submit comments, identified by docket number EERE-2025-BT-STD-0038 and or regulatory identification number (RIN) 1904-AG03, by any of the following methods: (1) <E T="03">Email: FurnaceFans2025STD0038@ee.doe.gov.</E> Include the docket number EERE-2025-BT-STD-0038 and/or RIN 1904-AG03 in the subject line of the message. Submit electronic comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or ASCII file format, and avoid the use of special characters or any form of encryption. (2) <E T="03">Postal Mail:</E> Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. If possible, please submit all items on a compact disc (CD), in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies. (3) <E T="03">Hand Delivery/Courier:</E> Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 287- 1445. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies. No telefacsimiles (faxes) will be accepted. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information on this process, see section IV (Public Participation) of this document. <E T="03">Docket:</E> The docket for this rulemaking, which includes <E T="04">Federal Register</E> notices, comments, and other supporting documents and materials, is available for review at <E T="03">www.regulations.gov.</E> All documents in the docket are listed in the <E T="03">www.regulations.gov</E> index. However, not all documents listed in the index may be publicly available, such as information that is exempt from public disclosure. The docket web page can be found at <E T="03">www.regulations.gov/docket/EERE-2025-BT-STD-0038.</E> The docket web page contains instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments, in the docket, as well as a summary of the rulemaking. See section IV, “Public Participation,” for further information on how to submit comments through <E T="03">www.regulations.gov.</E> In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4), a summary of this rule may be found at <E T="03">regulations.gov</E> , under the docket number EERE-2025-BT-STD-0038. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Mr. David Taggart, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, GC-1, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-5281. Email: <E T="03">DOEGeneralCounsel@hq.doe.gov.</E> For further information on how to submit a comment or review other public comments and the docket, contact the Appliance and Equipment Standards Program staff at (202) 287-1445 or by email: <E T="03">ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Discussion</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Public Participation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">V. Approval of the Office of the Secretary</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Authority</HD> Among other things, EPCA, Public Law 94-163 (42 U.S.C. 6291-6317, as codified), authorizes DOE to regulate the energy efficiency of a number of consumer products and certain industrial equipment. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> Title III, Part B  <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> of EPCA established the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles. These products include consumer furnace fans, <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> the subject of this document. 42 U.S.C. 6295(f)(4)(D). Specifically, EPCA directed DOE to establish energy conservation standards for electricity used for the purpose of circulating air through ductwork. <E T="03">Id.</E> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  All references to EPCA in this document refer to the statute as amended through the Energy Act of 2020, Public Law 116-260 (Dec. 27, 2020), which reflects the last statutory amendments that impact Parts A and A-1 of EPCA. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  For editorial reasons, upon codification in the U.S. Code, Part B was redesignated Part A. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  The statute directs DOE to prescribe energy conservation standards or energy use standards for “electricity used for purposes of circulating air through duct work.” DOE colloquially refers to such products as “furnace fans.” </FTNT> The energy conservation program under EPCA consists essentially of four parts: (1) testing; (2) labeling; (3) the establishment of Federal energy conservation standards, and (4) certification and enforcement procedures. Relevant provisions of EPCA specifically include definitions (42 U.S.C. 6291), test procedures (42 U.S.C. 6293), labeling provisions (42 U.S.C. 6294), energy conservation standards (42 U.S.C. 6295), and the authority to require information and reports from manufacturers (42 U.S.C. 6296). Federal energy efficiency requirements for covered products established under EPCA generally supersede State laws and regulations concerning energy conservation testing, labeling, and standards. 42 U.S.C. 6297(a)-(c). DOE may, however, grant waivers of Federal preemption in limited circumstances for particular State laws or regulations, in accordance with the procedures and other provisions set forth under EPCA. 42 U.S.C. 6297(d). Subject to certain criteria and conditions, DOE is required to develop test procedures to measure the energy efficiency, energy use, or estimated annual operating cost of each covered product. 42 U.S.C. 6295(o)(3)(A);42 U.S.C. 6295(r). The DOE test procedures for consumer furnace fans appear at title 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix AA. Not later than six years after the issuance of any final rule establishing or amending a standard, DOE must publish either a notice of proposed determination (NOPD) that standards for the product do not need to be amended, or a NOPR including new proposed energy conservation standards (proceeding to a final rule, as appropriate). 42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(1),(3). EPCA further provides that, not later than three years the issuance of a final determination not to amend standards, DOE must publish either a notification of determination that standards for the product do not need to be amended, or a NOPR including new proposed energy conservation standards (proceeding to a final rule, as appropriate). 42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(3)(B). DOE must make the analysis on which a NOPD or NOPR is based publicly available and provide an opportunity for written comment. 42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(2). <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. Background</HD> DOE completed the rulemaking required under 42 U.S.C. 6295(f)(4)(D) by publishing a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> on July 3, 2014 (“July 2014 Final Rule”), through which the Department prescribed the current energy conservation standards for consumer furnace fans manufactured on and after July 3, 2019. 79 FR 38130. These standards are set forth in DOE's regulations at 10 CFR 430.32(y) and are shown in Table II.1. <GPOTABLE COLS="2" OPTS="L2,i1" CDEF="s150,25"> <TTITLE>Table II.1—Federal Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Furnace Fans</TTITLE> <CHED H="1">Furnace fan product class *</CHED> <CHED H="1"> Fan energy rating ** (watts/1,000 cubic feet <ENT I="01">Non-Weatherized, Non-Condensing Gas (“NWG-NC”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.044 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 182 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Non-Weatherized, Condensing Gas (“NWG-C”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.044 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 195 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Weatherized, Non-Condensing Gas (“WG-NC”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.044 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 199 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Non-Weatherized, Non-Condensing Oil Furnace Fan (“NWO-NC”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.071 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 382 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Non-Weatherized Electric Furnace/Modular Blower Fan (“NWEF/NWMB”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.044 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 165 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Mobile Home Non-Weatherized, Non-Condensing Gas Furnace Fan (“MH-NWG-NC”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.071 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 222 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Mobile Home Non-Weatherized, Condensing Gas Furnace Fan (“MH-NWG-C”)</ENT> <ENT> FER = 0.071 * Q <E T="0732">max</E> + 240 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 20k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━