[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 91 (Monday, May 12, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26140-26165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10608]



[[Page 26139]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part IV





Department of Energy





_______________________________________________________________________



Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy



_______________________________________________________________________



10 CFR Part 430



Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for 
Furnaces/Boilers, Vented Home Heating Equipment, and Pool Heaters; 
Final Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 91 / Monday, May 12, 1997 / Rules and 
Regulations  

[[Page 26140]]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

10 CFR Part 430

[Docket No. EE-RM-93-501]
RIN 1904-AA45


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test 
Procedures for Furnaces/Boilers, Vented Home Heating Equipment, and 
Pool Heaters

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

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, requires 
the Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) to administer an 
energy conservation program for certain major household appliances and 
commercial equipment. Among other program elements, the Act requires 
that standard methods of testing be prescribed for each covered 
product. Today's final rule amends the test procedures for furnaces and 
boilers, vented home heating equipment, and pool heaters.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This rule is effective November 10, 1997. The 
incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the 
regulations is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of 
November 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The Department is incorporating by reference test standards 
from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) and the American National 
Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI). These standards are listed below:
    American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, 
Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Standard 103-1993, 
``Methods of Testing for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of 
Residential Central Furnaces and Boilers,'' and American National 
Standards Institute Standard Z21.56-1994, ``Gas-Fired Pool Heaters.''
    Copies of these standards may be viewed at the Department of Energy 
Freedom of Information Reading Room, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-190, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-6020 
between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
    Copies of the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 can be obtained from 
ASHRAE Publication Sales, 1791 Tullie Circle, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, 
(1-800-5-ASHRAE). Copies of the ANSI Standard Z21.56-1994 can be 
obtained from the ANSI, Inc., 11 West 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 
10036, (212) 642-4936.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Mail Station, EE-43, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20585-0121, (202) 586-9142, FAX (202) 586-
4617.
Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General 
Counsel, Mail Station, GC-72, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 
D.C. 20585-0103, (202) 586-9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction
    A. Authority
    B. Background
II. Discussion of Comments
    A. Furnaces
    B. Vented Home Heating Equipment
    C. Pool Heaters
III. Procedural Requirements
    A. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
    B. Review Under Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and 
Review''
    C. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
    D. Review Under Executive Order 12612, ``Federalism''
    E. Review Under Section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration 
Act of 1974
    F. Review Under Executive Order 12630, ``Governmental Actions 
and Interference With Constitutionally Protected Property Rights''
    G. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980
    H. Review Under Executive Order 12988, ``Civil Justice Reform''
    I. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Review
    J. Review Under Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness 
Act of 1996

I. Introduction

A. Authority

    Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Pub. 
L. 94-163, as amended by the National Energy Conservation Policy Act 
(NECPA) Pub. L. 95-619, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act 
(NAECA) of 1987, Pub. L. 100-12, the National Appliance Energy 
Conservation Amendments of 1988 (NAECA 1988), Pub. L. 100-357 and the 
Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT), Pub. L. 102-486, created the Energy 
Conservation Program for Consumer Products other than Automobiles 
(Program).1 The 13 consumer household products currently 
subject to this Program (referred to hereinafter as ``covered 
products'') include furnaces/boilers, vented home heating equipment, 
and pool heaters, the subjects of today's notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \ 1\ Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation 
Act , as amended, is referred to in this final rule as the ``Act'' 
or EPCA. Part B of Title III is codified at 42 U.S.C. 6291-6309.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under the EPCA, the Program consists essentially of three parts: 
Testing, labeling, and Federal energy conservation standards. The 
Department, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology (NIST), is required to amend or establish new test 
procedures as appropriate for each of the covered products. EPCA 
section 323, 42 U.S.C. 6293. Test procedures appear at 10 CFR part 430, 
subpart B. The purpose of the test procedures is to produce test 
results that measure energy efficiency, energy use, or estimated annual 
operating cost of a covered product during a representative average use 
cycle or period of use. The procedures must not be unduly burdensome to 
conduct. EPCA section 323(b)(3), 42 U.S.C. 6293 (b)(3). A test 
procedure is not required if DOE determines by rule that one cannot be 
developed. EPCA section 323(d)(1), 42 U.S.C. 6293(d)(1).
    One hundred and eighty days after a test procedure for a product is 
adopted, no manufacturer may represent the energy consumption of, or 
the cost of energy consumed by, the product, except as reflected in 
tests conducted according to the DOE procedure. EPCA section 323(c)(2), 
42 U.S.C. 6293(c)(2). However, the 180-day period referred to in 
section 323(c)(2) may be extended for up to an additional 180 days if 
the Secretary determines that the requirements of section 323(c)(2) 
would impose an undue burden. EPCA section 323(c)(3), 42 U.S.C. 6293 
(c)(3).
    Section 323(e) of the Act requires DOE to determine to what extent, 
if any, a proposed test procedure would alter the measured energy 
efficiency or measured energy use of any covered product as determined 
under the existing test procedure. If DOE determines that an amended 
test procedure would alter the measured efficiency or measured energy 
use of a covered product, DOE is required to amend the related energy 
conservation standard accordingly. In determining the amended standard, 
DOE is required to measure the energy efficiency or energy use of 
representative samples of covered products that minimally comply with 
the existing standard. The average efficiency of these representative 
samples, tested using the amended test procedure, constitutes the

[[Page 26141]]

amended standard. EPCA section 323(e)(2), 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2).

B. Background

    On March 28, 1984, the Department published in the Federal Register 
a final rule, hereinafter referred to as the 1984 Final Rule, amending 
the test procedures for furnaces, vented home heating equipment, and 
unvented home heating equipment. 49 FR 12148. For furnaces, the 1984 
Final Rule referenced the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1982 entitled 
``Methods of Testing for Heating Seasonal Efficiency of Central 
Furnaces and Boilers.'' In addition, it prescribed furnace test 
procedures for systems and issues that were not adequately covered by 
the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1982. Those included, for example, 
provisions for modulating and condensing furnaces and boilers. 
Particularly impacted were units with thermal stack dampers. Other 
deviations between the 1984 Final Rule and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1982 related to oversize factors, furnaces without draft relief or 
direct exhaust system, hot water boiler minimum return (inlet) water 
temperature and minimum water temperature rise, pump delay on boiler 
controls, an improved method for the determination of the S/F factor 
(the ratio of stack gas mass flow rate to flue gas mass flow rate) for 
furnaces and boilers, and the option of an assigned jacket loss value 
instead of actual measurement.
    The Department originally published a test procedure for vented 
home heating equipment on May 2, 1978. 43 FR 20182. The Department 
amended this test procedure in the 1984 Final Rule, to include a 
simplified vented heater test procedure for heaters with modulating 
controls, manually controlled vented heaters, vented heaters equipped 
with thermal stack dampers, and floor furnaces. 49 FR 12169.
    The Department published the pool heater test procedure final rule 
on February 7, 1989, referencing ANSI Standard Z21.56-1986 for gas pool 
heaters and extending the test procedure to cover oil-fired pool 
heaters. 54 FR 6076.
    Since 1984, through cooperative efforts with the furnace industry 
and through the DOE test procedure waiver process, DOE has become aware 
of several additional issues regarding furnace and vented home heating 
equipment test procedures. On August 23, 1993, DOE published in the 
Federal Register a proposed rule and notice of public hearing, 
hereinafter referred to as the 1993 Proposed Rule, to amend the 
furnace, vented home heating equipment, and pool heater test procedures 
to address these issues. 58 FR 44538. A public hearing was held in 
Washington, DC on January 5, 1994.
    After reviewing the comments presented at the public hearing on 
January 5, 1994, and additional written comments submitted following 
the public hearing, the Department decided to reopen the public comment 
period to solicit additional comments on one subject of particular 
concern to commenters in the 1993 Proposed Rule--the application of a 
multiplication factor to the auxiliary electricity consumption of a 
fossil-fueled appliance. The proposed multiplication factor in the 1993 
Proposed Rule consisted of the ratio of the electrical ``source 
energy'' (the amount of energy used in producing the electricity 
consumed by the appliance) to the electrical ``site energy'' (the 
amount of electricity consumed by the appliance). The multiplication 
factor was used in the two proposed new energy descriptors, named 
Energy Factor (EF) and Annual Efficiency (AE), proposed by the 
Department to include the auxiliary electrical energy consumption by 
fossil-fueled appliances.
    On January 20, 1995, the Department published a Federal Register 
notice, reopening the comment period to seek comments on a revision of 
the proposed definition of the multiplication factor. The new proposed 
definition was the ratio of the cost of electricity to the cost of 
fossil fuel to the consumer. 60 FR 4348. The 30-day public comment 
period was extended by an additional 30 days at the request of 
commenters and was closed on March 21, 1995.
    Today's notice amends the test procedures for furnaces and boilers, 
vented home heating equipment, and pool heaters as follows:
    (1) DOE is amending the test procedure for furnaces and boilers 
first, to incorporate provisions contained in test procedure waivers 
granted to different manufacturers from 1985 to 1996 and secondly, to 
include test procedures for new product designs. To accomplish this, 
the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 is incorporated by reference into the 
test procedure, in the place of ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1988 that was 
referenced in the 1993 proposed rule. (See below at II. a. 23. ``ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.'') This incorporation establishes revised 
test procedures for the following furnaces and features: Atmospheric 
furnaces with burner air inlet dampers or flue dampers; the jacket loss 
measurement for downflow furnaces; and furnaces and boilers employing 
electro-mechanical stack dampers with delayed opening and power vented 
units employing post purge during the off-cycle. In addition, however, 
today's notice incorporates into DOE's test procedure provisions that 
are modifications of certain sections of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. 
Those modifications include the limit on air circulation blower delay 
time at burner shut-off for furnaces with unvarying control on blower 
delay time, deletion of the insulation requirement on the internal vent 
pipe of downflow furnace during the cool-down and heat-up tests, 
deletion of the requirement for the sealing of cabinet ventilation 
openings during the jacket loss measurement, longer allowed free post 
purge time for power vented units employing post purge, and input 
requirement on interrupted ignition device. In addition, today's final 
rule provides procedures for the calculation of the annual fossil fuel 
and auxiliary electrical energy consumptions.
    (2) DOE is amending the test procedure for vented home heating 
equipment by, first, including modified calculation procedures for the 
weighted average steady-state efficiency and Annual Fuel Utilization 
Efficiency (AFUE) for certain manually-controlled heaters, and 
secondly, adding a procedure for calculating the annual energy 
consumption of fossil fuel and auxiliary electrical energy for vented 
home heating equipment.
    (3) DOE is amending the test procedure for pool heaters by updating 
the referenced ANSI standard for pool heaters from ANSI Z21.56-1986 to 
ANSI Z21.56-1994. DOE is also adding a procedure for calculating the 
annual energy consumption of fossil fuel and auxiliary electrical 
energy for pool heaters and a pool heater heating seasonal efficiency 
descriptor that takes into account the energy consumption by the pilot 
light during the standby period of the pool heating season.

II. Discussion of Comments

A. Furnaces

    In general, the comments received were supportive of the goals of 
the proposed amendments to incorporate provisions contained in waivers 
previously granted, to include test procedures for new product designs, 
and to capture the electrical consumption of furnaces. However, the 
comments by various organizations presented disagreements with DOE's 
proposal on the effect of some of the amendments on the measured AFUE. 
Additionally, many comments were received on the proposed formulation 
of energy descriptors to capture electrical

[[Page 26142]]

consumption, on both the 1993 Proposed Rule and the January 20, 1995, 
Federal Register notice.
    In its testimony and written statement, the Gas Appliance 
Manufacturers Association (GAMA) classified the proposed revisions to 
the current test procedure contained in the 1993 Proposed Rule into 
three categories. (GAMA, No. 8, at 2).2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\  Written comments on the 1993 Proposed Rule were assigned 
docket numbers and are numbered consecutively. Comments presented at 
the January 5, 1994, public hearing are contained in the transcript.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The first category comprised changes that GAMA states would not 
lower the measured AFUE of most existing furnace and boiler models, 
including changes to bring the test procedures in line with waivers 
previously granted. GAMA stated its support for the immediate 
implementation of most of the first category of changes.
    The second category included changes that GAMA states would lower 
the measured AFUE of most existing furnace and boiler models. Such a 
change, GAMA claimed, would require the Department to amend the furnace 
and boiler efficiency standards because of the impact on existing 
models that marginally meet the standard. According to GAMA, this would 
cause confusion in the marketplace, accustomed as it is to the current 
standard, a minimum AFUE of 78 percent for warm air furnaces. 
Additionally, GAMA asserted that a reduction in the measured AFUE would 
result in many units no longer qualifying for utility rebate programs 
that require an AFUE of at least 80 percent. GAMA stated the view that 
these changes would place a heavy burden on manufacturers and requested 
a delay in the implementation of the second category of changes until 
any revised efficiency standards went into effect. GAMA puts the 
following changes in this category: Revised calculation for the 
effectiveness of electro-mechanical stack dampers; power vented systems 
employing post purge after burner shut-off; sealing of cabinet 
ventilation openings during jacket loss test; insulation of horizontal 
mounted external draft diverters; insulation of the flue collector box 
for power vented units; insulation of the internal flue pipe for 
downflow furnaces during heat-up and cool-down tests; minimum values 
for the draft factor DP and DF; measurement of 
water pump energy consumption; and test requirement for modulating 
boilers.
    The third category was the addition of the proposed AE energy 
descriptor. GAMA suggested further study on the third category before 
implementation.
    Consolidated Industries, Carrier Corp., and Lennox Industries 
supported GAMA's statement. (Consolidated, No. 21, at 1; Carrier, No. 
12, at 1; and Lennox, Transcript, at 77). Inter-City Products presented 
the same list of revisions regarding their potential impact on AFUE as 
GAMA did. Many of the other commenters referred to GAMA's 
classification of the three categories of proposed revisions to the DOE 
test procedure in their oral and written statements and these 
categories are referred to in the discussion of comments below.
    The following discussion addresses the comments received on the 
proposed rule.
1. Furnaces and Boilers With Small Air Passage in the Flue
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed to change the limiting 
value of 10 percent from a flow rate ratio to an area ratio. Both GAMA 
and Inter-City Products supported the proposed revision. (GAMA, No. 8, 
at 2; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). No other commenters offered comment 
on this issue. The Department is adopting the change in sections 
8.2.1.2.2 and 8.3.1.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 in today's final 
rule.
2. Air Circulation Blower Delay at Burner Ignition
    The 1993 Proposed Rule specified a minimum blower delay time of 20 
seconds during the heat-up test for furnaces designed with non-
adjustable, unvarying delay time that is less than 20 seconds. The 
current furnace test procedure requires a 1.5-minute delay between the 
ignition of the burner and the starting of the blower. Manufacturers 
have requested and been granted waivers from this requirement because 
of an unvarying time delay designed into their specific models. The 
designed time delay granted in the waivers varied from 20 seconds to 66 
seconds among the specific models with 30 seconds as the predominant 
time delay. The manufacturers claimed increases in the AFUE value of 
from 0.4 to 2.0 percentage points if the designed time delays were used 
in the rating test instead of the 1.5 minutes specified in the current 
test procedure. The Department's granting of the waivers permitted 
those manufacturers to test units with blowers having unvarying time 
delay designed into them. In the 1993 Proposed Rule, the Department 
proposed test procedures to allow testing with an unvarying time delay, 
but also proposed a minimum blower delay time of 20 seconds during the 
heat-up test. This is achieved by bypassing the electronic control, if 
the designed non-adjustable, unvarying delay time is less than 20 
seconds.
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products opposed the requirement of a 
minimum 20-second delay during the heat-up test for furnaces with 
designed, unvarying blower time delay at burner start-up. Amana 
Refrigeration, Inc., stated that DOE's reason of avoiding a cold draft 
in the occupied zone is an issue of comfort, not energy efficiency, and 
that DOE should let the competitive marketplace design products that 
fulfill consumers' desires. (Amana, No. 2, at 1). Inter-City Products 
stated that DOE should not define what occupant comfort is, and as 
advances in heat exchanger technology come about, low mass heat 
exchanger with very short heat-up characteristics will evolve allowing 
short on-time delays. Inter-City Products also stated that mandating 
time delays as to occupant comfort is to prescribe the design of a 
furnace and would not necessarily reflect the true operation and 
efficiency of current or future furnace designs. (Inter-City, No. 7, at 
2). GAMA and York International Corp. gave similar reasons as Inter-
City Products for opposing the 20-second requirement, and stated that 
DOE is acting outside its authority in factoring occupant comfort into 
the efficiency test procedure. Further they stated that it is for the 
marketplace, not DOE, to discourage the sale of furnaces that do not 
provide a reasonable level of occupant comfort. In addition, the 
complexity of the electronic controls used in today's furnaces makes it 
very difficult for a field installer or repairer to modify an unvarying 
blower time delay. (GAMA, No. 8, at 16; and York, No. 10, at 3.) 
Carrier Corp. and Consolidated Industries both supported GAMA's 
statement. (Carrier No. 12, at 1; and Consolidated, No. 21, at 1.) Mr. 
Woodworth stated that comfort should not be the basis for provisions 
being included in a laboratory test procedure. Further, he suggested 
that the procedure should be changed to agree with section 9.6.1 of 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, that does not include the 20-second 
requirement. (Woodworth, No. 20, at 5).
    In the current test procedure for furnaces, the 1.5-minute fan 
delay at burner ignition was specified on the basis of obtaining a low 
overall cost of combined fossil fuel and auxiliary electrical energy 
consumption.3 This

[[Page 26143]]

was balanced with the historically accepted industry practice in 
furnace operation of providing occupant comfort. In granting the waiver 
requests, the Department recognized the advances made by manufacturers 
on lighter weight heat exchanger designs with fan-assisted combustion 
systems over the past decade. These advances permitted a faster heat-up 
of the heat exchanger and a shorter fan delay time while still 
achieving the desired low overall energy consumption. In the 1993 
proposed rule, the Department believed that there is a limit to 
reducing the weight of the heat exchanger and, in turn, a limit to the 
achievable minimum fan delay time. This is evident from the fan delay 
times in the waiver requests, that were mostly greater than or equal to 
30 seconds. It is possible, however, that as new material and 
technology evolve, an even lighter weight heat exchanger with better 
heat transfer performance will be developed. Such a heat exchanger 
could result in a faster furnace heat-up and allow a fan delay time of 
less than 20 seconds. The 20-second minimum fan delay time might become 
inappropriate for these better-designed furnaces of the future. 
Nevertheless, for furnaces lacking such designs, the Department 
believes that without the minimum fan delay requirement used during the 
test for furnaces with non-adjustable, unvarying fan delay control, a 
manufacturer could simply modify the furnace's electronic control 
without any resulting improvement in its heat transfer performance. 
Thus, the manufacturer would obtain a higher AFUE value. The Department 
assumes that consideration of consumer satisfaction in the long term 
will prevent that practice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ Unpublished National Bureau of Standards report, Joseph Chi, 
``A Note on Effect of HX Weights on annual performance and cost of 
Operation of a furnace,'' February, 1978.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Based on the above reasons, the Department has decided to drop the 
proposed requirement of a 20-second minimum fan delay for furnaces 
designed with a non-adjustable, unvarying blower time delay during the 
heat-up test. Instead, DOE is adopting the procedure specified in 
section 9.6.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 in today's final rule.
3. Air Circulation Blower Delay at Burner Shut-off
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed a modification to the ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 version of the procedure now specified in 
section 9.5.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. The modification 
requires that a furnace, if designed with an unvarying time delay that 
does not provide the same blower delay time that is specified for units 
with adjustable blower control, shall be tested with the blower control 
bypassed, and the blower manually controlled to give the delay time 
specified during the cool-down test. This delay time is three minutes 
for non-condensing, or 1.5 minutes for condensing furnaces, or 40 deg.F 
temperature difference, whichever gives the longer time delay.
    During the cool-down test, the extant test procedure allows a delay 
in blower shut-off of three minutes (1.5 minutes for condensing 
furnaces) or until the supply air temperature drops to a value of 
40 deg.F above the inlet air temperature, whichever gives the longer 
time delay. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 provided an additional 
exception (section 9.5.1.2.2) that for a furnace without adjustable fan 
control, the delay shall be as designed.
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products, as well as other commenters, 
expressed opposition to the specified maximum time delays for blowers 
with unvarying time delay in the proposed test procedure during the 
cool-down test. Inter-City Products stated that older or heavier mass 
heat exchangers may require more than three minutes of cool-down time. 
They gave the same reasons as given in Inter-City Products' comments 
against blower time delay at burner ignition in opposing the use of 
occupant comfort as the criterion in determining the maximum allowable 
time delay. (Inter-City, No. 7, at 2). GAMA gave similar reasons as 
Inter-City Products in opposing the requirement with respect to high 
mass heat exchangers. Further, they gave the same reasons as given in 
GAMA's comments against blower time delay at burner ignition in 
opposing the use of occupant comfort as a criterion in the test 
procedure. GAMA also pointed out the difficulty of adjusting an 
unvarying electronic time delay control in the field. (GAMA, No. 8, at 
16). York International gave similar reasons as GAMA. (York 
International, No. 10, at 3). Carrier Corp. and Consolidated Industries 
both supported GAMA's statement. (Carrier, No. 12, at 1; and 
Consolidated, No. 21, at 1). The California Energy Commission (CEC) 
pointed out that the wording in section 8.4 of appendix N in the 1993 
Proposed Rule is misleading. It stated that the time delay criterion of 
40 deg.F temperature difference between supply air and return air for 
units with adjustable fan control can be interpreted as not applying to 
condensing furnaces. Also, the time to reach the 40 deg.F differential 
after burner shut-off may be shorter than three minutes, resulting in 
both a cold draft and a higher rating that fail to achieve a reasonable 
level of occupant comfort. (CEC, No. 25, at 1).
    In the current test procedure for furnaces, the requirement for 
maximum fan delay time after burner shut-off was specified on the basis 
of obtaining an overall low cost of combined fossil fuel and auxiliary 
electrical energy consumption balanced with the historically accepted 
industry practice in furnace operation to provide occupant comfort. The 
after burner shut-off is defined as three minutes, or 1.5 minutes for 
condensing furnaces, after the burner shuts off, or until the supply 
air temperature drops to a value of 40 deg.F above the inlet air 
temperature, whichever gives a longer fan-on time. The Department 
recognized the heat capacity of a heavier mass heat exchanger in 
retaining a greater amount of heat energy. This is evidenced by the 
specification in the existing test procedure of either three minutes 
(1.5 minutes for condensing furnaces) or 40 deg.F differential in 
plenum to return air temperature, whichever gives a longer fan-on time. 
The removal of the maximum fan-on time requirement could encourage some 
manufacturers to lengthen the fan-on time after burner shut off without 
an accompanying improvement in furnace design. The manufacturers could 
do this by simply changing the electronics in the controller. Those 
furnaces would be able to obtain a slightly higher calculated AFUE by 
using a lower flue gas temperature measured at nine minutes after 
burner shut-off when the fan runs longer. Those furnaces however, would 
actually be consuming greater electrical energy than the savings in 
fossil fuel. This would be contrary to the intent of EPCA to reduce the 
nation's overall energy consumption.
    Based on the reasons given above, and the fact that the proposed 
provision does not affect the rating of any existing furnaces, today's 
final rule prescribes the maximum blower delay time criterion specified 
in the 1993 Proposed Rule. This specification is for a furnace designed 
with an unvarying blower time delay during the cool-down test in 
today's final rule.
    With respect to the comment by the CEC, the Department agrees that 
the wording in the 1993 Proposed Rule is misleading. In today's rule, 
therefore, the wording of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, section 
9.5.1.2.1, which includes the 40 deg.F temperature difference for 
condensing furnaces, is adopted instead. CEC also commented that for 
certain furnaces the 40 deg.F temperature differential could be reached 
in less than three minutes and

[[Page 26144]]

thus creating a possible cold draft. The blower time delay criterion is 
prescribed for blowers with adjustable time delay control in the 
current furnace test procedure. Changing the criterion would require 
the retesting of many existing furnaces. Also, the criterion was agreed 
to by consensus of the ASHRAE Standard Project Committee (SPC) 103 and 
specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. The Department sees no 
reason to change that criterion presently.
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, the Department also specified an 
exception to the delay time requirement for furnaces that employ a 
single motor to drive a power burner and the air circulation blower. In 
that case, the power burner and the blower would be stopped together. 
The current test procedure includes this exception of simultaneous 
start/stop operations during both the heat-up and the cool-down tests. 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 specifically includes this exception in 
the heat-up test but it is not specified in the section for the cool-
down test. The Department considered it to be only an inadvertent 
omission in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. There was no comment 
received on this issue, and the Department is specifying, in today's 
final rule, the modification to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. The 
Department specifies that if a single motor drives a power burner and 
the air circulating blower, the power burner and the blower shall be 
stopped together during the cool-down test.
4. Burner Box Inlet Damper and Flue Damper
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the proposal to include 
a tracer gas test method for atmospheric furnaces with inlet or flue 
dampers. (GAMA, No. 8, at 2; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). There were 
no other comments on this issue. The Department has included this 
provision in today's final rule.
5. Jacket Loss Test for Downflow Furnaces
    The proposal in the 1993 Proposed Rule to include a jacket loss 
test for downflow furnaces was supported by both GAMA and Inter-City 
Products. (GAMA, No. 8, at 2; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). These were 
the only comments on this issue. The Department is adopting the 
proposed jacket loss test procedure for downflow furnaces as specified 
in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 referenced in today's final rule.
6. Blower Compartment Heat Loss During Jacket Loss Test
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the proposal in the 
1993 Proposed Rule to exclude the surface area of the blower 
compartment in the jacket loss test. The CEC believed that the blower 
compartment should not be considered as part of the duct system and 
that the heat loss through the blower compartment should be measured in 
the jacket loss test. It stated that if the blower compartment is 
considered as the duct system, then the insulation requirement for duct 
systems in building codes will apply to the compartment. The CEC 
believed that this is not presently done to the furnace cabinet in the 
field and, in addition, manufacturers and others may recommend against 
the insulation of the cabinet. (CEC, No. 25, at 2).
    The Department believes that for most furnaces, the blower 
compartment is in the return air side of the cabinet. The surface 
temperature of the blower compartment will be nearly the same as the 
air temperature around the compartment, and the heat loss from that 
surface to the test room air will be negligible. The added burden of 
instrumenting the blower compartment surface with thermocouples is not 
justified. The Department is therefore not adopting the CEC's 
suggestion of requiring some mechanism for measuring the heat loss from 
the blower compartment. The Department is adopting the provision of 
excluding the surface area of the blower compartment in the jacket loss 
test as specified in the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 referenced in 
today's final rule.
7. Revised Piping Arrangement for Hot Water Boilers
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the proposal in the 
1993 Proposed Rule for a revised piping arrangement for hot water 
boilers. (GAMA, No. 8, at 2; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). This was the 
only comment on this issue. The Department has adopted this provision 
as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is referenced in 
today's final rule.
8. Maintaining of Draft During Off-Cycle
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the proposal to 
maintain draft during off-cycle for only those oil-fueled or power gas 
burner furnaces that employ barometric dampers for draft control. 
(GAMA, No. 8, at 2; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). This was the only 
comment on this issue. The Department has adopted this provision as 
specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is referenced in 
today's final rule.
9. Tests Requirement for Modulating Units
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed to correct the following 
discrepancy between the current DOE test procedure and ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1988, which DOE proposed to reference. The current DOE 
test procedure requires that for step modulating units, the steady-
state efficiency test shall be conducted at both the maximum and the 
reduced input rates. The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 required the 
above tests at the reduced rate only. The 1993 Proposed Rule made clear 
that DOE would continue to require testing at both rates.
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the proposal for 
testing modulating furnaces. GAMA put the proposed correction to ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 for testing modulating boilers into the 
category of proposals on which it asked for delay in implementation 
until revised efficiency standards are adopted. (GAMA, No. 8, at 4; and 
Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). Carrier Corp. and Consolidated Industries 
both supported GAMA's position. (Carrier, No. 12, at 1; and 
Consolidated, No. 21, at 1). The Department does not agree with the 
comments that the correction is a revision to the existing DOE test 
procedure for modulating boilers. Such a test is already included. 
Specifically, the conditions (at rated input or reduced input) under 
which heat-up and cool-down tests are to be conducted are already 
specified in the current DOE test procedure. (See sections 3.1, 3.2, 
3.4, and 4.5 of appendix N to subpart B of part 430.) The proposed 
clarification for the optional tracer gas test at rated input or at a 
reduced input rate is to make certain that the resulting measured draft 
factor DP value(s) would be consistent with the other 
measured quantities when they are combined in the calculation procedure 
for the off-cycle losses. The Department believes that this 
clarification will have either no effect, or negligible effect on an 
insignificant number of units.
    Such a requirement was not clearly stated in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1988, but in DOE's view it was implicit in that standard. The 
Department proposed this provision in the 1993 Proposed Rule only to 
clarify the language in the then-referenced ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1988. The Department has therefore adopted this provision as specified 
in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is referenced in today's final 
rule.

[[Page 26145]]

10. On-Cycle Time Constant and Off-Cycle Time Constant
    Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the proposal for the 
on-cycle time constant and off-cycle time constant. (GAMA, No. 8, at 2; 
and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). The Department has adopted this provision 
as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is referenced in 
today's final rule.
11. Multiplication Factor for Jacket Loss for Finned Tube Boilers for 
Isolated Combustion System (ICS)
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed to use the multiplication 
factor of Cj=0.50. Both GAMA and Inter-City Products supported the 
proposal for the value of the multiplication factor for jacket loss for 
finned tube boilers. (GAMA, No. 8, at 3; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). 
The Department has adopted this provision as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993, which is referenced in today's final rule.
12. Calculation Procedure for Electro-Mechanical Stack Dampers
    GAMA commented that the proposed calculation procedure for 
evaluating the effectiveness of a stack damper would reduce the 
measured AFUE of both furnaces and boilers. (GAMA, No. 8, at 3). GAMA 
believes that the proposed changes would affect the efficiency rating 
of existing warm air furnaces.
    In the case of warm air furnaces, the Department has considered the 
comment and disagrees with the statement that the proposed changes 
would affect the efficiency rating of existing warm air furnaces. 
Referring to Table 6, System Numbers, and sections 11.2.9.18, 11.2.10.3 
and 11.2.10.4 of ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1993, a stack damper's operation has 
no effect on a warm air furnace installed as an Isolated Combustion 
System (ICS) No. 9 or 10. Because the existing non-weatherized warm air 
furnaces are rated as ICS systems, the problems cited by GAMA do not 
apply to existing furnaces. Also, because any direct vent system is 
defined as system No. 9 or 10, the problems likewise would not apply to 
direct vent systems such as those used for most mobile home furnaces.
    In the case of boilers, which are installed indoors and rated as 
indoor systems, the effect of the revisions on the measured AFUE would 
be very small. For most existing boilers the stack damper closes within 
30 seconds after the main burner is shut off, and the effect will be on 
the order of 0.1 percentage-point change in AFUE. The effect is 
therefore negligible for any stack damper that is completely closed 
within the 30-second interval. The effect, however, could be large if 
the damper closing time delay were to be extended for a long period. 
Such an extension would take advantage of the deficiency in the current 
procedure, where the damper is assumed to close instantaneously after 
the burner shut-off. The Department has therefore, adopted the revision 
as proposed in the 1993 Proposed Rule (and as included in ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993) in today's final rule.
13. Power Vented Systems Employing Post Purge After Burner Shut-Off
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, the maximum free post purge time was 
specified to be five seconds for both gas-and oil-fired furnaces and 
boilers. There were seven comments on this proposal. GAMA stated that 
the proposed maximum free post purge time would significantly reduce 
the measured AFUE of most existing models, and require DOE to amend the 
NAECA furnace and boiler efficiency standards for existing models that 
marginally meet the current minimum standard of 78 percent AFUE for 
furnaces and 80 percent for boilers. (GAMA, No. 8, at 4). Carrier 
Corp., Consolidated Industries, and Lennox Industries all supported 
GAMA's position. (Carrier, No. 12, at 1; Consolidated, No. 21, at 1; 
and Lennox, Transcript, at 77).
    Inter-City Products requested that the implementation of this and 
other category 2 revisions be postponed to a future rulemaking, 
coordinated with implementation of amendments to furnace minimum 
efficiency standards. To support its request, Inter-City Products 
commented that DOE needs to lower the minimum standard on marginal 
units to correspond to changes in test procedure measurements, and 
address the problem associated with the utility rebate program. Inter-
City Products further stated that for the manufacturers to modify these 
models, such that they attain the 80 percent AFUE value, the redesigned 
equipment may operate in the condensing region that can affect 
performance, reliability, and life of both the equipment and the 
associated vent system. (Inter-City, No. 7, at 3).
    Energy Kinetics, Inc. commented that the proposed revision does not 
cover systems equipped with a power burner and a draft inducer. Energy 
Kinetics stated that the off-cycle flue gas flow rate with only the 
inducer on, but not the power burner, is significantly reduced from the 
on-cycle flow rate. According to Energy Kinetics, since the proposed 
revision in the 1993 Proposed Rule uses the on-cycle flue gas volume 
flow rate as a base to compute the flue loss during the post purge 
period, the loss will be higher than it should be. Energy Kinetics 
suggests that a tracer gas option be allowed for this type of system. 
(Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 6).
    The independent commenter, Mr. John Woodworth asserted that, based 
on research conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory, the post-purge 
provisions are not accurate for oil-fired furnaces and boilers with 
relatively long post purge-periods. He reasons that, to reduce the test 
burden on manufacturers, the provisions assume a linearly decreasing 
flue gas temperature between the beginning and the end of the post 
purge period. Thus, measurements at only two points are required in the 
calculation. According to Mr. Woodworth, this assumption of a linearly 
varying temperature is valid only for a limited interval, since the 
temperature will eventually level off to nearly ambient conditions over 
a long purge period. Mr. Woodworth recommends that DOE adopt the 
provisions of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 which limit the post purge 
period during the test to 180 seconds. (Woodworth, No. 20, at 4).
    The Department believes that the use of a post purge in power 
vented units during the off-cycle, when longer than necessary, is a 
waste of energy because a forced purge increases the loss of the 
residue heat in the furnace or boiler through the vent system. A forced 
purge is the forced combustion air flow through the heat exchanger. 
Given the deficiencies in the existing test procedure described in the 
1993 Proposed Rule, DOE is aware that the current procedure could 
encourage a manufacturer to use a long post purge period to obtain a 
higher calculated AFUE rating while actually wasting more energy 
through the vent system. Tests conducted at NIST on a gas furnace with 
an induced draft combustion blower showed that increasing the post 
purge interval increased the flue loss, but the calculated AFUE based 
on current test procedure showed an increase in value. The discrepancy 
between the AFUE based on the current calculation procedure, and on the 
proposed calculation procedure, becomes progressively greater with an 
increasing post purge period. The difference was 0.9 percentage points 
with 30 seconds post purge and increased to 4.5 percentage points with 
180 seconds post purge. Yet the calculated AFUE based on the current 
test procedure showed a gain (from the condition of no post purge) of 
about 0.2 percentage points at 30 seconds post purge to nearly 1.0

[[Page 26146]]

percentage point at 180 seconds post purge.
    Data gathered indicated that the six major control manufacturers 
surveyed all have post purge timing of 30 seconds or less on their post 
purge control equipment. The data was gathered by the Lawrence Berkeley 
National Laboratory (LBNL) for DOE regarding the current practice of 
the furnace industry. The survey showed that if the free post purge 
time is extended from five seconds, as proposed in the 1993 Proposed 
Rule, to 30 seconds before the post purge calculation method is 
required, most of the existing furnace and boiler models that employ 
post purge will be treated as if there is no post purge. With post 
purge timing of 30 seconds, no retesting or re-rating will be required 
and no reduction in AFUE will result for those existing furnaces and 
boiler models.
    Based on the above reasons, DOE is changing the maximum free post 
purge time of five seconds in the 1993 Proposed Rule to 30 seconds. 
That is, only units with post purge time longer than 30 seconds shall 
be tested by the prescribed post purge test procedure. Further, units 
with post purge periods of less than or equal to 30 seconds shall be 
tested without the post purge test procedure. The Department agrees 
with the commenters that if the maximum free post purge time is limited 
to the proposed five seconds, some existing furnace and boiler models 
that employ post purge time between five and thirty seconds would have 
to be retested. The Department acts today to limit the burden on the 
manufacturers of retesting those models and the possibility of lower 
AFUE ratings. The Department is prescribing, in today's final rule, the 
modified free post purge period of 30 seconds as the criterion for 
applying the revised test and calculation procedures for units that 
employ post purge after burner shut off.
    DOE believes, however, that with this exception, where the maximum 
free post purge time is thirty seconds, additional energy is being lost 
through the venting system by the combustion blower. The Department 
will continue to examine this subject and may consider later 
implementation of the original five second criterion, which is based on 
the technical judgement of the ASHRAE Standard Project Committee (SPC) 
that developed ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
    Secondly, on the issue of oil-fired furnaces and boilers that have 
purge periods greater than three minutes, the Department acts to limit 
the post purge time to 180 seconds during the rating test as suggested 
by commenter Mr. John Woodworth. If the designed post purge time is 
longer than 180 seconds, the blower control is to be bypassed and the 
blower manually turned off during the cool-down test. This provision is 
specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is referenced in 
today's final rule.
    The comment by Energy Kinetics on the difference in the flue gas 
flow rate between the on-cycle (power burner and inducer on) and off-
cycle (only inducer on during post purge) on oil-fired boilers, if the 
draft inducer is an integral part of the boiler supplied by the 
manufacturer, would require additional study. Therefore, this type of 
boiler is not covered by today's final rule. The Department will 
continue to solicit additional data on the on-cycle and off-cycle 
operations of this type of boilers, and will issue a revision to the 
test procedure at a future time.
14. Sealing of Ventilation Openings During Jacket Loss Test
    The 1993 Proposed Rule would require conducting the jacket loss 
test with the ventilation openings sealed. There were six comments on 
this issue. GAMA provided data from tests recently conducted at the ETL 
Testing Laboratories of the Inchcape Testing Services (ETL). This data 
showed that for four furnace models tested for sealing the ventilation 
openings in jacket loss test, the percentage point reductions in AFUE 
were 1.0, 0.5, 0.7 and 0.1 for models currently rated at AFUE of 78.7 
percent, 80.0 percent, 80.0 percent and 78.0 percent, respectively. 
Thus, two models would be below the 78 percent minimum and two models 
would be below the 80 percent rebate criteria if tested pursuant to the 
proposed revision. (GAMA, No. 8, at 4 and A-1). Carrier Corp., 
Consolidated Industries, and Lennox Industries all supported GAMA's 
position (Carrier, No. 12, at 1; Consolidated, No. 21, at 1; and 
Lennox, Transcript, at 77). Inter-City Products made several assertions 
on this issue. First, it stated that sealing ventilation openings could 
potentially reduce AFUE by 0.3-0.5 percent. Second, it stated that an 
attempt to determine which louver openings are for ventilation air 
egress and which are for intake cooling air would be a time-consuming 
and subjective test procedure. Third, the company claimed that a louver 
acting as ventilation air intake in one operating mode may be an 
exhaust louver in another. Fourth, it asserted that additional test 
time in development, agency certification, and independent efficiency 
audits (by ETL) would increase manufacturers' costs substantially. 
Finally, according to Inter-City, the revised procedure would lower the 
baseline efficiencies of equipment currently at 78 percent. (Inter-
City, No.7, at 2). The CEC suggested that air leakage during the jacket 
loss test from any part of the furnace cabinet should represent the 
performance of the product as installed in the field. Any joints, 
holes, or other openings should remain as shipped by the manufacturer 
and should not be taped or sealed for the test. (CEC, No. 25, at 2).
    Today's final rule does not include the sealing of furnace cabinet 
ventilation openings during the jacket loss test, and the sealing 
requirement specified in section 8.6.1.1 of the referenced ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993 has not been included in today's rule. Upon review, 
the Department considers that sealing of the ventilation openings will 
result in a more accurate measure of the combined effects of conduction 
and radiation heat loss. This is the heat loss from the cabinet surface 
to the test room surroundings and the convective cooling of the airflow 
into and out of the spaces adjacent to the inside surfaces of the 
jacket. The Department, however, has decided not to incorporate this 
provision into today's final rule. This is because the Department sees 
some merit in the objections offered by commenters with respect to test 
time, retesting and re-rating all the currently rated furnace units and 
the associated costs, reduction in currently marginal AFUE ratings, and 
the difficulty in objectively determining the most effective openings 
to seal. DOE will continue to examine this subject and may consider 
implementation of the provision at a later date.
15. Insulation Requirement for Units With Draft Diverter
    The 1993 Proposed Rule would require insulation for units with a 
draft diverter, when testing furnaces with exposed diverters. There 
were three comments on this issue. GAMA objected to its immediate 
implementation. In addition, GAMA provided data from tests recently 
conducted at ETL. This data showed that, for two furnace models with 
integral draft diverters tested with insulation added to the draft 
diverter, the percentage point reductions in AFUE were 0.3 and 0.4 for 
the two models currently rated at AFUE of 78.0 percent. They would be 
below the 78 percent minimum standard if tested in accordance with the 
proposed revision. (GAMA, No. 8, at 4 and A-2). Carrier Corp. and 
Consolidated Industries both supported GAMA's position. (Carrier, No. 
12, at 1; Consolidated, No. 21, at 1).

[[Page 26147]]

    As described in the 1993 Proposed Rule on this issue, the ETL 
stated that it insulates the exposed diverters (in horizontal furnaces) 
when testing furnaces with exposed diverters. (April 30, 1991, letter 
from ETL to NIST). Therefore, the rated AFUE values for horizontal 
furnaces with exposed integral draft diverters in GAMA's Efficiency 
Certification Directory were tested with the proposed insulation in 
place. This means that the existing furnaces have already been tested 
according to the proposed provision and found to meet the minimum 
efficiency standard. Thus, no retesting or re-rating is required.
    The Department therefore is not accepting GAMA's request that this 
provision be omitted from the final rule, and instead has adopted this 
provision as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is 
referenced in today's final rule.
16. Insulation Requirement for Flue Collector Box
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE called for the insulation of the 
flue collector box. Numerous comments were received on this issue. 
Specifically, Inter-City Products requested that the implementation of 
this provision be postponed to a later date. Inter-City Products cited 
the reduced AFUE of existing marginal units, that would require DOE to 
reduce the minimum standard, and the criterion of the 80 percent AFUE 
by the utility rebate program in support of the request. (Inter-City, 
No.7, at 1). Inter-City Products suggested that the flue collector box 
on equipment with draft inducers is significantly smaller in area than 
the sheet metal involved in an integral draft diverter, so losses are 
consequently less. Inter-City Products estimated that this provision 
would have an impact of lowering the efficiency by 0.3-0.4 percent in 
AFUE. Inter-City Products also believed that the requirement of 
insulating the collector box during the cool-down and heat-up tests, 
but not during the jacket loss test, constitutes ``double dipping.'' 
This is because any loss in heat from the collector box would be 
accounted for twice--first, as a reduced efficiency from a higher flue 
gas temperature during the cool-down and heat-up tests (cyclic test) 
due to the insulation requirement, and second, as a larger measured 
jacket loss because the insulation is not applied during the steady-
state jacket loss test.
    GAMA put this issue in its second category of proposed changes in 
the 1993 Proposed Rule and objected to its immediate implementation. In 
addition, GAMA provided data from tests recently conducted at ETL to 
show that for eleven furnace models tested for insulation of the 
exposed flue collector box, the percentage point reductions in AFUE 
ranged from 0.5 to 2.8 for models currently rated at AFUE of 78.0 
percent to 80.2 percent. Seven models will be below the 78 percent 
minimum and five models will be below the 80 percent rebate criterion, 
if tested in accordance with the proposed revision. (GAMA, No. 8, at 4 
and A-2). Carrier Corp., Consolidated Industries, and Lennox Industries 
all supported GAMA's position (Carrier, No. 12, at 1; Consolidated, No. 
21, at 1; and Lennox, Transcript, at 77).
    Energy Kinetics, Inc. commented that in addition to the cool-down 
and heat-up tests, the flue collector box should be insulated for the 
steady-state portion of the test also. It believed that without the 
insulation, the measured steady state efficiency is higher due to a 
lower measured flue gas temperature than that measured with the 
insulation. (Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 6).
    The commenters are not correct in classifying the proposed 
requirement of insulating the flue collector box on induced draft or 
forced draft units as a revision of the furnace test procedure. This 
requirement is already specified in the current test procedure, and has 
been in the DOE test procedure since 1980. Compliance with this 
requirement is demonstrated by a waiver request that was denied by DOE. 
This request was from the Carrier Corporation in 1980 for an exemption 
from the requirement of insulating the ``flue collector and inducer 
housing'' on its induced draft gas furnace. 76 FR 22799, April 21, 
1981. The current test procedure cited at section 3.0--Test procedure, 
of appendix N to subpart B of part 430, 56 FR 12159, March 28, 1984 
references section 9 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1982 as the pertinent 
test procedure. In ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1982, the requirement of 
section 9.1.1.6 specifies ``*  * * cover the draft diverter and flue 
gas collector box (on a power vented unit) with insulation having an R 
value no less than 7. * * *'' Therefore, the provision is not a new 
requirement and should require no retesting or re-rating of any 
existing gas-fired, power vented units. The specification in the 1993 
Proposed Rule was to: (1) Combine the requirement with the language in 
section 9.1.4 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 that does not 
specifically include the language for a power vented unit in the 
insulation requirement, as was done in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1982, 
and (2) include any units that employ a power burner. The requirement 
is now specifically included in sections 7.2.2.2, 7.3.2.2, and 9.1.4, 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
    DOE has reviewed the comments by Inter-City Products on ``double 
dipping,'' and by Energy Kinetics on the steady state efficiency being 
overstated due to an un-insulated flue gas collector box. The jacket 
loss and the steady state efficiency are measured without the 
insulation on the flue gas collector box because these conditions exist 
in practice. The reason for insulating the flue gas collector box 
during the transient cool-down and heat-up tests is to obtain a 
measured flue gas temperature as close as possible to its true value 
when the flue gas first exits from the heat exchanger. This allows a 
better calculation of the off-cycle flow through the heat exchanger. In 
the original development of the flue loss methodology, an assumption 
was made on the flue gas temperature variation during the transient 
condition of cool-down and heat-up. This assumption was based on the 
value of a flue gas temperature exiting the heat exchanger, not on a 
lowered value measured some distance away. This transient gas 
temperature variation has never been used in the calculation for jacket 
loss and steady state efficiency.
    DOE has adopted this provision as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993, which is referenced in today's final rule. This action is 
taken for the reasons described above, and because this is not a new 
requirement for gas-fired units and no comments were received opposing 
the requirement for insulation of the flue gas collector box on oil-
fired units.
17. Insulation Requirement for Downflow Furnaces
    DOE proposed an insulation provision that specifies that during the 
cool-down and heat-up tests, the internal section of the vent pipe is 
to be insulated to an R value of not less than 7 ft \2\-h- deg.F/Btu. 
GAMA and Inter-City Products both expressed their opposition to the 
insulation requirement. They claim that the insulation requirement will 
reduce the AFUE value of currently rated units, requiring the possible 
lowering of the minimum standard on marginal units and affecting the 
utility rebate program. GAMA provided data from tests recently 
conducted at ETL to show that for twelve furnace models tested with 
insulation of the internal vent pipe on downflow furnaces, the 
percentage point reductions in AFUE range from 0.2 to 1.1 for models 
currently rated at AFUE of from 78 percent to 80.2 percent. Eight of 
the models will be

[[Page 26148]]

below the 78 percent minimum, and three will be below the 80 percent 
rebate criterion, if tested pursuant to the proposed revision. (GAMA, 
No. 8, at 2,4 and A-1; and Inter-City, No. 7, at 4). Carrier Corp., 
Consolidated Industries, and Lennox Industries all supported GAMA's 
position. (Carrier, No. 12, at 1; Consolidated, No. 21, at 1; and 
Lennox, Transcript, at 77).
    The purpose of the proposal to require insulation of the flue pipe 
is to obtain as nearly as possible the true flue gas temperature 
required in the calculation of the flue loss. The assumption made in 
the calculation procedure is that the flue gas temperature is the 
temperature at the exit plane from the heat exchanger. Since this is 
sometimes impossible to measure in practice, provisions are made in the 
test procedure to measure the flue gas temperature in a more convenient 
and accessible location such as in the flue pipe or stack. Insulation 
of the sections of the flue gas passage between the heat exchanger exit 
plane and the flue gas temperature measuring plane in the stack is not 
for the purpose of reducing the heat loss through the jacket but to 
obtain a more accurate flue gas temperature.
    Today's final rule does not include the insulation of the internal 
flue pipe during the cool-down and heat-up tests. Also, the insulation 
requirement specified in section 7.2.2.5 of the referenced ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993 has not been included in today's final rule. This 
action is justified by the fact that for the downflow furnace, there is 
no existing specification in the current DOE test procedure that covers 
the internal flue pipe. The Department considers the insulation of the 
internal flue pipe during the heat-up and cool-down tests as a 
desirable procedure in obtaining a more accurate measure of the flue 
gas temperatures. Commenters objected to immediate implementation, 
however, because of the test time, retesting and re-rating of all the 
currently rated downflow furnace units with the associated costs, and 
the reduction in AFUE. The Department decided that the objections 
offered by commenters warrant a delay in the implementation of this 
provision. DOE will continue to examine this subject and may consider 
the implementation of the insulation requirement at a later date.
18. Revised Minimum Value for the Draft Factor DP and 
DF
    DOE proposed that a value of 0.05 for the draft factor 
DP be assigned for any units whose DP value, when 
measured by the optional tracer gas method, is less than 0.10. This 
action was based on the following circumstances. The current test 
procedure allows the minimum value for the draft factor DP 
and DF to equal 0.0 on units where absolutely no air flows 
through the combustion chamber and heat exchanger when the burner is 
off (section 9.4.4 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1982 as referenced in 
section 3.0 of appendix N to subpart B of part 430, 56 FR 12159, March 
28, 1984). However, it is very difficult to verify an ``absolutely no 
air-flow'' condition by current flow measurement technology.
    Only two comments were received. GAMA objected to the immediate 
implementation of these changes. (GAMA, No. 8, at 4). Carrier Corp. and 
Consolidated Industries both supported GAMA's position. (Carrier, No. 
12, at 1; and Consolidated, No. 21, at 1). Energy Kinetics, Inc. 
commented that the values are too small to have any significant effect. 
(Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 6).
    The Department does not agree with GAMA's position and has adopted 
this provision as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, which is 
referenced in today's final rule. This action is founded upon the 
following observations. The measurement of very low flow rates of flue 
gas is very difficult, and replicating the measurement would be a 
problem at the low flow rate encountered. The Department considers the 
value of 0.05 to be reasonable. The Department believes that only pulse 
combustion furnaces meet the requirement of no air flow during the off-
cycle. The effect of this change will be that more units can use a 
lower draft factor DF (with a very slight increase in AFUE), 
but it will not result in a lower AFUE for the set of units that are 
minimally compliant with this provision, and will negate the necessity 
of repeatedly conducting the tracer gas test to confirm the accuracy of 
a measured value varying below the 0.1 range.
19. Water Pump Energy Consumption
    DOE proposed the measurement of the electrical energy consumption 
of the water pump for hot water boilers in the 1993 Proposed Rule. GAMA 
put this requirement in its second category (GAMA, No. 8, at 4). 
Carrier Corp. and Consolidated both supported GAMA's position. 
(Carrier, No. 12, at 1; and Consolidated, No. 21, at 1). Hydronics 
Institute (HI) stated that not all boilers are supplied with pumps. 
Instead of measuring the pump power, HI suggested adopting the 
requirement in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. This requirement 
specifies the use of the nameplate wattage if the pump is supplied by 
the manufacturers and a default value of 0.13 kW if no pump is 
supplied. (HI, No. 15, at 3). Energy Kinetics stated that the value of 
0.13 kW is too high and that the standard pumps shipped with 
residential systems today consume no more than 60 watts (W). (Energy 
Kinetics, No. 16, at 7). Mr. John Woodworth, independent commenter, 
stated that the requirement would create a hardship and the results 
would have an insignificant effect on the annual efficiency descriptor. 
He stated that boilers are seldom tested with the ``standard pump'' in 
the laboratory. Instead, test rigs in most laboratories include pumps 
and mixing valves to test all sizes of boilers. When sold, a model 
boiler may be equipped with as many as three different brands of pumps, 
or shipped without a pump. Mr. Woodworth recommended that DOE adopt the 
requirement of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 instead of the proposed 
measurement requirement. (J. Woodworth, No. 20, at 3).
    The Department, in today's final rule, adopts the requirement of 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 for pump power consumption. The 
requirement states that if a pump is supplied with the boiler (as cited 
by Energy Kinetics), then BE (electrical power to water pump) is the 
nameplate wattage rating, and if no pump is supplied, then the current 
default value of BE is 0.13 kW in calculation of annual electrical 
energy consumption. By referencing the revised ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993, this is included in today's final rule. The Department does 
not agree with GAMA's inclusion of this issue in its second category, 
since pump power consumption is not involved with the calculation of 
AFUE. DOE does agree that the 1993 Proposed Rule, by requiring an 
additional measurement of pump power consumption, would impose a burden 
that does not significantly improve the calculation of annual 
electrical energy consumption. Hence, DOE adopts instead the ANSI/
ASHRAE provision.
20. Energy Factor and Annual Efficiency Descriptors
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, the Department proposed two energy 
descriptors, the energy factor and annual efficiency, for both fossil-
fueled furnaces and boilers. The proposed energy factor includes the 
auxiliary electrical energy consumption of the appliance, and is 
identical to the energy factor term as defined in appendix B of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, except that DOE proposed a different ``F-
factor.'' Appendix B defined ``energy

[[Page 26149]]

factor'' as the ratio of the annual output of heat energy provided to 
the space to the total annual energy input required to operate the 
appliance. The annual output of heat energy includes the contribution 
from a portion of the auxiliary electrical energy that is recovered as 
useful heat. The total annual energy input required includes both the 
fossil fuel and the auxiliary electric energy. The F-factor, however, 
equal to 3.0 in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, was 3.37 in the DOE 
proposal. The modified F-factor then approximated the ratio of the 
energy required to generate and transmit the auxiliary electricity 
consumed by the appliance to the amount of such electrical energy. The 
F-factor was applied to the auxiliary electrical consumption to reflect 
the efficiency in the use of all energy used to run the appliance.
    The purpose of the Department's proposal to establish the new 
efficiency descriptor and the energy factor was to account for the 
auxiliary electric energy in the operation of fossil-fueled furnaces 
and boilers. The proposed descriptors would combine the consumption of 
fossil fuel and auxiliary electricity into a single value that would 
reflect the overall energy cost of a fossil-fueled appliance. The 
current energy descriptor, AFUE, deals only with the primary type of 
energy consumed by an appliance. Therefore, it does not give the 
consumer a complete account of the overall energy and cost performance 
of the appliance. On the basis of AFUE alone, a consumer would not be 
able to compare the overall cost of operation of two or more different 
models of fossil-fueled furnaces or boilers of comparable output 
capacity with blowers of different motor efficiencies or on/off 
controller timings. The proposed energy descriptors were intended to 
give the consumer the necessary information for a more informed 
decision. Another purpose for the proposed energy descriptors was to 
provide an evaluation procedure for different design options for 
fossil-fueled furnaces and boilers that involves auxiliary electric 
energy consumption. This information would be considered in the 
determination of energy efficiency standard levels.
    At the public hearing and during the public comment period 
following the publication of the 1993 Proposed Rule, twenty-one 
commenters offered views on this issue. The comments ranged from 
support for an energy descriptor that included both the fossil fuel and 
the auxiliary electric energy consumption, to complete disagreement 
with that concept. Nearly all commenters however, expressed 
reservations on the source-based multiplication factor (the F-factor to 
be applied to the auxiliary electrical energy consumption of fossil-
fueled appliances). A summary of the commenters' reasons for objection 
include: (1) The use of source energy in determining the energy 
efficiency, through the proposed F-factor, is not permitted by EPCA and 
NAECA, which specify that efficiency must be determined by energy 
consumption at the point of use (site) of the covered products; (2) the 
application of the F-factor to the auxiliary electrical energy consumed 
by fossil-fueled appliances, but not to all-electric furnaces, is 
biased against fossil-fueled appliances; (3) a national average source 
to site energy ratio ignores the variation in the value of the F-factor 
due to different methods of power generation; (4) the value of the 
proposed energy descriptor would be lower than the AFUE, creating 
confusion for AFUE based rebate/incentive programs by utility 
companies; (5) combination furnace/air-conditioning systems with a 
single heating capacity may require different size blowers depending on 
cooling load requirements; and (6) fuel switching and marketplace 
distortion could result. A detailed summary of comments on the F-factor 
and the proposed energy descriptor is found in the Federal Register 
notice. 60 FR 4348 ( January 20, 1995).
    In 1995 the Department reopened the comment period on the 1993 
Proposed Rule, solely to address this issue, and the Department 
proposed a revision of its 1993 proposal. In place of the 1993 Proposed 
Rule's definition of the F-factor as a source-to-site based energy 
ratio, the Department proposed a cost-based electricity-to-fossil fuel 
price ratio with a value of 3.36 at the point of use. The proposed 
revision was published in the Federal Register on January 20, 1995. 60 
FR 4348.
    Seventy comments were received concerning this proposed revision to 
the F-factor. Many comments were similar to those received in response 
to the original 1993 proposal, and disregarded the change to an F-
factor based on cost of energy. Most commenters considered the proposal 
as violating the intent and language of EPCA and NAECA, asserting that 
these statutes define energy efficiency with reference to energy 
consumption at the point of use (site energy). Because comments were 
similar or identical to those submitted following the 1993 proposal, a 
commenter-by-commenter description of the comments is not presented 
here. Virtually all of the commenters urged DOE to either withdraw or 
modify the F-factor proposal.
    One of the principal issues raised by the commenters is the 
authority of DOE to establish an energy efficiency standard for 
furnaces on the basis of either energy cost or source energy, as 
opposed to site energy consumption in units of energy. Upon further 
examination, it is the view of the Department of Energy that EPCA 
requires the energy efficiency of a furnace to be based on consumption 
of energy at the site of the furnace, and that the statute does not 
permit the promulgation of an energy efficiency standard that is 
expressed in terms of annual operating costs of the furnace.
    EPCA defines the energy conservation standard of a covered 
appliance as ``a performance standard which prescribes a minimum level 
of energy efficiency or a maximum quantity of energy use.'' EPCA 
section 321(6), 42 U.S.C. 6291(6). EPCA defines ``energy efficiency'' 
as the ratio of a product's useful output of services to its ``energy 
use.'' EPCA section 321(5), 42 U.S.C. 6291(5). Thus, ``energy use'' is 
a basis for any standard for furnaces and boilers. ``Energy use'' in 
turn is defined in section 321(4), 42 U.S.C. 6291(4), as ``the quantity 
of energy directly consumed by a consumer product at point of use.'' 
Therefore, furnace energy conservation standards must be based on 
consumption of energy at the site of the appliance. The Department 
believes that this conclusion is further supported by terminology used 
in section 325(f) of EPCA, 42 U.S.C. 6295(f), which concerns standards 
for furnaces. Section 325(f)(1)(B), for example, requires the 
promulgation of an ``energy conservation standard'' for small furnaces, 
and, as just discussed, such a standard must be based on energy 
consumption at the site of the application.
    Based on the above analysis, the Department is withdrawing the 
proposed energy descriptor and energy factor in today's final rule. The 
current procedures of determining AFUE from the energy efficiency 
descriptor, and of calculating of the annual energy consumption of 
fossil fuel and electrical energy for furnaces/boilers, therefore will 
remain unchanged. In the meantime, the Department will continue to 
explore and to solicit input from interested parties on various options 
for the development of a descriptor that would take into account 
separately both a new energy factor for fossil fueled furnaces and the 
auxiliary electrical energy consumption of an appliance.

[[Page 26150]]

21. Measurement of Electric Energy Consumption for Interrupted Ignition 
Device
    The 1993 Proposed Rule required measurement of the energy 
consumption by the interrupted ignition device. Both GAMA and Inter-
City Products argued that the electrical energy consumption of the 
interrupted ignition device constitutes an extremely small amount of 
all electrical consumption of a furnace. To include the measurement of 
the energy consumption of the device is burdensome in time and effort. 
Carrier Corp. and Consolidated Industries both supported GAMA's 
position. (Inter-City, No. 7, at 3; GAMA, No. 8, at 18; Carrier, No. 
12, at 1; and Consolidated, No. 21, at 1). HI and independent commenter 
Mr. John Woodworth both stated that the energy consumption of these 
ignition devices is small and will not affect the energy descriptors. 
Additionally, according to HI and Mr. Woodworth, a separate test would 
be required since the ignition devices are off during the steady state 
test, and they are difficult to measure because the time duration and 
power draw are not constant during ignition. Therefore, HI recommended 
the deletion of the device in the proposed measurement requirement and 
the calculation procedures. (HI, No. 15, at 3; and J. Woodworth, No. 
20, at 4).
    To assess the merits of these comments, and to determine the amount 
of energy consumption of an interrupted ignition device, NIST measured 
the power input, on-time duration and energy consumption of an electric 
hot surface ignition device on a 90,000 Btu/h input gas-fired furnace. 
It was found that the power input varied from 515 W to 470 W during the 
40 seconds the device was on. Except for the first few seconds, the 
power draw was approximately 470 W. This translated into an energy 
consumption of approximately 18 Btu per burner on-cycle, or 63 Btu/h 
for the assumed average 3.5 burner on-cycles per hour (3.87 minutes on 
and 13.3 minutes off) for a single stage furnace. While this compares 
favorably with the average 400 Btu/h energy consumption of a pilot 
light, DOE does not agree that the energy consumption of the 
interrupted ignition device should be completely ignored. DOE agrees, 
however, that the energy consumption is small enough to justify the 
deletion of the measurement requirement in the proposed test procedure. 
Therefore, DOE is specifying in today's final rule that the on-time of 
an interrupted ignition device, as specified in a furnace's nameplate, 
should be used as the actual on-time. Further, the nameplate power 
input rating, or 0.4 kW if none is specified on the nameplate, should 
be used as the average power draw in the electrical energy calculation. 
The device on-time will be measured with a stop watch if not specified 
on the nameplate. The device on-time will be set to equal zero if the 
nameplate or measured value is less than or equal to five seconds.
22. Measurement of Energy Consumption of Combustion Blower During Post 
Purge
    The test procedure of the proposed rule and ASHRAE 103-93 requires 
the measurement of the energy consumption of combustion blowers during 
a post purge. Commenters GAMA and Inter-City Products both argued that 
the electrical energy consumption of the combustion blower during post 
purge constitutes an extremely small amount of all electrical 
consumption of a furnace, and that to include the measurement of the 
energy consumption of the combustion blower is overly burdensome in 
time and effort. Carrier Corp. and Consolidated Industries both 
supported GAMA's position. (Inter-City, No. 7, at 3; GAMA, No. 8, at 
18; Carrier, No. 12, at 1; and Consolidated, No. 21, at 1). Energy 
Kinetics, while not commenting on the power consumption of the draft 
inducer during post purge, pointed out that the power burner is off for 
some oil-fired units during post purge and thus, only the draft inducer 
is on. As a result, the auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
measured during steady state may not be equal to the electrical energy 
consumption during the post purge period. (Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 
6).
    The 1989 ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals states that the power 
consumption of motors with rated horsepowers of \1/20\ hp and \1/12\ 
hp, which would be typical for combustion blowers, are approximately 
360 Btu/h and 580 Btu/h, respectively. For a post purge period of 30 
seconds, the energy consumptions would be 3-5 Btu per off-cycle for the 
two sizes of motors, and for a post purge period of 180 seconds, the 
motor energy consumptions would be 18-29 Btu per off-cycle. For an 
average 3.5 on-cycles per hour of furnace operation, the energy 
consumption would be 10 Btu/h to 17 Btu/h for the 30-second post purge 
and 60 Btu/h to 100 Btu/h for the 180-second post purge. For boilers 
with an average of 1.3 on-cycles per hour, the values would be 
approximately \1/3\ the above.
    DOE does not agree that the energy consumption should be completely 
ignored. Therefore, DOE is specifying in today's final rule that the 
nameplate power rating of the combustion blower be used as the power 
consumption in the calculation for the electrical energy consumption. 
DOE agrees that the energy consumption is small enough to justify the 
deletion of the electric power measurement requirement for the 
combustion blower. But measurement of the full length of the post purge 
period, easily determined with a stop watch, is still required as set 
forth in the proposed rule.
23. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
    The 1993 Proposed Rule referenced ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 and 
added additional amendments to cover the changes, revisions and 
advances in technology between the years when the Standard was 
published (1988) and the Proposed Rule was published (1993). Those 
additional amendments included a revised calculation procedure for 
units with stack dampers; revised test procedures for atmospheric 
burner units with a burner inlet damper or flue damper; revised test 
procedures for power burner units employing post purge during the off-
cycle; insulation requirements during heat-up and cool-down tests for 
downflow furnaces; a jacket loss test for units with ventilation 
openings on their cabinets; and other technical corrections.
    Subsequent to the publication of the 1993 Proposed Rule, ASHRAE 
published in October 1993 ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 which 
supersedes ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988. The revised ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993 incorporated most of the revisions and additions to 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 that were included in the 1993 Proposed 
Rule, with the following exceptions: (1) The requirement of a minimum 
on-time delay for the blower at burner ignition and a maximum off-time 
delay after burner shut-off for units with an unvarying blower timing 
control; (2) the actual measurement of power input to hot water boiler 
pumps; (3) the measurement of ignition energy input to interrupted 
ignition devices; and (4) the measurement of combustion blower time 
delay during post purge after burner shut-off in power vented units. 
With the above exceptions, the revised ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 
and the 1993 Proposed Rule are nearly identical in content.
    Commenters including GAMA stated that ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 
should be incorporated in the Department's test procedure rather than 
ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1988 as proposed in the 1993 Proposed Rule. (GAMA, 
Transcript, at 8). HI stated that since

[[Page 26151]]

ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1988 is no longer the current standard and will no 
longer be published by ASHRAE, it would be difficult for manufacturers 
to obtain additional copies for reference; therefore, the 1993 version 
should be referenced. (HI, Transcript, at 74). Mr. John Woodworth, who 
was Chairman of the SPC that developed ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1993, Secretary 
of the SPC for ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1988 and Vice-Chairman of the SPC for 
ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1982, suggested that DOE should reference the ANSI/
ASHRAE 103-1993 rather than ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1988. He asserts that, with 
few exceptions, the requirements in ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1993 are the same 
as the requirements in the 1993 Proposed Rule. In addition, ANSI/ASHRAE 
103-1988 will no longer be available from ASHRAE. (John Woodworth, No. 
20, at 2). The CEC stated that it supports the use of ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993 with DOE-specified changes. (CEC, No. 25, at 3). It 
was suggested by Lennox (Lennox Transcript, at 78) that the test 
procedure be published in its entirety.
    The Department agrees with the commenters on this issue and is 
referencing the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 instead of the 1988 
version in today's final rule. DOE decided not to publish the above 
standard in its entirety, since it is the practice of the Department to 
incorporate by reference any industry consensus standards, and the test 
procedures adopted in today's final rule are nearly identical to ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
24. Other Minor Modifications to ANSI/ASHRAE Standards 103-1988 and 
103-1993
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE also proposed to adopt corrections 
and clarifications of several typographical errors and inconsistencies 
identified by ASHRAE SPC 103 following publication of ASHRAE Standard 
103-1988.
    No commenter expressed objection to those specific revisions with 
the exception of Mr. Woodworth on revision to section 9.7.3 of the 
Standard. Therein, Mr. Woodworth stated that, since TF,OFF 
is not needed in the calculation of off-period flue gas mass flow rate 
if the draft is maintained during cool-down, the TF,OFF 
reading is not necessary. The draft is maintained during cool-down for 
units with barometric draft regulators. Therefore, the phrase ``if 
draft is not maintained during cool-down'' should not be deleted. (J. 
Woodworth, No. 20, at 4). DOE agrees with Mr. Woodworth's comment, and 
the proposed revision is dropped from today's final rule.
    DOE, by referencing ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 today, has 
included all the other minor revisions and corrections to ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1988 in today's final rule. With the exception of the item 
commented on by Mr. Woodworth above, the revised ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993 incorporated all the other minor revisions and corrections to 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988 described in the 1993 Proposed Rule.
    After the publication of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, a few 
typographical errors were identified. On October 24, 1996, ASHRAE 
issued an Errata Sheet for ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, that listed the 
typographical errors to be corrected in ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1993. This 
ASHRAE Errata is incorporated by reference in today's final rule.
25. Other Issues
    The following is a discussion of comments DOE received on issues 
not raised by the proposed test procedure for furnaces and boilers. As 
discussed below, however, in the 1993 Proposed Rule DOE had requested 
comments on certain of these issues.
    (1) Distribution System Efficiency.--First, commenters including 
Dr. M. A. Habegger of Boulder, Colorado, remarked that in the field 
installation, the air flow rate through the distribution system has a 
large effect on the overall system efficiency. Further, the value of 
AFUE obtained through the current test procedure is usually much higher 
than the overall system efficiency. (M. A. Habegger, No. 22 at 1). The 
Department agrees that a reduced air flow rate will reduce the overall 
efficiency of the heating system due to a higher flue gas temperature 
and duct air leakage.
    Dr. Habegger further comments that the circulation air flow rate is 
not considered in the current test procedure and that testing the 
efficiency of equipment without considering the overall installed 
system effect is meaningless. The Department disagrees. The rate of 
circulation air flow is addressed in the test procedure by the limits 
set on both the minimum external static pressure and the air 
temperature rise between the supply and return air. This assures that 
the circulation air blower will deliver the appropriate amount of air 
flow at the required design conditions.
    As the Department specifically pointed out in the preamble to the 
1984 Final Rule for furnaces, boilers, and vented and unvented home 
heaters, the test procedures cannot predict the energy performance of a 
furnace in every installation. 49 FR 12153 (March 28, 1984). Rather, 
their use is for comparison purposes and thus installation variables 
are only representatively accounted for. That preamble continues to 
state the Department's position on this issue.
    (2) Input/Output Method.--Two commenters, Energy Kinetics and the 
CEC, responded to the Department's request to comment on the 
appropriateness of a test procedure for furnaces and boilers based on 
an input/output method. Both suggested the development or adoption of 
the input/output method as a more accurate method for rating furnaces 
and boilers in place of the present flue loss method. (Energy Kinetics, 
No. 16, at 7; and CEC, No. 25, at 3). GAMA, in response to questions 
during the public hearing, stated that ETL researchers working on an 
input/output method for GAMA experienced a great deal of difficulty in 
repeating the test results and in correlating the resulting efficiency 
rating with the current method. GAMA felt that more time is needed for 
work in the input/output method. (GAMA, Transcript, at 35).
    An analysis by Dr. D. R. Tree of Purdue University with data 
supplied by NIST on the errors associated with the input/output method 
showed that for warm air furnaces, the uncertainties in duct air flow 
measurement and non-uniform temperature distribution in the duct, 
during steady state and cyclic conditions, would result in an error 
estimate of 12 percent for the AFUE value. This made the 
input/output method unacceptable as a test procedure for warm air 
furnaces.4 The problem of flow and temperature measurements 
for hot water boilers would not be as severe. A detailed method, 
however, on the transient performance of hot water boilers, both during 
the on-cycle (energy delivered) and the off-cycle (heat loss) needs to 
be developed and a consensus on the procedure agreed upon. The problems 
of testing according to two different test procedures, one for warm air 
furnaces and one for hydronic heating systems, also require further 
discussion. The Department is, therefore, reserving action on the 
possible adoption of an input/output method for hydronic heating 
systems to a future rulemaking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ David R. Tree, ``Error Analysis of Testing for Annual Fuel 
Utilization Efficiency of Residential Central Furnace Boilers, 
Report Number 4, Executive Summary,'' Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, 
Purdue University.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (3) Test Procedure for Combined Space/Water Heating Appliances.--
Only Energy Kinetics raised this issue, and questioned the 
appropriateness of the current ASHRAE Standard 124-

[[Page 26152]]

1991 that covers the testing and rating of combination appliances. 
(Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 8).
    The Department is preparing to propose a test procedure for 
combined space/water heating appliances in the future. DOE welcomes any 
comments and input from industry and interested individuals and 
organizations.
    (4) Off-Cycle Draft Setting.--Only Energy Kinetics commented that 
the operation and off-cycle draft conditions at the flue connection to 
a unit affect the ratings of the unit, and suggested that the draft 
value should not be left to be at the manufacturer's recommendation. 
Energy Kinetics suggested a standard draft level of 0.05'' water column 
to be maintained at both the on-cycle and off-cycle periods during the 
test. (Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 5).
    DOE believes that this specification is not necessary as the draft 
produced during the operation of the unit cannot be arbitrarily set by 
the manufacturer if proper operation, such as smoke number, 
CO2 concentration, and flame stability, of the unit is to be 
maintained. DOE reasons that if the manufacturers do not require or 
recommend the maintenance of a specific draft level during the off-
cycle for the normal operation of their unit, it should not be required 
during the off-period test.
    (5) Supply and Return Water Temperature Settings for Hot Water 
Boilers.--Energy Kinetics stated that the hot water boiler temperature 
settings of 120 deg.F return water temperature and 140 deg.F supply 
water temperature during the tests, as prescribed in the current test 
procedure, are too low. They are not the normal temperatures of 
160 deg.F and 180 deg.F encountered in a home installation. (Energy 
Kinetics, No. 16, at 4).
    The Department prescribed the test conditions for hot water boilers 
(boiler return water of at least 120 deg.F and a 20 deg.F temperature 
rise) during the 1983 proposed rulemaking (48 FR 28014, June 17, 1983) 
before the publication of the final rule for the current furnace test 
procedure (49 FR 12148, March 24, 1984). In so doing, the Department 
stated its belief that all non-condensing hot water boilers, including 
finned tube boilers and low thermal mass boilers, generally operated at 
these conditions, and the specifications would eliminate the need for 
future test procedure waivers for specific types of hot water boilers 
from a uniform test condition. At that time the boiler industry had 
also indicated its desire to have these test conditions included. The 
Department sees no fundamental change in the application of hot water 
boilers to warrant revision to the current test procedure. In addition, 
changing the test conditions to those suggested by Energy Kinetics 
would result in a reduction of the AFUE for existing hot water boilers 
as the flue loss would be slightly higher due to a higher flue gas 
temperature. This would require the retesting and re-rating of most 
existing hot water boilers.
    For the reasons discussed above, today's final rule does not 
include any changes to the test conditions with respect to the boiler 
water return temperature and temperature rise for hot water boilers as 
specified in the current test procedure.
    (6) Energy Lost at Appliance Location (Boilers in Unheated 
Space).--Energy Kinetics disagreed with the requirement that boilers be 
tested as indoor installation. It claimed that most boilers are 
installed in un-conditioned space. (Energy Kinetics, No. 16, at 4).
    Since the minimum standard for boilers is based on a statutory 
definition of AFUE which explicitly assumes that non-weatherized 
boilers are located indoors, DOE will not consider any change in the 
installation location for boilers at the present time.
    (7) Setting Throughput Air Temperature Rise for Furnaces.--In the 
current DOE test procedure and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1988, the 
adjustment to the air throughput for warm air furnaces at steady state 
operation is specified under the following conditions: a temperature 
rise, across the heat exchanger, shall be the higher of (1) 15 deg.F 
below the maximum temperature rise, or (2) 15 deg.F above the minimum 
temperature rise, as specified by the manufacturer.
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule and in the 1993 revision of ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103 (as 103-1993), a provision was added to the test setting 
of the air temperature rise. The provision requires that, for furnaces 
whose design does not permit a temperature rise range of 30 deg.F, the 
furnace shall be tested at the midpoint of the rise range specified by 
the manufacturer if the rise is less than 30 deg.F. Commenters GAMA and 
Inter-City mentioned this provision for condensing furnaces whose 
temperature rise range may be less than 30 deg.F, and listed this 
provision in GAMA's first category of revisions for immediate 
implementation. (GAMA, No. 8 at 3; Inter-City, No. 7 at 4).
    DOE has adopted this provision as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993 referenced in today's final rule.

B. Vented Home Heating Equipment

    The Department originally published the test procedure for vented 
home heating equipment on May 2, 1978. 43 FR 20182. The Department 
amended this test procedure on March 28, 1984, to include a simplified 
vented heater test procedure for heaters with modulating controls, 
manually controlled vented heaters, vented heaters equipped with 
thermal stack dampers, and floor furnaces. 49 FR 12169.
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed the following amendments to 
the vented home heating equipment test procedure: (1) To establish an 
annual efficiency descriptor to account for the auxiliary electrical 
energy consumed by the fan or blowers in addition to the fossil fuel 
consumed; (2) to revise the calculation procedure for AFUE for manually 
controlled heaters; and (3) to revise the calculation procedure for 
weighted average steady-state efficiency for manually controlled 
heaters with various input rates.
    The following discussion addresses the comments received on the 
proposed rule.
1. Annual Efficiency Descriptor
    The Department proposed in the 1993 Proposed Rule to adopt the 
energy factor as defined in appendix B of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 
as the new energy descriptor for vented home heating equipment, and 
renamed it the annual efficiency descriptor.
    The Department's current test procedure for vented home heating 
equipment prescribes the calculation of AFUE based on the energy 
consumption of fossil fuel only. Since auxiliary electrical energy can 
be consumed by these appliances such as for the operation of a blower, 
DOE considered that a more appropriate energy descriptor was needed to 
account for both fossil fuel and auxiliary electrical energy 
consumption of the appliances. This energy descriptor would also be 
used to address the electrical energy used by some of the design 
options considered for energy standard level evaluation.
    Seventeen commenters, directly or in support of another commenter, 
have commented on this issue. The comments from each individual or 
organization were discussed in the Federal Register notice of January 
20, 1995. 60 FR 4348. This was described previously in the section for 
the proposed energy factor and annual efficiency descriptors for 
central furnaces and boilers. (See II.A. 20 above, ``Annual Efficiency 
Descriptor and Energy Factor.'')
    As concluded in the discussion above, DOE has decided to withdraw 
the proposed energy descriptor from today's final rule. Since the 
commenters

[[Page 26153]]

combined their comments on this proposed energy descriptor with those 
for the central furnaces/boilers, readers are referred to that section 
for a discussion of this issue. Therefore, the current procedures of 
determining AFUE as the energy efficiency descriptor will remain 
unchanged. However, the proposed procedure for the calculation of the 
annual energy consumption of fossil fuel and electrical energy for the 
vented home heating equipment is included in today's final rule. This 
added procedure does not involve any additional testing beyond that 
required by the current test procedure. The added calculation procedure 
is intended to allow for the adequate and fair cost ranking of the 
different design options that may be considered in future evaluations 
of possible revisions of energy standard levels.
2. Pilot Light Energy Consumption for Manually Controlled Heaters
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, for manually controlled heaters, under 
certain conditions, the measurement of pilot light energy is not 
needed. Two comments on this issue were received. GAMA supported the 
provision of not requiring the measurement of the pilot energy 
consumption for manually controlled heaters equipped with a piezo 
igniter. (GAMA, No. 8, at 20). The CEC stated that the language in the 
provision should be more explicit in defining what is meant by the 
phrase ``when the heater is not in use and instruction to do so is 
given,'' in section 3.5.2 of appendix O to subpart B of part 430. The 
CEC further stated that the manufacturer should only be allowed to 
ignore the pilot energy use if the pilot extinguishes whenever the 
burner is off. (CEC, No. 25, at 3).
    The Department agrees with the suggestion of the CEC to clarify 
when the proposed provision is applicable. This provision applies to a 
heater that provides manually controlled settings for the control knob 
in the operation of the appliance, and a clearly marked knob setting 
such as the ``OFF'' knob setting shuts off the appliance completely 
including the pilot light. DOE is today revising the section in 
question to read as follows:
    ``3.5.2 For manually controlled heaters where the pilot light is 
designed to be turned off by the user when the heater is not in use, 
that is, turning the control to the OFF position will shut off the gas 
supply to the burner(s) and to the pilot light, the measurement of 
QP is not needed. This provision applies only if an 
instruction to turn off the unit is provided on the heater near the gas 
control valve (e.g., by label) by the manufacturer.''
3. Weighted Average Steady-State Efficiency
    In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed that for manually 
controlled vented home heaters with multiple input rates whose design 
is such that the specified minimum firing rate cannot be set at 
505 percent of the unit's maximum firing rate, the test 
will be conducted at the unit's minimum fuel input rate, provided that 
the minimum input shall be no higher than \2/3\ of the maximum fuel 
input rate of the heater.
    GAMA supported this provision. (GAMA, No. 8, at 20). DOE is 
adopting the provision in today's final rule.

C. Pool Heaters

    The Department published the pool heater test procedure on February 
7, 1989, referencing ANSI Standard Z21.56-1986 for gas-fired pool 
heaters. 54 FR 6076. In the 1993 Proposed Rule, DOE proposed to amend 
the pool heater test procedure, first, to include an annual efficiency 
descriptor that accounts for the fossil fuel and the auxiliary 
electrical energy consumed by any fan or pump and, second, to replace 
the reference to ANSI Standard Z21.56-1986 with references to the then 
updated version of ANSI Standard Z21.56.
    Standard Z21.56 was updated again in 1994. But no substantive 
changes were made in the portions of that Standard which DOE had 
proposed, in the 1993 Proposed Rule, to incorporate into its pool 
heater test procedure. DOE is therefore referencing ANSI Standard 
Z21.56-1994 in the pool heater test procedure it adopts today.
    All of the comments received on the proposed amendment to this test 
procedure concerned the proposed annual efficiency descriptor. The 
following discussion addresses those comments.
1. Annual Efficiency Descriptor
    The Department proposed in the 1993 Proposed Rule a new energy 
descriptor, the Annual Efficiency (AE), for pool heaters. The proposed 
AE descriptor, was defined as the ratio of the annual output of energy 
delivered to the heated pool water by fossil fuel to the total annual 
energy input to the heater including auxiliary electrical energy. The 
latter term, auxiliary electrical energy, was multiplied by a factor F 
which represents the ratio of the heat energy required to generate and 
transmit the electricity to the electrical energy delivered at the pool 
heater. This was for the purpose of reflecting the efficiency of total 
energy used to run the appliance.
    The Department's current test procedure for pool heaters prescribes 
the calculation of the thermal efficiency under steady state condition 
only. The thermal efficiency is defined as the ratio of the useful 
output of heated water to the sum of the input of fossil fuel energy 
and auxiliary electric energy during the steady state test period. DOE 
considered that a more appropriate energy descriptor was needed in 
order to account for the energy consumption during the burner-off 
periods of a pool heating season. DOE based this view on the fact that 
a significant quantity of energy can be consumed by a continuous pilot 
light and the auxiliary electrical energy consumption during the 
burner-off periods of the pool heating season. The proposed energy 
descriptor could also be used to address the energy savings by some of 
the design options that might be considered in future evaluation of 
possible revisions of energy standard levels. For example, to consider 
electronic ignition, the evaluation would have to account for the 
savings in gas consumption resulting from elimination of a continuous 
burning pilot.
    Seventeen commenters, directly or in support of another commenter, 
have commented on this issue. The comments from each individual or 
organization concerning the proposed multiplication factor F applied to 
the auxiliary electric energy consumption are discussed in the Federal 
Register notice of January 20, 1995 (60 FR 4348). This was described 
previously in subsection 20 of section II.A of this notice, which 
discusses the proposed energy factor and annual efficiency descriptors 
for central furnaces and boilers. Readers are referred to that section 
for the discussion of the F-factor issue.
    GAMA also commented on the proposed annual efficiency descriptor 
concerning pool heaters. GAMA stated that the use of a recirculating 
pump should be factored into the AE descriptor only if the pump is used 
during the thermal efficiency test under section 2.8.1 of ANSI Z21.56-
1990 standard. Further, GAMA claims, the pump or the pump/filter system 
used in any given installation in the field that is not supplied by the 
manufacturer should not be considered as part of the heater's auxiliary 
components. GAMA commented that DOE should focus on addressing a pool 
heater's primary electrical energy consumption rather than auxiliary 
losses.

[[Page 26154]]

    The Department believes that the above concerns expressed by GAMA 
are unfounded. As shown in section 4 of appendix P of the 1993 Proposed 
Rule, the determination of the auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
of the pool heater is as specified in ANSI Z21.56-1990 standard, and 
was not modified in the 1993 Proposed Rule. As proposed in section 4.4 
of appendix P, the calculation of the annual auxiliary electrical 
energy consumption is based on heater on-time only.
    GAMA first stated that, since DOE defined the average number of 
burner operating hours as 104 hours independent of pool and heater 
size, then ``100,000 Btu/hr and 400,000 Btu/hr pool heaters can have 
the same AE value, and would give the impression that a 400,000 Btu/hr 
pool heater is an effective choice for heating a 500 gallon hot tub.'' 
GAMA then stated that during pool ``off-season'' hours, the continuous 
pilot is usually shut off.
    DOE disagrees with the first statement. If the output capacity of 
the pool heater is properly selected by the contractor or installer 
based on the size or load requirement of a particular pool, then the 
burner operating time would be neither excessively long nor unduly 
short. Moreover, although the selection of a particular pool heater 
among models of similar capacity for a specific pool size may be based 
on its energy efficiency, the selection of a correct capacity heater is 
based on the pool size or load requirement. As to GAMA's statement 
about the pilot light being off during the ``off season,'' the 1993 
proposal already assumed that the continuous pilot light, if used, will 
be off during non-heating season hours. (See section 4.2 of appendix P 
to subpart B of part 430, on the definition of the average number of 
seasonal pool operating hours (POH).)
    In its statement, GAMA also suggested that, instead of the AE 
descriptor, DOE should develop a methodology to calculate total annual 
energy consumption, based on thermal efficiency, electrical energy 
consumption, and continuous pilot light consumption. Thus, consumers 
could use this information to estimate annual energy consumption and 
operating costs for a specific pool size and season of operation.
    DOE agrees with this suggestion. The calculation procedure in 
today's final rule includes the calculation of the average annual 
fossil fuel and auxiliary electric energy consumption.
    The Department has decided to withdraw the proposed energy 
descriptor with the proposed F-factor multiplier from today's final 
rule, for the reasons discussed in subsection 20 of section II.A of 
this notice. The current procedure for determining the energy 
efficiency descriptor for pool heaters, the steady state thermal 
efficiency, shall remain unchanged. A procedure, however, for the 
calculation of the pool heater seasonal efficiency and the annual 
energy consumption of fossil fuel and auxiliary electricity for the 
pool heater is included in today's final rule. The pool heater seasonal 
efficiency is defined as the ratio (in percent) of the useful output of 
the heater in terms of heated pool water during the pool heating season 
to the sum of the total energy input when the burner is on and the 
energy consumption of the pilot light when the burner is off during the 
pool heating season. The total burner-on hours and the length of the 
pool heating season are assumed to be 104 hours and 4464 hours per 
year, respectively. The heater is assumed to be in steady state 
operation whenever the burner is on. The pilot light is assumed to be 
off during the non-heating season hours (4296 hours) and on during the 
pool heating season hours (4464 hours). The auxiliary electrical energy 
consumption is assumed to be negligible when the burner is off. For 
heaters which do not employ a continuous pilot light during the pool 
heating season, the seasonal efficiency will be the same as the steady 
state thermal efficiency. This procedure will account for the energy 
consumption of those pool heaters that employ a continuous pilot light 
during the pool heating season. As stated previously, the procedure 
also provides a calculation procedure for the average annual fossil 
fuel and auxiliary electric energy consumption. These calculations are 
simply arithmetic exercises with no additional testing required. Since 
these calculations could be used to address the energy savings by some 
design options that might be considered in future evaluations of energy 
standard levels, DOE believes it is justified to include these 
additional calculations.

III. Procedural Requirements

A. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

    The Department has concluded that this final rule falls into a 
class of actions (categorical exclusion A5) that are categorically 
excluded from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) 
review because they would not individually or cumulatively have a 
significant impact on the human environment, as determined by DOE's 
regulations (10 CFR part 1021, appendix A to subpart D) implementing 
the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321, 4331-35, 4341-47). Therefore this final rule 
does not require an environmental impact statement or an environmental 
assessment pursuant to NEPA.

B. Review Under Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and 
Review''

    Today's regulatory action has been determined not to be a 
``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order 12866, 
``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' 58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993. 
Accordingly, today's action was not subject to review under the 
Executive Order by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

C. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 603, requires the 
preparation of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis for every 
rule which by law must be proposed for public comment, unless the 
agency certifies that the rule, if promulgated, will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
A regulatory flexibility analysis examines the impact of the rule on 
small entities and considers alternate ways of reducing negative 
impacts.
    The Department believes the final rule will not have a significant 
impact on either small or large manufacturers of furnaces and boilers, 
vented home heating equipment, and pool heaters under the provisions of 
the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The final rule amends DOE's test 
procedures, primarily to incorporate (1) test procedures already in use 
by manufacturers pursuant to waivers that DOE previously granted to 
those manufacturers, and (2) revisions to standard industry testing 
methods, contained in American Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and 
Refrigerating Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 103-1993, ``Methods of 
Testing for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of Residential Central 
Furnaces and Boilers,'' and American National Standards Institute 
Standard Z21.56-1994, ``Gas-Fired Pool Heaters.'' Examples of 
amendments are:
     The 90-second delay from burner ignition to activation of 
the warm air circulation fan designed with an unvarying time delay in a 
central furnace has been shortened to accommodate current manufacturers 
designs.
     There is no requirement to calculate the energy 
consumption of a gas pilot light on manually controlled vented home 
heaters provided that there is instruction for the user to turn the 
pilot light off and restart it.

[[Page 26155]]

     The test procedure for modulated, vented home heating 
equipment allows testing at 100 percent and sixty six percent rated 
input power, instead of 100 percent and fifty percent power, to 
accommodate new designs.
    Such requirements presented in the final rule incorporate 
improvements in the current testing technology for furnaces and 
boilers, vented home heating equipment, and pool heaters utilized by 
industry. But they would not have a significant economic impact, since 
they are methods already in use by manufacturers, and will not cause 
manufacturers to purchase equipment, consume testing time, nor employ 
technical staff beyond what is required by existing DOE test 
procedures.
    In addition, in some respects the test procedures in the final rule 
are less burdensome than the current procedures. For example:
     The formula to calculate the time delay and energy loss of 
a stack damper traversing from fully open to fully closed has been 
adjusted for greater accuracy. The revised formula has been 
incorporated into the existing computer program for the calculation of 
the AFUE and will require no additional hand calculations.
    Therefore, DOE certifies that the final rule, if promulgated, would 
not have a ``significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities'' and that the preparation of a regulatory flexibility 
analysis is not warranted.

D. Review Under Executive Order 12612, ``Federalism'

    Executive Order 12612 (52 FR 41685, October 30, 1987) requires that 
regulations or rules be reviewed for any substantial direct effects on 
States, on the relationship between the Federal Government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among 
various levels of government. If there are sufficient substantial 
direct effects, then Executive Order 12612 requires preparation of a 
Federalism assessment to be used in all decisions involved in 
promulgating and implementing a regulation or a rule.
    The final rule published today would not alter the distribution of 
authority and responsibility to regulate in this area. The final rule 
would only revise a currently applicable DOE test procedure to improve 
existing testing methods, and to add provisions that DOE might use in 
future standard setting. Accordingly, DOE has determined that 
preparation of a federation assessment is unnecessary.

E. Review Under Section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 
1974

    The test procedures in this final rule incorporate commercial 
standards to measure the efficiency and capacity of furnaces and/
boilers, vented home heating equipment, and pool heaters. The 
commercial standards are ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, ``Method of 
Testing for Annual Fuel utilization Efficiency of Residential Central 
Furnaces and Boilers,'' and ANSI Standard Z21.56-1994, ``Gas Fired Pool 
Heaters.''
    Pursuant to section 301 of the Department of Energy Organization 
Act (Pub. L. 95-91), DOE is required to comply with section 32 of the 
Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, as amended by section 9 of 
the Federal Energy Administration Authorization Act of 1977 (FEAA) Pub. 
L. 95-70, which imposes certain requirements where a proposed rule 
contains commercial standards or authorizes or requires the use of such 
standards. The findings required of DOE by section 32 serve to alert 
the public and DOE regarding the use and background of commercial 
standards in a proposal and through the rulemaking process. They allow 
interested persons to make known their views regarding the 
appropriateness of the use of any particular commercial standard in a 
proposed rulemaking.
    The Department has evaluated ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 and ANSI 
Standard Z21.56-1994 with regard to compliance with section 32(b) of 
the FEAA. The Department is unable to conclude whether these standards 
fully complied with the requirements of section 32(b), i.e., that they 
are developed in a manner which fully provided for public 
participation, comment, and review.
    In addition, section 32(c) of the FEAA precludes the Department 
from incorporating any commercial standard into a rule unless it has 
consulted with the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal 
Trade Commission (FTC) as to the impact of such standard on 
competition, and neither individual recommends against its 
incorporation. Pursuant to section 32(c), the Department advised these 
individuals of its intention to incorporate Standards 103-1993 and 
Z21.56-1991 into its final test procedure rules for furnaces/boilers 
and pool heaters, respectively. Neither recommended against such 
incorporation.
    The Department notes that it is incorporating into today's rule the 
method for testing pool heaters that is set forth in ANSI Standard 
Z21.56-1994. Standard Z21.56-1994 was not specifically identified in 
the aforementioned communications with the FTC and Department of 
Justice. It is, however, a revised and updated version of Standard 
Z21.56-1991, which was mentioned in those communications, and the 
provisions DOE is incorporating from Z21.56-1994 are identical in 
substance to the corresponding provisions in Z21.56-1991.5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ The Department has informally advised the Department of 
Justice and the Federal Trade Commission of its intention to 
incorporate the updated version of Standard Z21.56 into the final 
rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

F. Review Under Executive Order 12630, ``Governmental Actions and 
Interference With Constitutionally Protected Property Rights''

    It has been determined pursuant to Executive Order 12630 (52 FR 
8859, March 18, 1988) that this final rule would not result in any 
takings which might require compensation under the Fifth Amendment to 
the United States Constitution.
    The Department believes that test procedures implementing a long-
established statutory mandate in a manner calculated to minimize 
adverse economic impacts does not constitute a ``taking'' of private 
property. Thus, testing under the appliance standards program does not 
invoke the provisions of E.O. 12630.

G. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980

    No new information or record keeping requirements are imposed by 
this rulemaking. Accordingly, no OMB clearance is required under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

H. Review Under Executive Order 12988, ``Civil Justice Reform''

    With respect to the review of existing regulations and the 
promulgation of new regulations, section 3(a) of Executive Order 12988, 
``Civil Justice Reform,'' 61 FR 4729 (February 7, 1996), imposes on 
Executive agencies the general duty to adhere to the following 
requirements: (1) Eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity; (2) write 
regulations to minimize litigation; and (3) provide a clear legal 
standard for affected conduct rather than a general standard and 
promote simplification and burden reduction. With regard to the review 
required by section 3(a), section 3(b) of Executive Order 12988 
specifically requires that Executive agencies make every reasonable 
effort to ensure that the regulation: (1) Clearly

[[Page 26156]]

specifies the preemptive effect , if any; (2) clearly specifies any 
effect on existing Federal law or regulation; (3) provides a clear 
legal standard for affected conduct while promoting simplification and 
burden reduction; (4) specifies the retroactive effect, if any; (5) 
adequately defines key terms; and (6) addresses other important issues 
affecting clarity and general draftsmanship under any guidelines issued 
by the Attorney General. Section 3(c) of Executive Order 12988 requires 
Executive agencies to review regulations in light of applicable 
standards in section 3(a) and section 3(b) to determine whether they 
are met or it is unreasonable to meet one or more of them. DOE has 
completed the required review and determined that, to the extent 
permitted by law, the final regulations meet the relevant standards of 
Executive Order 12988.

I. Review Under Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    If any proposed or final rule includes a Federal mandate that may 
result in expenditure by state, local, and tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more in any one 
year, the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, signed into law on 
March 22, 1995, requires an agency (prior to promulgation) to prepare a 
budgetary impact statement and select the least costly, most cost 
effective and least burdensome alternative that achieve the objectives 
of the rule and is consistent with statutory requirements.
    DOE has determined that the action promulgated today does not 
include such a Federal mandate. Therefore, the requirements of the 
Unfunded Mandates Act do not apply to this action.

J. Review Under Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1996

    As required by 5 U.S.C. 801, DOE will report to Congress 
promulgation of the rule prior to its effective date. 5 U.S.C. 801. The 
report will state that it has been determined that the rule is not a 
``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(3).

List of Subjects in 10 CFR Part 430

    Administrative practice and procedure, Energy conservation, 
Household appliances, Incorporation by reference.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 28, 1997.
Christine A. Ervin,
Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, part 430 of chapter II 
of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, is amended as set forth 
below.

PART 430--ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS

    1. The authority citation for part 430 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291-6309

    2. Section 430.2 is amended by adding a definition for the term 
``Mobile home furnace'' in alphabetical order, to read as follows:


Sec. 430.2  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Mobile home furnace means a direct vent furnace that is designed 
for use only in mobile homes.
* * * * *
    3. Section 430.22 is amended by adding paragraph (a)(3)(iv) and 
adding item numbers 13 and 14 to paragraph (a)(4) to read as follows:


Sec. 430.22  Reference sources.

    (a) * * *
    (3) * * *
    (iv) American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, Inc., Publication Sales, 1791 Tullie Circle, 
NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, (1-800-5-ASHRAE).
    (4) * * *
    13. American National Standards Institute/American Society of 
Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Standard 103-
1993, ``Methods of Testing for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of 
Residential Central Furnaces and Boilers,'' (with Errata of October 
24, 1996) except for sections 3.0, 7.2.2.5, 8.6.1.1, 9.1.2.2, 
9.5.1.1, 9.5.1.2.1, 9.5.1.2.2, 9.5.2.1, 9.7.1, 10.0, 11.2.12, 
11.3.12, 11.4.12, 11.5.12 and appendices B and C.
    14. American National Standards Institute Standard Z21.56-1994, 
``Gas-Fired Pool Heaters,'' section 2.9.
 * * * * *
    4. Section 430.23 is amended as follows:
    A. In paragraph (n)(1)(i), the words ``section 4.8 or 4.10'' are 
revised to read ``section 10.2.2 or 10.3'' and in paragraph (n)(1)(ii), 
the words ``section 4.9'' are revised to read ``section 10.2.3'' and, 
in the parenthetical phase, the words ``section 4'' are revised to read 
``section 10.''
    B. In paragraph (n)(2), the words ``section 4.6'' are revised to 
read ``section 10.1'' and the words ``section 4.1 of appendix N of this 
subpart'' are revised to read ``section 11.1 of American National 
Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and 
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ANSI/ASHRAE) Standard 103-1993.''
    C. In paragraph (n)(3)(i), the words ``section 4.11 or 4.13'' are 
revised to read ``section 10.5.1 or 10.5.3'' and in paragraph 
(n)(3)(ii), the words ``section 4.12'' are revised to read ``section 
10.5.2.''
    D. In paragraph (n)(4), the words ``section 4.14'' are revised to 
read ``section 10.4.''
    E. Revise paragraphs (o)(2), and (p)(1) to read as follows:


Sec. 430.23  Test procedures for measures of energy consumption.

* * * * *
    (o) Vented home heating equipment. * * *
    (2) The estimated annual operating cost for vented home heating 
equipment is the sum of:
    (i) The product of the average annual fuel energy consumption, in 
Btu's per year for natural gas, propane, or oil fueled vented home 
heating equipment, determined according to section 4.6.2 of appendix O 
of this subpart, and the representative average unit cost in dollars 
per Btu for natural gas, propane, or oil, as appropriate, as provided 
pursuant to section 323(b)(2) of the Act; plus
    (ii) The product of the average annual auxiliary electric energy 
consumption in kilowatt-hours per year determined according to section 
4.6.3 of appendix O of this subpart, and the representative average 
unit cost in dollars per kilowatt-hours as provided pursuant to section 
323(b)(2) of the Act, the resulting sum then being rounded off to the 
nearest dollar per year.
* * * * *
    (p) Pool heaters. (1) The estimated annual operating cost for pool 
heaters is the sum of: (i) The product of the average annual fuel 
energy consumption, in Btu's per year, of natural gas or oil fueled 
pool heaters, determined according to section 4.2 of appendix P of this 
subpart, and the representative average unit cost in dollars per Btu 
for natural gas or oil, as appropriate, as provided pursuant to section 
323(b)(2) of the Act; plus (ii) the product of the average annual 
auxiliary electric energy consumption in kilowatt-hours per year 
determined according to section 4.3 of appendix P of this subpart, and 
the representative average unit cost in dollars per kilowatt-hours as 
provided pursuant to section 323(b)(2) of the Act, the resulting sum 
then being

[[Page 26157]]

rounded off to the nearest dollar per year.
* * * * *
    5. Appendix N to subpart B of part 430 is revised to read as 
follows:

Appendix N to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Furnaces and Boilers

    1.0  Scope. The scope of this appendix is as specified in 
section 2.0 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
    2.0  Definitions. Definitions include the definitions specified 
in section 3 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 and the following 
additional and modified definitions:
    2.1  ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 means the test standard 
published in 1993 by ASHRAE, approved by the American National 
Standards Institute (ANSI) on October 4, 1993, and entitled ``Method 
of Testing for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of Residential 
Central Furnaces and Boilers'' (with errata of October 24, 1996).
    2.2  ASHRAE means the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating 
and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
    2.3  Thermal stack damper means a type of stack damper which is 
dependent for operation exclusively upon the direct conversion of 
thermal energy of the stack gases to open the damper.
    2.4  Isolated combustion system. The definition of isolation 
combustion system in section 3 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 is 
incorporated with the addition of the following: ``The unit is 
installed in an un-conditioned indoor space isolated from the heated 
space.''
    3.0  Classifications. Classifications are as specified in 
section 4 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
    4.0  Requirements. Requirements are as specified in section 5 of 
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
    5.0  Instruments. Instruments must be as specified in section 6 
of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.
    6.0  Apparatus. The apparatus used in conjunction with the 
furnace or boiler during the testing must be as specified in section 
7 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 except for section 7.2.2.5; and 
as specified in section 6.1 of this appendix:
    6.1  Downflow furnaces. Install the internal section of vent 
pipe the same size as the flue collar for connecting the flue collar 
to the top of the unit, if not supplied by the manufacturer. Do not 
insulate the internal vent pipe during the jacket loss test (if 
conducted) described in section 8.6 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 
or the steady-state test described in section 9.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993. Do not insulate the internal vent pipe before the 
cool-down and heat-up tests described in sections 9.5 and 9.6, 
respectively, of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993. If the vent pipe is 
surrounded by a metal jacket, do not insulate the metal jacket. 
Install a 5-ft test stack of the same cross sectional area or 
perimeter as the vent pipe above the top of the furnace. Tape or 
seal around the junction connecting the vent pipe and the 5-ft test 
stack. Insulate the 5-ft test stack with insulation having an R-
value not less than 7 and an outer layer of aluminum foil. (See 
Figure 3-E of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.)
    7.0  Testing conditions. The testing conditions shall be as 
specified in section 8 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 with errata 
of October 24, 1996, except for section 8.6.1.1; and as specified in 
section 7.1 of this appendix.
    7.1  Measurement of jacket surface temperature. The jacket of 
the furnace or boiler shall be subdivided into 6-inch squares when 
practical, and otherwise into 36-square-inch regions comprising 4 
in. x 9 in. or 3 in. x 12 in. sections, and the surface temperature 
at the center of each square or section shall be determined with a 
surface thermocouple. The 36-square-inch areas shall be recorded in 
groups where the temperature differential of the 36-square-inch area 
is less than 10 deg.F for temperature up to 100 deg.F above room 
temperature and less than 20 deg.F for temperature more than 
100 deg.F above room temperature. For forced air central furnaces, 
the circulating air blower compartment is considered as part of the 
duct system and no surface temperature measurement of the blower 
compartment needs to be recorded for the purpose of this test. For 
downflow furnaces, measure all cabinet surface temperatures of the 
heat exchanger and combustion section, including the bottom around 
the outlet duct, and the burner door, using the 36 square-inch 
thermocouple grid. The cabinet surface temperatures around the 
blower section do not need to be measured (See figure 3-E of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993.)
    8.0  Test procedure. Testing and measurements shall be as 
specified in section 9 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 except for 
sections 9.5.1.1, 9.5.1.2.1, 9.5.1.2.2, 9.5.2.1, and section 9.7.1. 
; and as specified in sections 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5, of this 
appendix.
    8.1  Input to interrupted ignition device. For burners equipped 
with an interrupted ignition device, record the nameplate electric 
power used by the ignition device, PEIG, or use 
PEIG=0.4 kW if no nameplate power input is provided. 
Record the nameplate ignition device on-time interval, 
tIG, or measure the on-time period at the beginning of 
the test at the time the burner is turned on with a stop watch, if 
no nameplate value is given. Set tIG=0 and 
PEIG=0 if the device on-time is less than or equal to 5 
seconds after the burner is on.
    8.2  Gas- and oil-fueled gravity and forced air central furnaces 
without stack dampers cool-down test. Turn off the main burner after 
steady-state testing is completed, and measure the flue gas 
temperature by means of the thermocouple grid described in section 
7.6 of ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1993 at 1.5 minutes 
(TF,OFF(t3)) and 9 minutes 
(TF,OFF(t4)) after the burner shuts off. An 
integral draft diverter shall remain blocked and insulated, and the 
stack restriction shall remain in place. On atmospheric systems with 
an integral draft diverter or draft hood, equipped with either an 
electromechanical inlet damper or an electro-mechanical flue damper 
that closes within 10 seconds after the burner shuts off to restrict 
the flow through the heat exchanger in the off-cycle, bypass or 
adjust the control for the electromechanical damper so that the 
damper remains open during the cool-down test. For furnaces that 
employ post purge, measure the length of the post-purge period with 
a stopwatch. The time from burner OFF to combustion blower OFF 
(electrically de-energized) shall be recorded as tp. For 
the case where tp is intended to be greater than 180 
seconds, stop the combustion blower at 180 seconds and use that 
value for tp. Measure the flue gas temperature by means 
of the thermocouple grid described in section 7.6 of ANSI/ASHRAE 
103-1993 at the end of post-purge period, tp 
(TF,OFF(tp)), and at the time (1.5 + 
tp) minutes (TF,OFF(t3)) and (9.0 + 
tp) minutes (TF,OFF(t4)) after the 
main burner shuts off. For the case where the measured tp is less 
than or equal to 30 seconds, it shall be tested as if there is no 
post purge and tp shall be set equal to 0.
    8.3  Gas- and oil-fueled gravity and forced air central furnaces 
without stack dampers with adjustable fan control--cool-down test. 
For a furnace with adjustable fan control, this time delay will be 
3.0 minutes for non-condensing furnaces or 1.5 minutes for 
condensing furnaces or until the supply air temperature drops to a 
value of 40 deg.F above the inlet air temperature, whichever results 
in the longest fan on-time. For a furnace without adjustable fan 
control or with the type of adjustable fan control whose range of 
adjustment does not allow for the delay time specified above, the 
control shall be bypassed and the fan manually controlled to give 
the delay times specified above. For a furnace which employs a 
single motor to drive the power burner and the indoor air 
circulating blower, the power burner and indoor air circulating 
blower shall be stopped together.
    8.4  Gas-and oil-fueled boilers without stack dampers cool-down 
test. After steady-state testing has been completed, turn the main 
burner(s) OFF and measure the flue gas temperature at 3.75 
(TF,OFF(t3)) and 22.5 
(TF,OFF(t4)) minutes after the burner shut 
off, using the thermocouple grid described in section 7.6 of ANSI/
ASHRAE 103-1993. During this off-period, for units that do not have 
pump delay after shutoff, no water shall be allowed to circulate 
through the hot water boilers. For units that have pump delay on 
shutoff, except those having pump controls sensing water 
temperature, the pump shall be stopped by the unit control and the 
time t+, between burner shutoff and pump shutoff shall be 
measured within one-second accuracy. For units having pump delay 
controls that sense water temperature, the pump shall be operated 
for 15 minutes and t+ shall be 15 minutes. While the pump 
is operating, the inlet water temperature and flow rate shall be 
maintained at the same values as used during the steady-state test 
as specified in sections 9.1 and 8.4.2.3 of ANSI/ASHRAE 103-1993.
    For boilers that employ post purge, measure the length of the 
post-purge period with a stopwatch. The time from burner OFF to 
combustion blower OFF (electrically de-energized) shall be recorded 
as tP. For the case where tP is intended to be 
greater than

[[Page 26158]]

180 seconds, stop the combustion blower at 180 seconds and use that 
value for tP. Measure the flue gas temperature by means 
of the thermocouple grid described in section 7.6 of ANSI/ASHRAE 
103-1993 at the end of the post purge period 
tP(TF,OFF(tP)) and at the time 
(3.75 + tP) minutes (TF,OFF(t3)) 
and (22.5 + tP) minutes 
(TF,OFF(t4)) after the main burner shuts off. 
For the case where the measured tP is less or equal to 30 
seconds, it shall be tested as if there is no post purge and 
tP shall be set to equal 0.
    8.5  Direct measurement of off-cycle losses testing method. 
[Reserved.]
    9.0  Nomenclature. Nomenclature shall include the nomenclature 
specified in section 10 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 and the 
following additional variables:

Effmotor=Efficiency of power burner motor
PEIG=Electrical power to the interrupted ignition device, 
kW
RT,a=RT,F if flue gas is measured
    =RT,S if stack gas is measured
RT,F=Ratio of combustion air mass flow rate to 
stoichiometric air mass flow rate
RT,S=Ratio of the sum of combustion air and relief air 
mass flow rate to stoichiometric air mass flow rate
tIG=Electrical interrupted ignition device on-time, min.
Ta,SS,X=TF,SS,X if flue gas temperature is 
measured,  deg.F
    =TS,SS,X if stack gas temperature is measured,  deg.F
yIG=ratio of electrical interrupted ignition device on-
time to average burner on-time
yP=ratio of power burner combustion blower on-time to 
average burner on-time

    10.0  Calculation of derived results from test measurements. 
Calculations shall be as specified in section 11 of ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993 and the October 24, 1996, Errata Sheet for ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993, except for appendices B and C; and as specified 
in sections 10.1 through 10.8 and Figure 1 of this appendix.
    10.1  Annual fuel utilization efficiency. The annual fuel 
utilization efficiency (AFUE) is as defined in sections 11.2.12 
(non-condensing systems), 11.3.12 (condensing systems), 11.4.12 
(non-condensing modulating systems) and 11.5.12 (condensing 
modulating systems) of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, except for the 
definition for the term EffyHS in the defining equation 
for AFUE. EffyHS is defined as:

EffyHS=heating seasonal efficiency as defined in sections 
11.2.11 (non-condensing systems), 11.3.11 (condensing systems), 
11.4.11 (non-condensing modulating systems) and 11.5.11 (condensing 
modulating systems) of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 and is based on 
the assumptions that all weatherized warm air furnaces or boilers 
are located out-of-doors, that warm air furnaces which are not 
weatherized are installed as isolated combustion systems, and that 
boilers which are not weatherized are installed indoors.

    10.2  National average burner operating hours, average annual 
fuel energy consumption and average annual auxiliary electrical 
energy consumption for gas or oil furnaces and boilers.
    10.2.1  National average number of burner operating hours. For 
furnaces and boilers equipped with single stage controls, the 
national average number of burner operating hours is defined as:

BOHSS=2,080 (0.77) A DHR-2,080 B

where:

2,080=national average heating load hours
0.77=adjustment factor to adjust the calculated design heating 
requirement and heating load hours to the actual heating load 
experienced by the heating system
DHR=typical design heating requirements as listed in Table 8 (in 
unit of kBtu/h) of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, using the proper 
value of QOUT defined in 11.2.8.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993
A=100,000 / 
[341,300(yPPE+yIGPEIG+yBE)+(QIN
-QP)EffyHS], for forced draft unit, indoors
    =100,000 / [341,300(yPPE 
Effmotor+yIGPEIG+y 
BE)+(QIN-QP)EffyHS], for forced 
draft unit, ICS,
    =100,000 / [341,300(yPPE(1-
Effmotor)+yIGPEIG+y 
BE)+(QIN-QP)EffyHS], for induced 
draft unit, indoors, and
    =100,000 / 
[341,300(yIGPEIG+yBE)+(QIN-
QP)EffyHS], for induced draft unit, ICS
B=2 QP(EffyHS)(A) / 100,000

where:

Effmotor=Power burner motor efficiency provided by 
manufacturer,
    =0.50, an assumed default power burner efficiency if not 
provided by manufacturer.
100,000=factor that accounts for percent and kBtu
PE=burner electrical power input at full-load steady-state 
operation, including electrical ignition device if energized, as 
defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
yP=ratio of induced or forced draft blower on-time to 
average burner on-time, as follows:
    1 for units without post purge;
    1+(tP/3.87) for single stage furnaces with post 
purge;
    1+(tP/10) for two-stage and step modulating furnaces 
with post purge;
    1+(tP/9.68) for single stage boilers with post purge; 
or
    1+(tP/15) for two stage and step modulating boilers 
with post purge.
PEIG=electrical input rate to the interrupted ignition 
device on burner (if employed), as defined in 8.1 of this appendix
yIG=ratio of burner interrupted ignition device on-time 
to average burner on-time, as follows:
    0 for burners not equipped with interrupted ignition device;
    (tIG/3.87) for single stage furnaces;
    (tIG/10) for two-stage and step modulating furnaces;
    (tIG/9.68) for single stage boilers; or
    (tIG/15) for two stage and step modulating boilers.
tIG=on-time of the burner interrupted ignition device, as 
defined in 8.1 of this appendix
tP=post purge time as defined in 8.2 (furnace) or 8.4 
(boiler) of this appendix
    =0 if tP is equal to or less than 30 second.
y=ratio of blower or pump on-time to average burner on-time, as 
follows:
    1 for furnaces without fan delay;
    1 for boilers without a pump delay;
    1+(t+--t-)/3.87 for single stage furnaces 
with fan delay;
    1+(t+--t-)/10 for two-stage and step 
modulating furnaces with fan delay;
    1+(t+/9.68) for single stage boilers with pump delay; 
or
    1+(t+/15) for two stage and step modulating boilers 
with pump delay.
BE=circulating air fan or water pump electrical energy input rate at 
full load steady-state operation, as defined in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993
QIN=as defined in 11.2.8.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993
QP=as defined in 11.2.11 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
EffyHS=as defined in 11.2.11 (non-condensing systems) or 
11.3.11.3 (condensing systems) of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, 
percent, and calculated on the basis of:
    ICS installation, for non-weatherized warm air furnaces;
    indoor installation, for non-weatherized boilers; or
    outdoor installation, for furnaces and boilers that are 
weatherized.
2=ratio of the average length of the heating season in hours to the 
average heating load hours
t+=as defined in 9.5.1.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 
or 8.4 of this appendix
t-=as defined in 9.6.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993

    10.2.1.1  For furnaces and boilers equipped with two stage or 
step modulating controls the average annual energy used during the 
heating season, EM, is defined as:

EM=(QIN-QP) 
BOHSS+(8,760-4,600)QP

where:

QIN=as defined in 11.4.8.1.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993
QP=as defined in 11.4.12 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
BOHSS=as defined in section 10.2.1 of this appendix, in 
which the weighted EffyHS as defined in 11.4.11.3 or 
11.5.11.3 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993 is used for calculating 
the values of A and B, the term DHR is based on the value of 
QOUT defined in 11.4.8.1.1 or 11.5.8.1.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE 
Standard 103-1993, and the term 
(yPPE+yIGPEIG+yBE) in the factor A 
is increased by the factor R, which is defined as:
R=2.3 for two stage controls
    =2.3 for step modulating controls when the ratio of minimum-to-
maximum output is greater than or equal to 0.5
    =3.0 for step modulating controls when the ratio of minimum-to-
maximum output is less than 0.5
A=100,000/[341,300(yPPE+yIGPEIG+y 
BE) R+(QIN-QP) EffyHS], for forced 
draft unit, indoors
    =100,000/[341,300(yPPE 
Effmotor+yIGPEIG+y BE) 
R+(QIN-QP)EffyHS], for forced draft 
unit, ICS,

[[Page 26159]]

    =100,000/[341,300(yPPE(1-
Effmotor)+yIGPEIG+y BE) 
R+(QIN-QP) EffyHS], for induced 
draft unit, indoors, and
    =100,000/[341,300(yIGPEIG+y BE) 
R+(QIN-QP) EffyHS], for induced 
draft unit, ICS

where:

Effmotor=Power burner motor efficiency provided by 
manufacturer,
    =0.50, an assumed default power burner efficiency if none 
provided by manufacturer.
EffyHS=as defined in 11.4.11.3 or 11.5.11.3 of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, and calculated on the basis of:
    --ICS installation, for non-weatherized warm air furnaces
    --indoor installation, for non-weatherized boilers
    --outdoor installation, for furnaces and boilers that are 
weatherized
8,760=total number of hours per year
4,600=as specified in 11.4.12 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993

    10.2.1.2  For furnaces and boilers equipped with two stage or 
step modulating controls the national average number of burner 
operating hours at the reduced operating mode is defined as:

BOHR=XREM/QIN,R

where:

XR=as defined in 11.4.8.7 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993
EM=as defined in section 10.2.1.1 of this appendix
QIN,R=as defined in 11.4.8.1.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 
103-1993

    10.2.1.3  For furnaces and boilers equipped with two stage 
controls the national average number of burner operating hours at 
the maximum operating mode (BOHH) is defined as:

BOHH=XHEM/QIN

where:

XH=as defined in 11.4.8.6 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993
EM=as defined in section 10.2.1.1 of this appendix
QIN=as defined in 11.4.8.1.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993

    10.2.1.4  For furnaces and boilers equipped with step modulating 
controls the national average number of burner operating hours at 
the modulating operating mode (BOHM) is defined as:

BOHM=XHEM/QIN,M

where:

XH=as defined in 11.4.8.6 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993
EM=as defined in section 10.2.1.1 of this appendix
QIN,M=QOUT,M/(EffySS,M/100)
QOUT,M=as defined in 11.4.8.10 or 11.5.8.10 of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, as appropriate
EffySS,M=as defined in 11.4.8.8 or 11.5.8.8 of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, as appropriate, in percent
100=factor that accounts for percent

    10.2.2  Average annual fuel energy consumption for gas or oil 
fueled furnaces or boilers. For furnaces or boilers equipped with 
single stage controls the average annual fuel energy consumption 
(EF) is expressed in Btu per year and defined as:

EF=BOHSS(QIN-QP)+8,760 
QP

where:

BOHSS=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
QIN=as defined in 11.2.8.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993
QP=as defined in 11.2.11 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
8,760=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix

    10.2.2.1  For furnaces or boilers equipped with either two stage 
or step modulating controls EF is defined as:

EF=EM + 4,600QP

where:

EM=as defined in 10.2.1.1 of this appendix
4,600=as specified in 11.4.12 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
QP=as defined in 11.2.11 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993

    10.2.3  Average annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
for gas or oil fueled furnaces or boilers. For furnaces or boilers 
equipped with single stage controls the average annual auxiliary 
electrical consumption (EAE) is expressed in kilowatt-
hours and defined as:

EAE=BOHSS(yPPE 
+yIGPEIG+yBE)

 where:

BOHSS=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
PE=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
yP=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
yIG=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
PEIG=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
y=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
BE=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix

    10.2.3.1  For furnaces or boilers equipped with two stage 
controls EAE is defined as:

EAE=BOHR(yPPER+yIG
PEIG+yBER) + 
BOHH(yPPEH+yIGPEIG
+y BEH)

where:

BOHR=as defined in 10.2.1.2 of this appendix
yP=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
PER=as defined in 9.1.2.2 and measured at the reduced 
fuel input rate, of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
yIG=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
PEIG=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
y=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
BER=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the reduced fuel input rate
BOHH=as defined in 10.2.1.3 of this appendix
PEH=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the maximum fuel input rate
BEH=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the maximum fuel input rate

    10.2.3.2  For furnaces or boilers equipped with step modulating 
controls EAE is defined as:

EAE=BOHR(yP 
PER+yIGPEIG+y 
BER)+BOHM(yPPEH+yIG
PEIG+y BEH)

where:

BOHR=as defined in 10.2.1.2 of this appendix
yP=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
PER=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the reduced fuel input rate
yIG=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
PEIG=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
y=as defined in 10.2.1. of this appendix
BER=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the reduced fuel input rate
BOHM=as defined in 10.2.1.4 of this appendix
PEH=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the maximum fuel input rate
BEH=as defined in 9.1.2.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, measured at the maximum fuel inputs rate

    10.3  Average annual electric energy consumption for electric 
furnaces or boilers. For electric furnaces and boilers the average 
annual energy consumption (EE) is expressed in kilowatt-
hours and defined as:

EE=100(2,080)(0.77)DHR/(3.412 AFUE)

where:

100=to express a percent as a decimal
2,080=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix
0.77=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix
DHR=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
3.412=conversion to express energy in terms of watt-hours instead of 
Btu
AFUE=as defined in 11.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993, in 
percent, and calculated on the basis of:
    ICS installation, for non-weatherized warm air furnaces;
    indoor installation, for non-weatherized boilers; or
    outdoor installation, for furnaces and boilers that are 
weatherized.

    10.4  Energy factor.
    10.4.1   Energy factor for gas or oil furnaces and boilers. 
Calculate the energy factor, EF, for gas or oil furnaces and boilers 
defined as, in percent:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR12MY97.038

where:

EF=average annual fuel consumption as defined in 10.2.2 
of this appendix.
EAE=as defined in 10.2.3 of this appendix.
EffyHS=Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency as defined in 
11.2.11, 11.3.11, 11.4.11 or 11.5.11 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-
1993, in percent, and calculated on the basis of:
    ICS installation, for non-weatherized warm air furnaces;
    indoor installation, for non-weatherized boilers; or
    outdoor installation, for furnaces and boilers that are 
weatherized.
3,412=conversion factor from kilowatt to Btu/h

    10.4.2  Energy factor for electric furnaces and boilers. The 
energy factor, EF, for electric furnaces and boilers is defined as:

EF=AFUE

where:

AFUE=Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency as defined in section 10.3 
of this appendix, in percent

    10.5  Average annual energy consumption for furnaces and boilers 
located in a different geographic region of the United States and in

[[Page 26160]]

buildings with different design heating requirements.
    10.5.1  Average annual fuel energy consumption for gas or oil-
fueled furnaces and boilers located in a different geographic region 
of the United States and in buildings with different design heating 
requirements. For gas or oil-fueled furnaces and boilers the average 
annual fuel energy consumption for a specific geographic region and 
a specific typical design heating requirement (EFR) is 
expressed in Btu per year and defined as:

EFR=(EF-8,760 QP)(HLH/2,080)+8,760 
QP

where:

EF=as defined in 10.2.2 of this appendix
8,760=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 11.2.11 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
HLH=heating load hours for a specific geographic region determined 
from the heating load hour map in Figure 1 of this appendix
2,080=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix

    10.5.2   Average annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
for gas or oil-fueled furnaces and boilers located in a different 
geographic region of the United States and in buildings with 
different design heating requirements. For gas or oil-fueled 
furnaces and boilers the average annual auxiliary electrical energy 
consumption for a specific geographic region and a specific typical 
design heating requirement (EAER) is expressed in 
kilowatt-hours and defined as:

EAER=EAE (HLH/2,080)

where:

EAE=as defined in 10.2.3 of this appendix
HLH=as defined in 10.5.1 of this appendix
2,080=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix

    10.5.3  Average annual electric energy consumption for electric 
furnaces and boilers located in a different geographic region of the 
United States and in buildings with different design heating 
requirements. For electric furnaces and boilers the average annual 
electric energy consumption for a specific geographic region and a 
specific typical design heating requirement (EER) is 
expressed in kilowatt-hours and defined as:

EER=100 (0.77) DHR HLH/(3.412 AFUE)

where:

100=as specified in 10.3 of this appendix
0.77=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix
DHR=as defined in 10.2.1 of this appendix
HLH=as defined in 10.5.1 of this appendix
3.412=as specified in 10.3 of this appendix
AFUE=as defined in 10.3 of this appendix, in percent

    10.6  Annual energy consumption for mobile home furnaces
    10.6.1   National average number of burner operating hours for 
mobile home furnaces (BOHSS). BOHSS is the 
same as in 10.2.1 of this appendix, except that the value of 
EffyHS in the calculation of the burner operating hours, 
BOHSS, is calculated on the basis of a direct vent unit 
with system number 9 or 10.
    10.6.2  Average annual fuel energy for mobile home furnaces 
(EF). EF is same as in 10.2.2 of this appendix 
except that the burner operating hours, BOHSS, is 
calculated as specified in 10.6.1 of this appendix.
    10.6.3  Average annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
for mobile home furnaces (EAE). EAE is the 
same as in 10.2.3 of this appendix, except that the burner operating 
hours, BOHSS, is calculated as specified in 10.6.1 of 
this appendix.
    10.7  Calculation of sales weighted average annual energy 
consumption for mobile home furnaces. In order to reflect the 
distribution of mobile homes to geographical regions with average 
HLHMHF value different from 2,080, adjust the annual 
fossil fuel and auxiliary electrical energy consumption values for 
mobile home furnaces using the following adjustment calculations.
    10.7.1  For mobile home furnaces the sales weighted average 
annual fossil fuel energy consumption is expressed in Btu per year 
and defined as:

EF,MHF=(EF-8,760 
QP)HLHMHF/2,080+8,760 QP

where:

EF=as defined in 10.6.2 of this appendix
8,760=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 11.2.11 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 103-1993
HLHMHF=1880, sales weighted average heating load hours 
for mobile home furnaces
2,080=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix

    10.7.2  For mobile home furnaces the sales weighted average 
annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption is expressed in 
kilowatt-hours and defined as:

EAE,MHF=EAEHLHMHF/2,080

where:

EAE=as defined in 10.6.3 of this appendix
HLHMHF=as defined in 10.7.1 of this appendix
2,080=as specified in 10.2.1 of this appendix

    10.8  Direct determination of off-cycle losses for furnaces and 
boilers equipped with thermal stack dampers. [Reserved.]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

[[Page 26161]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR12MY97.039



BILLING CODE 6450-01-C

[[Page 26162]]

    6. Appendix O to subpart B of part 430 is amended as follows:

Appendix O to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Vented Home Heating Equipment

    a. Section 3.5 is revised to read as follows:

    3.5  Pilot light measurement.
    3.5.1  Measure the energy input rate to the pilot light 
(QP) with an error no greater than 3 percent for vented 
heaters so equipped.
    3.5.2  For manually controlled heaters where the pilot light is 
designed to be turned off by the user when the heater is not in use, 
that is, turning the control to the OFF position will shut off the 
gas supply to the burner(s) and to the pilot light, the measurement 
of QP is not needed. This provision applies only if an 
instruction to turn off the unit is provided on the heater near the 
gas control valve (e.g. by label) by the manufacturer.

    b. Section 4.2.4 is revised to read as follows:

    4.2.4  Weighted-average steady-state efficiency.
    4.2.4.1  For manually controlled heaters with various input 
rates the weighted average steady-state efficiency 
(SS-WT), is determined as follows:
    (1) at 50 percent of the maximum fuel input rate as measured in 
either section 3.1.1 of this appendix for manually controlled gas 
vented heaters or section 3.1.2 of this appendix for manually 
controlled oil vented heaters, or
    (2) at the minimum fuel input rate as measured in either section 
3.1.1 to this appendix for manually controlled gas vented heaters or 
section 3.1.2 to this appendix for manually controlled oil vented 
heaters if the design of the heater is such that the  5 
percent of 50 percent of the maximum fuel input rate cannot be set, 
provided this minimum rate is no greater than \2/3\ of maximum input 
rate of the heater.
    4.2.4.2  For manually controlled heater with one single firing 
rate the weighted average steady-state efficiency is the steady-
state efficiency measured at the single firing rate.

    c. Section 4.2.6 is revised to read as follows:

    4.2.6  Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.
    4.2.6.1  For manually controlled vented heaters, calculate the 
AFUE expressed as a percent and defined as:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR12MY97.040

where:

2,950=average number of heating degree days
SS=as defined as SS-WT in 
4.2.4 of this appendix
u=as defined in 4.2.5 of this appendix
Qin-max=as defined as Qin at the maximum fuel 
input rate, as defined in 3.1 of this appendix
4,600=average number of non-heating season hours per year
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix
2.083=(65-15)/24=50/24
65=degree day base temperature,  deg.F
15=national average outdoor design temperature for vented heaters as 
defined in section 4.1.10 of this appendix
24=number of hours in a day

    4.2.6.2  For manually controlled vented heaters where the pilot 
light can be turned off by the user when the heater is not in use as 
described in section 3.5.2, calculate the AFUE expressed as a 
percent and defined as:

AFUE=u

where:

u=as defined in section 4.2.5 of this appendix

    d. Section 4.3.7 is revised to read as follows:

    4.3.7  Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.
    Calculate the AFUE expressed as a percent and defined as:
    [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR12MY97.041
    
where:

2,950=average number of heating degree days
SS-WT=as defined in 4.1.16 of this appendix
u=as defined in 4.3.6 of this appendix
Qin-max=as defined in 4.2.6 of this appendix
4,600=as specified in 4.2.6 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix
2.083=as specified in 4.2.6 of this appendix

    e. Add section 4.6 after section 4.5.3 and before the table 1 to 
read as follows:

    4.6  Annual energy consumption.
    4.6.1  National average number of burner operating hours. For 
vented heaters equipped with single stage controls or manual 
controls, the national average number of burner operating hours 
(BOH) is defined as:

BOHSS=1,416AFA DHR-1,416 B

where:

1,416=national average heating load hours for vented heaters based 
on 2,950 degree days and 15 deg.F outdoor design temperature
AF=0.7067, adjustment factor to adjust the calculated 
design heating requirement and heating load hours to the actual 
heating load experienced by the heating system
DHR=typical design heating requirements based on QOUT, 
from Table 4 of this appendix.
QOUT=[(SS/100)-Cj 
(Lj/100)] Qin
Lj=jacket loss as defined in 4.1.5 of this appendix
Cj=2.8, adjustment factor as defined in 4.3.6 of this 
appendix
SS=steady-state efficiency as defined in 4.1.10 
of this appendix, percent
Qin=as defined in 3.1 of this appendix at the maximum 
fuel input rate
A=100,000/
[341,300PE+(Qin-QP)u
]
B=2.938(QP) u A/100,000
100,000=factor that accounts for percent and kBtu
PE=as defined in 3.1.3 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix
u=as defined in 4.3.6 of this appendix for 
vented heaters using the tracer gas method, percent
    =as defined in 4.2.5 of this appendix for manually controlled 
vented heaters, percent
    =2,950 AFUESS Qin/[2,950 
SS Qin--
AFUE(2.083)(4,600)QP], for vented heaters equipped 
without manual controls and without thermal stack dampers and not 
using the optional tracer gas method, where:
AFUE=as defined in 4.1.17 of this appendix, percent
2,950=average number of heating degree days as defined in 4.2.6 of 
this appendix
4,600=average number of non-heating season hours per year as defined 
in 4.2.6 of this appendix

[[Page 26163]]

2.938=(4,160/1,416)=ratio of the average length of the heating 
season in hours to the average heating load hours
2.083=as specified in 4.2.6 of this appendix

    4.6.1.1  For vented heaters equipped with two stage or step 
modulating controls the national average number of burner operating 
hours at the reduced operating mode is defined as:

BOHR=X1EM/Qred-in

where:

X1=as defined in 4.1.14 of this appendix
Qred-in=as defined in 4.1.11 of this appendix
EM=average annual energy used during the heating season
    =(Qin-QP)BOHSS+(8,760-4,600)QP

Qin=as defined in 3.1 of this appendix at the maximum 
fuel input rate
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix
BOHSS=as defined in 4.6.1 of this appendix, in which the 
term PE in the factor A is increased by the factor R, 
which is defined in 3.1.3 of this appendix as:
R=1.3 for two stage controls
    =1.4 for step modulating controls when the ratio of minimum-to-
maximum fuel input is greater than or equal to 0.7
    =1.7 for step modulating controls when the ratio of minimum-to-
maximum fuel input is less than 0.7 and greater than or equal to 0.5
    =2.2 for step modulating controls when the ratio of minimum-to-
maximum fuel input is less than 0.5
A=100,000/[341,300 PE 
R+(Qin-QP)u]
8,760=total number of hours per year
4,600=as specified in 4.2.6 of this appendix

    4.6.1.2  For vented heaters equipped with two stage or step 
modulating controls the national average number of burner operating 
hours at the maximum operating mode (BOHH) is defined as:

BOHH=X2EM/Qin

where:

X2=as defined in 4.1.15 of this appendix
EM=average annual energy used during the heating season
    =(Qin-QP)BOHSS+(8,760-4,600)QP

Qin=as defined in 3.1 of this appendix at the maximum 
fuel input rate

    4.6.2  Average annual fuel energy for gas or oil fueled vented 
heaters. For vented heaters equipped with single stage controls or 
manual controls, the average annual fuel energy consumption 
(EF) is expressed in Btu per year and defined as:

EF=BOHSS (Qin-QP)+8,760 
QP

where:

BOHSS=as defined in 4.6.1 of this appendix
Qin=as defined in 3.1 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix
8,760=as specified in 4.6.1 of this appendix

    4.6.2.1  For vented heaters equipped with either two stage or 
step modulating controls EF is defined as:

EF=EM+4,600QP

where:

EM=as defined in 4.6.1.2 of this appendix
4,600=as specified 4.2.6 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix

    4.6.3  Average annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
for vented heaters. For vented heaters with single stage controls or 
manual controls the average annual auxiliary electrical consumption 
(EAE) is expressed in kilowatt-hours and defined as:

EAE=BOHSSPE

where:

BOHSS=as defined in 4.6.1 of this appendix
PE=as defined in 3.1.3 of this appendix

    4.6.3.1  For vented heaters equipped with two stage or 
modulating controls EAE is defined as:

EAE=(BOHR+BOHH)PE

where:

BOHR=as defined in 4.6.1 of this appendix
BOHH=as defined in 4.6.1 of this appendix
PE=as defined in 3.1.3 of this appendix

    4.6.4  Average annual energy consumption for vented heaters 
located in a different geographic region of the United States and in 
buildings with different design heating requirements.
    4.6.4.1  Average annual fuel energy consumption for gas or oil 
fueled vented home heaters located in a different geographic region 
of the United States and in buildings with different design heating 
requirements. For gas or oil fueled vented heaters the average 
annual fuel energy consumption for a specific geographic region and 
a specific typical design heating requirement (EFR) is 
expressed in Btu per year and defined as:

EFR=(EF-8,760 QP)(HLH/
1,416)+8,760QP

where:

EF=as defined in 4.6.2 of this appendix
8,760=as specified in 4.6.1 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 3.5 of this appendix
HLH=heating load hours for a specific geographic region determined 
from the heating load hour map in Figure 3 of this appendix
1,416=as specified in 4.6.1 of this appendix

    4.6.4.2  Average annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption 
for gas or oil fueled vented home heaters located in a different 
geographic region of the United States and in buildings with 
different design heating requirements. For gas or oil fueled vented 
home heaters the average annual auxiliary electrical energy 
consumption for a specific geographic region and a specific typical 
design heating requirement (EAER) is expressed in 
kilowatt-hours and defined as:

EAER=EAE HLH/1,416

where:

EAE=as defined in 4.6.3 of this appendix
HLH=as defined in 4.6.4.1 of this appendix
1,416=as specified in 4.6.1 of this appendix
    f. Table 4 and Figure 3 are added to the end of appendix O to 
subpart B of 10 CFR part 430 to read as follows:

  Table 4.--Average Design Heating Requirements for Vented Heaters With 
                       Different Output Capacities                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Average  
                                                               design   
       Vented heaters output capacity Qout--(Btu/hr)           heating  
                                                            requirements
                                                              (kBtu/hr) 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5,000-7,499...............................................           5.0
7,500-10,499..............................................           7.5
10,500-13,499.............................................          10.0
13,500-16,499.............................................          12.5
16,500-19,499.............................................          15.0
19,500-22,499.............................................          17.5
22,500-26,499.............................................          20.5
26,500-30,499.............................................          23.5
30,500-34,499.............................................          26.5
34,500-38,499.............................................          30.0
38,500-42,499.............................................          33.5
42,500-46,499.............................................          36.5
46,500-51,499.............................................          40.0
51,500-56,499.............................................          44.0
56,500-61,499.............................................          48.0
61,500-66,499.............................................          52.0
66,500-71,499.............................................          56.0
71,500-76,500.............................................          60.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

[[Page 26164]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR12MY97.042


BILLING CODE 6450-01-C

[[Page 26165]]

    7. Appendix P to Subpart B of Part 430 is revised to read as 
follows:

Appendix P to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Pool Heaters

    1. Test method. The test method for testing pool heaters is as 
specified in American National Standards Institute Standard for Gas-
Fired Pool Heaters, Z21.56-1994.
    2. Test conditions. Establish the test conditions specified in 
section 2.9 of ANSI Z21.56-1994.
    3. Measurements. Measure the quantities delineated in section 
2.9 of ANSI Z21.56-1994. The measurement of energy consumption for 
oil-fired pool heaters in Btu is to be carried out in appropriate 
units, e.g., gallons.
    4. Calculations.
    4.1  Thermal efficiency. Calculate the thermal efficiency, 
Et (expressed as a percent), as specified in section 2.9 
of ANSI Z21.56-1994. The expression of fuel consumption for oil-
fired pool heaters shall be in Btu.
    4.2  Average annual fossil fuel energy for pool heaters. The 
average annual fuel energy for pool heater, EF, is 
defined as:

EF=BOH QIN+(POH-BOH)QP

where:

BOH=average number of burner operating hours=104 h
POH=average number of pool operating hours=4464 h
QIN=rated fuel energy input as defined according to 2.9.1 
or 2.9.2 of ANSI Z21.56-1994, as appropriate
QP=energy consumption of continuously operating pilot 
light if employed, in Btu/h.

    4.3  Average annual auxiliary electrical energy consumption for 
pool heaters. The average annual auxiliary electrical energy 
consumption for pool heaters, EAE, is expressed in Btu 
and defined as:

EAE=BOH PE

where:

PE=2Ec if heater tested according to 2.9.1 of ANSI 
Z21.56-1994
    =3.412 PErated if heater tested according to 2.9.2 of 
ANSI Z21.56-1994, in Btu/h
Ec=Electrical consumption of the heater (converted to 
equivalent unit of Btu), including the electrical energy to the 
recirculating pump if used, during the 30-minute thermal efficiency 
test, as defined in 2.9.1 of ANSI Z21.56-1994, in Btu per 30 min.
2=Conversion factor to convert unit from per 30 min. to per h.
PErated=nameplate rating of auxiliary electrical 
equipment of heater, in Watts
BOH=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix

    4.4  Heating seasonal efficiency.
    4.4.1  Calculate the seasonal useful output of the pool heater 
as:

EOUT=BOH [(Et/100)(QIN+PE)]

where:

BOH=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix
Et=thermal efficiency as defined in 4.1 of this appendix
QIN=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix
PE=as defined in 4.3 of this appendix
100=conversion factor, from percent to fraction

    4.4.2  Calculate the seasonal input to the pool heater as:

EIN=BOH (QIN+PE)+(POH-BOH) QP

where:

BOH=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix
QIN=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix
PE=as defined in 4.3 of this appendix
POH=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix
QP=as defined in 4.2 of this appendix

    4.4.3  Calculate the pool heater heating seasonal efficiency (in 
percent).
    4.4.3.1  For pool heaters employing a continuous pilot light:

EFFYHS=100(EOUT/EIN)

where:

EOUT=as defined in 4.4.1 of this appendix
EIN=as defined in 4.4.2 of this appendix
100=to convert a fraction to percent

    4.4.3.2  For pool heaters without a continuous pilot light:

EFFYHS=Et

where:

Et=as defined in 4.1 of this appendix.
[FR Doc. 97-10608 Filed 5-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P