[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16146-16147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8637]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
[Case No. F-089]


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Granting of 
the Application for Interim Waiver and Publishing of the Petition for 
Waiver of Rheem Manufacturing Company From the DOE Furnace Test 
Procedure

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 Rheem Manufacturing 
Company (Rheem) from the existing Department of Energy (DOE or 
Department) test procedure regarding blower time delay for the 
company's GFD upflow residential, modulating type, gas-fired furnaces.
    Today's notice also publishes a ``Petition for Waiver'' from Rheem. 
Rheem's Petition for Waiver requests DOE to grant relief from the DOE 
furnace test procedure relating to the blower time delay specification. 
Rheem seeks to test using a blower delay time of 20 seconds for its GFD 
upflow residential, modulating type, gas-fired 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 
May 5, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and statements shall be sent to: Department 
of Energy, Office of Codes and Standards, Case No. F-089, Mail Stop EE-
43, Room 1J-018, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20585-0121, (202) 586-7140.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Mail 
Station EE-43, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, D.C. 20585-0121, (202) 586-9138, or Mr. Eugene Margolis, 
Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel, Mail 
Station GC-72, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, D.C. 20585-0103, (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 Title 10 CFR Part 
430, Subpart B.
    The Department amended the test procedure rules to provide for a 
waiver process by adding Section 430.27 to Title 10 CFR Part 430. 45 FR 
64108, September 26, 1980. Subsequently, DOE amended the waiver process 
to 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. Title 10 CFR Part 430, 
Section 430.27(a)(2).
    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 will be granted if 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, and/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. Title 10 CFR 
Part 430, Section 430.27 (g). 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 January 29, 1997, Rheem filed an Application for Interim Waiver 
and a Petition for Waiver regarding blower time delay. Rheem's 
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, Rheem requests the 
allowance to test using a 20-second blower time delay when testing its 
GFD upflow residential, modulating type, gas-fired furnaces. Rheem 
states that the 20-second delay is indicative of how these furnaces 
actually operate. Such a delay results in an average of approximately 
2.0 percent increase in AFUE. Since current DOE test procedures do not 
address this variable blower time delay, Rheem 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, 58 FR 68138, 
December 23, 1993, and 60 FR 62835, December 7, 1995; 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, 
56 FR 63945, December 6, 1991 and 61 FR 27057, May 30, 1996; 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, 
59 FR 14394, March 28, 1994, and 60 FR 62832, December 7, 1995; Amana 
Refrigeration Inc., 56 FR 27958, June 18, 1991, 56 FR 63940, December 
6, 1991, 57 FR 23392, June 3,

[[Page 16147]]

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, 59 FR 12586, 
March 17, 1994 and 61 FR 17289, April 19, 1996; 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, and 61 FR 17887, April 23, 1996; Consolidated 
Industries Corporation, 57 FR 22220, May 27, 1992, and 61 FR 4262, 
February 5, 1996; 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, 59 FR 30578, June 14, 1994, and 61 FR 
50812, September 27, 1996; and York International Corporation, 59 FR 
46969, September 13, 1994, 60 FR 100, January 3, 1995, 60 FR 62834, 
December 7, 1995, and 60 FR 62837, December 7, 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 Rheem an Interim 
Waiver for its GFD upflow residential, modulating type, gas-fired 
furnaces. Rheem shall be permitted to test its GFD upflow residential, 
modulating type, gas-fired furnaces on the basis of the test procedures 
specified in Title 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 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.
    Rheem's Petition for Waiver requests DOE to grant relief from the 
DOE furnace test procedure relating to the blower time delay 
specification. Rheem seeks to test using a blower delay time of 20 
seconds for its GFD upflow residential, modulating type, gas-fired 
furnaces instead of the specified 1.5-minute delay between burner on-
time and blower on-time. Pursuant to paragraph (b) of Title 10 CFR Part 
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, on March 31, 1997.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

January 29, 1997.
Mr. Cyrus Nasseri,
Assistant Secretary, Conservation and Renewable Energy, United 
States Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585.

    Dear Mr. Nasseri: This is a petition for waiver and application 
for interim waiver submitted pursuant to title 10 CFR Part 430.27. 
Waiver is requested from the furnace test procedure as prescribed in 
appendix N to Subpart B of Part 430. The test procedure requires a 
1.5 minute delay between burner and blower start-up. Rheem is 
requesting authorization to use a 20 second delay instead of 1.5 
minutes for our series (-)GFD upflow residential, modulating type 
gas-fired furnace.
    Rheem will be manufacturing these appliances with an electronic 
device that controls the blower operation on a timing sequence as 
opposed to temperature.
    Improved energy efficiency is achieved by reducing on cycle 
losses. Under the Appendix N procedures, the stack temperature is 
allowed to climb at a faster rate than it would with a 12 second 
blower on time, allowing energy to be lost out of the vent system. 
This waste of energy would not occur in actual operation. If this 
petition is granted, the true blower on time delay would be used in 
the calculations.
    The current test procedures do not give Rheem credit for the 
energy savings which averages approximately 2% Annual Fuel 
Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). This improvement is an average 
reduction of 20% of the normal on cycle energy losses. Rheem is of 
the opinion that a 20% reduction is a worthwhile energy savings.
    Rheem has been granted previous waivers regarding blower on time 
to be used in the efficiency calculations for our (-)GEP, (-)GKA, (-
)GRA, (-)GSA and (-)GTA series condensing furnaces and/or (-)GDE, (-
)GLE, (-)GDG, (-)GLG, (-)GPH, (-)GLH, (-)GVH, and (-)GVG series 
furnaces. Several other manufacturers of gas furnaces have also been 
granted a waiver to permit calculations based on timed blower 
operation. Also, ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, paragraph 9.5.1.2.2 
specifically addresses the use of a timed blower operation.
    Confidential and comparative test data is available to you upon 
your request, confirming the above energy savings.
    Manufacturers that domestically market similar products are 
being sent a copy of this petition for waiver and petition for 
interim waiver.
      Sincerely,
Daniel J. Canclini,
Vice-President, Product Development and Research Engineering.
bcc: B.A. Cook, K. W. Kleman, R. W. Willis

[FR Doc. 97-8637 Filed 4-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P