[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57854-57856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28552]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Granting of 
the Application for Interim Waiver and Publishing of the Petition for 
Waiver of Consolidated Industries From the DOE Furnace Test Procedure 
(Case No. F-082)

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Today's notice grants an Interim Waiver to Consolidated 
Industries (Consolidated) from the existing Department of Energy (DOE 
or Department) test procedure regarding blower time delay for the 
company's USA and UCA series furnaces.
    Today's notice also publishes a ``Petition for Waiver'' from 
Consolidated. Consolidated Petition for Waiver requests DOE to grant 
relief from the DOE furnace test procedure relating to the blower time 
delay specification. Consolidated seeks to test using a blower delay 
time of 30 seconds for its USA and UCA series furnaces instead of the 
specified 1.5-minute delay between burner on-time and blower on-time. 
The Department is soliciting comments, data, and information respecting 
the Petition for Waiver.

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information not later than 
December 22, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and statements shall be sent to: Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Case No. 
F-082, Mail Stop EE-43, Room 1J-108, Forestall Building, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-7140.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Mail Station EE-431, Forestall 
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 
586-9138
Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General 
Counsel, Mail Station GC-72, Forestall Building, 1000 Independence 
Avenue 

[[Page 57855]]
SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Energy Conservation Program for Consumer 
Products (other than automobiles) was established pursuant to the 
Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, (EPCA), which requires 
DOE to prescribe standardized test procedures to measure the energy 
consumption of certain consumer products, including furnaces. The 
intent of the test procedures is to provide a comparable measure of 
energy consumption that will assist consumers in making purchasing 
decisions. These test procedures appear at 10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B.
    The test procedure rules provide for a waiver process and allow the 
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 
(Assistant Secretary) to grant an Interim Waiver from test procedure 
requirements to manufacturers that have petitioned DOE for a waiver of 
such prescribed test procedures. 10 CFR Part 430, Sec. 430.27. The 
waiver process allows the Assistant Secretary to waive temporarily test 
procedures for a particular basic model when a petitioner shows that 
the basic model contains one or more design characteristics which 
prevent testing according to the prescribed test procedures, or when 
the prescribed test procedures may evaluate the basic model in a manner 
so unrepresentative of its true energy consumption as to provide 
materially inaccurate comparative data. Waivers generally remain in 
effect until final test procedure amendments become effective, 
resolving the problem that is the subject of the waiver.
    An Interim Waiver may be granted when it is determined that the 
applicant will experience economic hardship if the Application for 
Interim Waiver is denied, if it appears likely that the Petition for 
Waiver will be granted, or the Assistant Secretary determines that it 
would be desirable for public policy reasons to grant immediate relief 
pending a determination on the Petition for Waiver. 10 CFR Part 430, 
Sec. 430.27(e). An Interim Waiver remains in effect for a period of 180 
days or until DOE issues its determination on the Petition for Waiver, 
whichever is sooner, and may be extended for an additional 180 days, if 
necessary.
    On April 26, 1995, Consolidated filed an Application for Interim 
Waiver and a Petition for Waiver regarding blower time delay. 
Consolidated Application seeks an Interim Waiver from the DOE test 
provisions that require a 1.5-minute time delay between the ignition of 
the burner and starting of the circulating air blower. Instead, 
Consolidated requests the allowance to test using a 30-second blower 
time delay when testing its USA and UCA series furnaces. Consolidated 
states that the 30-second delay is indicative of how these furnaces 
actually operate. Such a delay results in an average furnace AFUE 
improvement of 1.0 percent. Since current DOE test procedures do not 
address this variable blower time delay, Consolidated asks that the 
Interim Waiver be granted.
    The Department has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on 
August 23, 1993 (58 FR 44583), to amend the furnace test procedure, 
which addresses the above issue.
    Previous Petitions for Waiver for this type of time blower delay 
control have been granted by DOE to Coleman Company, 50 FR 2710, 
January 18, 1985; Magic Chef Company, 50 FR 41553, October 11, 1985; 
Rheem Manufacturing Company, 53 FR 48574, December 1, 1988, 56 FR 2920, 
January 25, 1991, 57 FR 10166, March 24, 1992, 57 FR 34560, August 5, 
1992; 59 FR 30577, June 14, 1994, and 59 FR 55470, November 7, 1994; 
Trane Company, 54 FR 19226, May 4, 1989, 56 FR 6021, February 14, 1991, 
57 FR 10167, March 24, 1992, 57 FR 22222, May 27, 1992, and 58 FR 
68138, December 23, 1993; Lennox Industries, 55 FR 50224, December 5, 
1990, 57 FR 49700, November 3, 1992, 58 FR 68136, December 23, 1993, 
and 58 FR 68137, December 23, 1993; Inter-City Products Corporation, 55 
FR 51487, December 14, 1990, and 56 FR 63945, December 6, 1991; DMO 
Industries, 56 FR 4622, February 5, 1991, and 59 FR 30579, June 14, 
1994; Heil-Quaker Corporation, 56 FR 6019, February 14, 1991; Carrier 
Corporation, 56 FR 6018, February 14, 1991, 57 FR 38830, August 27, 
1992, 58 FR 68131, December 23, 1993, 58 FR 68133, December 23, 1993 
and 59 FR 14394, March 28, 1994; Amana Refrigeration Inc., 56 FR 27958, 
June 18, 1991, 56 FR 63940, December 6, 1991, 57 FR 23392, June 3, 
1992, and 58 FR 68130, December 23, 1993; Snyder General Corporation, 
56 FR 54960, September 9, 1991; Goodman Manufacturing Corporation, 56 
FR 51713, October 15, 1991, 57 FR 27970, June 23, 1992 and 59 FR 12586, 
March 17, 1994; The Ducane Company Inc., 56 FR 63943, December 6, 1991, 
57 FR 10163, March 24, 1992, and 58 FR 68134, December 23, 1993; 
Armstrong Air Conditioning, Inc., 57 FR 899, January 9, 1992, 57 FR 
10160, March 24, 1992, 57 FR 10161, March 24, 1992, 57 FR 39193, August 
28, 1992, 57 FR 54230, November 17, 1992, and 59 FR 30575, June 14, 
1994; Thermo Products, Inc., 57 FR 903, January 9, 1992; Consolidated 
Industries Corporation, 57 FR 22220, May 27, 1992; Evcon Industries, 
Inc., 57 FR 47847, October 20, 1992, and 59 FR 46968, September 13, 
1994; Bard Manufacturing Company, 57 FR 53733, November 12, 1992, and 
59 FR 30578, June 14, 1994; and York International Corporation, 59 FR 
46969, September 13, 1994, and 60 FR 100, January 3, 1995.
    Thus, it appears likely that this Petition for Waiver for blower 
time delay will be granted. In those instances where the likely success 
of the Petition for Waiver has been demonstrated based upon DOE having 
granted a waiver for a similar product design, it is in the public 
interest to have similar products tested and rated for energy 
consumption on a comparable basis.
    Therefore, based on the above, DOE is granting Consolidated an 
Interim Waiver for its USA and UCA series furnaces. Consolidated shall 
be permitted to test its USA and UCA series furnaces on the basis of 
the test procedures specified in 10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B, Appendix 
N, with the modification set forth below:
    (I) Section 3.0 in Appendix N is deleted and replaced with the 
following paragraph:
    3.0  Test Procedure. Testing and measurements shall be as specified 
in Section 9 in ANSI/ASHRAE 103-82 with the exception of Sections 
9.2.2, 9.3.1, and 9.3.2, and the inclusion of the following additional 
procedures:
    (ii) Add a new paragraph 3.10 in Appendix N as follows:
    3.10  Gas- and Oil-Fueled Central Furnaces. After equilibrium 
conditions are achieved following the cool-down test and the required 
measurements performed, turn on the furnace and measure the flue gas 
temperature, using the thermocouple grid described above, at 0.5 and 
2.5 minutes after the main burner(s) comes on. After the burner start-
up, delay the blower start-up by 1.5 minutes (t-) unless: (1) The 
furnace employs a single motor to drive the power burner and the indoor 
air circulation blower, in which case the burner and blower shall be 
started together; or (2) the furnace is designed to operate using an 
unvarying delay time that is other than 1.5 minutes, in which case the 
fan control shall be permitted to start the blower; or (3) the delay 
time results in the activation of a temperature safety device which 
shuts off the burner, in which case the fan control shall be permitted 
to start the blower. In the latter case, if the fan control is 
adjustable, set it to start the blower at the highest temperature. If 
the fan control is permitted to start the blower, measure time delay 
(t-) using a 

[[Page 57856]]
stop watch. Record the measured temperatures. During the heat-up test 
for oil-fueled furnaces, maintain the draft in the flue pipe within 
0.01 inch of water column of the manufacturer's recommended 
on-period draft.
    This Interim Waiver is based upon the presumed validity of 
statements and all allegations submitted by the company. This Interim 
Waiver may be removed or modified at any time upon a determination that 
the factual basis underlying the application is incorrect.
    The Interim Waiver shall remain in effect for a period of 180 days 
or until DOE acts on the Petition for Waiver, whichever is sooner, and 
may be extended for an additional 180-day period, if necessary.
    Consolidated's Petition for Waiver requested DOE to grant relief 
from the DOE furnace test procedure relating to the blower time delay 
specification. Consolidated seeks to test using a blower delay time of 
30 seconds for its USA and UCA series furnaces instead of the specified 
1.5-minute delay between burner on-time and blower on-time. Pursuant to 
paragraph (b) of 10 CFR 430.27, DOE is hereby publishing the ``Petition 
for Waiver'' in its entirety. The Petition contains no confidential 
information. The Department solicits comments, data, and information 
respecting the Petition.

    Issued in Washington, DC, November 13, 1995.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
April 26, 1995.
Assistant Secretary of Conservation and Renewable Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
D.C. 20585.
    Gentlemen: This Petition for Waiver and Application for Interim 
Waiver is submitted in compliance with Title 10 CFR 430.27. This 
request is for modification to the Test Procedures for Measuring the 
Energy Consumption of Furnaces found in Appendix N to Subpart B of 
Part 430.
    The current test procedure uses a 1.5 minute time delay between 
the burner start-up and the blower start-up. Consolidated 
Industries' USA series and UCA series furnaces utilize a 30 second 
nonadjustable fixed time delay between the burner ignition and 
blower start-up. For the USA series and UCA series furnaces, 
Consolidated Industries is requesting that the fixed time delay be 
substituted for the current test procedures' 1.5 minute time delay.
    We submit that the test procedure using 1.5 minute blower start-
up time delay requires a bypass of the furnace safety limit switch 
and does not represent the true product performance and efficiency. 
The USA and UCA series furnaces have lightweight, compact heat 
exchangers that were designed to heat up very quickly with an 
ensuing blower start-up time optimized at 30 seconds. The advanced 
heat exchanger design along with improved operating controls has 
improved the efficiency of this furnace in such a way that the 
current standard does not credit Consolidated Industries for the 
true efficiency improvements to this furnace. The product 
performance will be more accurately depicted using the proposed 
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 that accounts for the design flexibility 
and improvement without the penalty incurred by using the current 
test procedure. The test results show an average of 1.0% improvement 
in AFUE using the 30 second fixed time delay.
    Other manufacturers have been granted similar waivers for 
similar reasons.
    Data and documentation can be supplied at your request.
    This waiver request letter has been sent to GAMA and gas furnace 
manufacturers that market similar products.

    Sincerely,
Gerald K. Gable,
Vice President of Engineering.
[FR Doc. 95-28552 Filed 11-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P