[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4202-4203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2173]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
10 CFR Part 430

[Docket No. EE-RM-94-230]
RIN 1904-AA88


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Notice of 
Public Workshop on Residential Water Heater Test Procedures

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

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: In today's notice, the Department of Energy (the Department or 
DOE) is convening a public workshop for water heaters to discuss 
comments received on its notice of proposed rulemaking and from the 
public hearing. All persons are hereby given notice of the opportunity 
to attend and participate in the public workshop.

DATES: The public workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 12, 
1997, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the comments may be obtained from: U.S. Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Forrestal 
Building, Mail Stop: EE-43, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 
DC 20585, (202) 586-7574. These documents may be read at the DOE 
Freedom of Information Reading Room, U.S. DOE, Forrestal Building, Room 
1E-190, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-
6020, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    The public workshop will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy, 
Room 1E-245, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Bryan Berringer, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Stop EE-43, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-
0371; or
Ms. Sandy Beall, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Mail Stop EE-43, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-7574.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 23, 1995, the Department of Energy 
published a notice of Proposed Rule and Public Hearing on proposed 
amendments to clarify the water heater; kitchen range, oven, and 
microwave; and clothes washer test procedures. (60 FR 15330, March 23, 
1995) The notice requested data and comments until the close of comment 
period on August 31, 1995 (Docket No: EE-RM-94-230). A public hearing 
was held on July 12, 1995.
    The Department is convening a public workshop for water heaters to 
discuss the large number of comments received on the notice and from 
the public hearing. The Department seeks to gather additional 
information and/or data on certain unresolved issues being considered 
by the Department in its development of the Final Rule for Water Heater 
Test Procedure.
    The tentative topics and issues to be discussed at the February 12, 
1997, public workshop include the following:
1. First Hour Rating for Storage-Type Water Heaters
     Should DOE consider the 1979 test method (44 FR 52632, 
September 7, 1979) for measuring first hour rating?
     Should DOE retain the current test method (55 FR 42162, 
October 17, 1990) for measuring first hour rating?
     Should DOE adopt the 1995 proposed test method (60 FR 
15330, March 23, 1995) for measuring first hour rating (with revision 
to include a temperature correction factor of 120 deg.F for each draw 
if an internal mixing device is used)?
     Should DOE adopt the alternate test method proposed by Dr. 
Carl Hiller of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) (EE-RM-94-230, 
No. 17)?
2. Instantaneous water heaters
     Do oil-fired instantaneous water heaters exist in the 
marketplace, and, if so, should test procedures be developed for them?
     Should test procedures be developed for single point-of-
use type electric instantaneous water heaters?
     Should DOE adopt an alternate first-hour rating method for 
instantaneous water heaters using a maximum draw rate at a temperature 
rise of 77  deg.F as proposed by Gas Appliance Manufacturers 
Association (GAMA) (EE-RM-94-230, No. 1 & 35), or a temperature rise of 
50  deg.F as proposed by Edison Electric Institute (EEI) (EE-RM-94-230, 
No. 2 & 27) and EPRI (EE-RM-94-230, No. 17)?
3. Storage-type water heaters with rated storage capacities of less 
than 20 gallons
     Should test procedures developed for storage-type water 
heaters be applied to storage-type water heaters with rated storage 
capacities of less than 20 gallons?
     If so, should the draw rate and daily draw volume in 
ASHRAE Standard 118.2--1993, as referenced in the 1995 DOE proposed 
rule, be used in the 24-hour simulated use test for storage-type water 
heaters with rated storage capacities of less than 20 gallons? Or 
should some other draw rate and total daily drawn volume be used?
     Should test procedures be developed for storage-type water 
heaters with rated storage capacities of less than 10 gallons (single 
point-of-use type heaters)?
4. Daily hot water usage
     Does the daily usage assumed in the current test 
procedures, 64.3 gallons, reflect realistic daily hot water usage, and 
if not, what volume should it be?
     How will the Energy Factor be affected if testing were 
conducted at a daily hot water usage volume other than 64.3 gallons?
5. Thermostat settings
     Should the current setting of 135  deg.F be lowered to 120 
 deg.F to reflect manufacturers' recommendation that thermostat setting 
be set at a lower setting to avoid potential scalding?
     How will the Energy Factor be effected if testing were 
conducted at a thermostat setting of 120  deg.F?
6. Test procedures for heat pump water heaters
     Does the current test procedure (draw schedule of six 
hourly draws of 10.7 gallons per draw) provide operating conditions 
which would allow the resistance element(s) to be activated?
     Should DOE consider an alternate draw schedule to be used 
in the 24-hr simulated use test for heat pump water heaters and if so, 
what should this draw schedule be?
     How will the Energy Factor be effected if testing were 
conducted using different alternate draw schedules?
7. Definitions for heat pump water heaters, add-on heat pump water 
heaters, integral heat pump water heaters, solar water heaters, and 
heat pump water heater storage tanks
     Should any of the proposed definition be adopted by DOE?
     Should any proposed definition be revised and if so, which 
one(s) and how should it (they) be revised?
     Which, if any proposed definition should be completely 
deleted?
    After completion of the workshop, the Department will review all of 
the findings and other recommendations. The Department will use this 
information to develop the final rule for the water heater test 
procedures. The workshop will be professionally facilitated.
    Please notify Mr. Bryan Berringer at the above listed address of 
your

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intention to attend the workshop, or if you wish to be added to the DOE 
mailing list for receipt of future rules and information concerning 
water heater matters relating to energy efficiency.

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 22, 1997.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 97-2173 Filed 1-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P