[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18127-18130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7585]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
10 CFR Part 431
[Docket No. EERE-2009-BT-STD-0018]
RIN 1904-AC00
Energy Conservation Standards for Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures:
Public Meeting and Availability of the Preliminary Technical Support
Document
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability of preliminary
technical support document.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will hold a public meeting
to discuss and receive comments on: the equipment classes that DOE
plans to analyze for purposes of establishing energy conservation
standards for metal halide lamp fixtures (MHLFs); the analytical
framework, models, and tools that DOE is using to evaluate standards
for this equipment; the results of preliminary analyses DOE performed
for this equipment; and potential energy conservation standard levels
derived from these analyses that DOE could consider for this equipment.
DOE encourages written comments on these subjects. To inform interested
parties and facilitate this process, DOE has prepared an agenda, a
preliminary technical support document (TSD), and briefing materials,
which are available at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/metal_halide_lamp_fixtures.html.
DATES: DOE will hold a public meeting on Monday, April 18, 2011
beginning at 9 a.m. in Washington, DC. The agenda for the public
meeting will cover this energy conservation standards rulemaking for
MHLFs. Any person requesting to speak at the public meeting should
submit such a request, along with an electronic copy of the statement
to be given at the public meeting, before Monday, April 11, 2011.
Written comments are welcome, especially following the public meeting,
and should be submitted by May 16, 2011.
In addition, you can attend the public meeting via webinar. Webinar
registration information, participant instructions, and information
about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be
published on DOE's Web site at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/metal_halide_lamp_fixtures.html.
Participants are responsible for ensuring their systems are compatible
with the webinar software.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 8E-089, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585-0121. Please note that foreign nationals
participating in the public meeting are subject to advance security
screening procedures. If a foreign national wishes to participate in
the public meeting, please inform DOE of this fact as soon as possible
by contacting Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 so that the
necessary procedures can be completed. Interested persons may submit
comments, identified by docket number EERE-2009-BT-STD-0018, by any of
the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected]. Include EERE-2009-
BT-STD-0018 and/or RIN 1904-AC00 in the subject line of the message.
Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of
Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, Public Meeting
for Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures, EERE-2009-BT-STD-0018, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone (202)
586-2945. Please submit one signed paper original.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Sixth Floor, 950 L'Enfant
Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024. Telephone (202) 586-2945. Please
submit one signed paper original.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number.
Docket: Access to the docket to review background documents, the
transcript of the public meeting, or comments received is available at
the U.S. Department of Energy, Sixth Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW.,
Washington, DC 20024, (202) 586-2945, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday,
[[Page 18128]]
except Federal holidays. Please call Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-
2945 for additional information regarding visiting the Resource Room.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional
information to Dr. Tina Kaarsberg, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program,
EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202)
287-1393. E-mail: [email protected]. In the Office of General
Counsel, contact Mr. Ari Altman, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
General Counsel, GC-71, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20585, (202) 287-6307. E-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. History of Standards Rulemakings for Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures
and Regulatory Authority
A. Background
B. Current Rulemaking Process
II. Summary of the Analyses
A. Engineering Analysis
B. Energy Use Characterization
C. Markups to Determine Installed Price
D. Life-Cycle Cost and Payback Period Analyses
E. National Impact Analysis
I. History of Standards Rulemakings for Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures and
Regulatory Authority
A. Background
Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) of 1975,
Public Law 94-163, (42 United States Code (U.S.C.) 6291 et seq.)
established an energy conservation program for major household
appliances and industrial and commercial equipment. More specifically,
Part B of Title III (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309) establishes the ``Energy
Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles.''
\1\ Subsequent amendments to EPCA have given DOE the authority to
regulate the energy efficiency of several additional kinds of
equipment, including MHLFs, which are the focus of this document.
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\1\ For editorial reasons, upon codification in the U.S. Code,
Part B of Title III was re-designated as Part A.
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The following summarizes the pertinent legislative and regulatory
history for MHLFs. DOE is conducting its first rulemaking cycle to
review and consider amendments to the energy conservation standards in
effect for MHLFs, as required under 42 U.S.C. 6295(hh)(2).
By way of background, on December 19, 2007, the President signed
the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) which made
numerous amendments to EPCA and directed DOE to undertake several new
rulemakings for appliance energy conservation standards. (Pub. L. 110-
140) The MHLF provisions, section 324 of EISA 2007, amended EPCA by:
Inserting definitions pertaining to ``metal halide
ballast,'' \2\ ``metal halide lamp,'' \3\ and ``metal halide lamp
fixtures'' \4\ (among others) into section 321 of EPCA (42 U.S.C.
6291(62), (63), and (64));
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\2\ ``Metal halide ballast'' means ``a ballast used to start and
operate metal halide lamps.'' (42 U.S.C. 6291(62)).
\3\ ``Metal halide lamp'' means ``a high intensity discharge
lamp in which the major portion of the light is produced by
radiation of metal halides and their products of dissociation,
possibly in combination with metallic vapors.'' (42 U.S.C.
6291(63)).
\4\ ``Metal halide lamp fixture'' means ``a light fixture for
general lighting application designed to be operated with a metal
halide lamp and a ballast for a metal halide lamp.'' (42 U.S.C.
6291(64)).
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Amending section 323(b) of EPCA to direct DOE to develop a
test procedure for metal halide (MH) lamp ballasts based on the
American National Standard Institute (ANSI) Standard C82.6-2005,
Ballasts for High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps-Methods of
Measurement (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(18));
Amending section 324(a)(2) of EPCA by directing the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct a labeling rulemaking for
MHLFs (42 U.S.C. 6294(a)(2)(C)); and
Amending section 325 of EPCA by prescribing energy
conservation standards for MHLFs, requiring that they contain ballasts
that meet or exceed defined efficiency levels. Compliance with the EISA
2007-prescribed standards was required as of January 1, 2009. (42
U.S.C. 6295(hh)(1)) As stated in the statutory language, the Secretary
is directed to publish a final rule no later than January 1, 2012 to
determine whether the energy conservation standards established by EISA
2007 for MHLFs should be amended, with any amendment applicable to
products manufactured on or after January 1, 2015. (42 U.S.C.
6295(hh)(2)(B))
The following statutory provisions are directly relevant to the
energy conservation standards rulemaking for MHLFs. As amended by EISA
2007, EPCA regulates MHLFs designed to be operated with lamps rated
greater than or equal to 150 watts (W), but less than or equal to 500 W
by prescribing performance requirements for the MH lamp ballasts used
in those MHLFs. Both MH lamps and ballasts are energy-using components
of MHLFs. For this MH lamp wattage range, MHLFs must contain the
ballasts described at 42 U.S.C. 6295(hh)(1)(A).
In addition to prescribing minimum efficiency requirements for the
previously described MH lamp ballasts contained in MHLFs, EISA 2007
amended EPCA to exclude certain types of MH lamp fixtures from the
statutorily prescribed energy conservation standards as described at 42
U.S.C. 6295(hh)(1)(B).
Pursuant to section 310 of EISA 2007, EPCA further directs DOE to
incorporate standby mode and off mode energy use in any amended (or
new) standard adopted after July 1, 2010. (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(3))
Because this energy conservation standards rulemaking must be completed
by January 1, 2012, the requirement to incorporate standby mode and off
mode energy use into the energy conservation standards analysis is
applicable. The application of standby mode and off mode energy use in
this rulemaking is discussed in detail in the TSD.
The following statutory provisions (and associated rulemakings) are
related to MHLFs but are separate from the current standards
rulemaking:
In conjunction with energy conservation standards for
MHLFs, EPCA required DOE to undertake a determination to see if energy
conservation standards for High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps
(including MH lamps) would be technologically feasible and economically
justified, and would result in significant energy savings. (42 U.S.C.
6317(a)(1)) DOE completed the HID determination and published a final
rule (75 FR 67975) on July 1, 2010 concluding that energy conservation
standards for certain HID lamps are technologically feasible and
economically justified.
DOE completed a test procedure rulemaking for MH lamp
ballasts, as required by EPCA through amendments from EISA 2007. (42
U.S.C. 6293(b)(18)) The final rule test procedure for MH lamp ballasts
was published in the Federal Register on March 10, 2010. 75 FR 10950.
The FTC is directed to conduct a labeling rulemaking as
part of the requirements set forth by EISA 2007 for MHLFs. (42 U.S.C.
6294(a)(2)(C)) To this end, the FTC published a final rule in the
Federal Register on July 9, 2008, amending 16 CFR part 305, ``Rule
Concerning Disclosures Regarding Energy Consumption and Water Use of
Certain Home Appliances and Other Products Required Under the Energy
Policy and Conservation Act (`Appliance Labeling Rule').'' 73 FR 39221.
On October 23, 2008, the FTC
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published in the Federal Register additional amendments to 16 CFR part
305 for MHLFs in the form of technical corrections. 73 FR 63066. Both
final rules fulfilled the FTC's obligations under EISA 2007 pertaining
to labeling requirements for MHLFs and MH lamp ballasts.
B. Current Rulemaking Process
On December 30, 2009, DOE published a notice announcing the
availability of the framework document, ``Energy Conservation Standards
Rulemaking Framework Document for Metal Halide Lamp Fixtures,'' and a
public meeting to discuss the proposed analytical framework for the
rulemaking. 74 FR 69036. DOE also posted the framework document on its
Web site describing the procedural and analytical approaches DOE
anticipated using to evaluate the establishment of energy conservation
standards for MHLFs. This document is available at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/pdfs/mh_ecs_framework.pdf.
DOE held a public meeting on January 26, 2010, to describe the
various rulemaking analyses DOE would conduct, such as the engineering
analysis, the life-cycle cost (LCC) and payback period (PBP) analyses,
and the national impact analysis (NIA); the methods for conducting
them; and the relationship among the various analyses. Manufacturers,
trade associations, and environmental advocates attended the meeting.
The participants discussed multiple issues including the scope of
covered MHLFs, test procedures, a system approach and ballast
efficiency metric, DOE's engineering analysis, LCCs, efficiency levels,
and energy savings.
Comments received since publication of the framework document have
helped DOE identify and resolve issues involved in the preliminary
analyses. Chapter 2 of the preliminary TSD summarizes and addresses the
comments DOE received.
II. Summary of the Analyses
DOE conducted in-depth technical analyses in the following areas
for the MHLFs currently under consideration: (1) Engineering, (2)
energy use characterization, (3) markups to determine product price,
(4) LCC and PBP, and (5) national impact. The preliminary TSD presents
the methodology and results of each analysis. The analyses are
described in more detail below.
DOE conducted several other analyses that either support the five
major analyses or are preliminary analyses that will be expanded in the
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR). These include the market and
technology assessment; the screening analysis, which contributes to the
engineering analysis; and the shipments analysis, which contributes to
the NIA. DOE has begun some preliminary work on the manufacturer impact
analysis and identified the methods to be used for the LCC subgroup
analysis, the environmental assessment, the employment analysis, the
regulatory impact analysis, and the utility impact analysis. DOE will
expand on these in the NOPR.
A. Engineering Analysis
The engineering analysis establishes the relationship between
manufacturer selling price and equipment efficiency. This relationship
serves as the basis for cost-benefit calculations for individual
consumers, manufacturers, and the nation. The engineering analysis
identifies representative baseline models, which is the starting point
for analyzing technologies that provide energy efficiency improvements.
A baseline model refers to a model (or models) having features and
technologies typically found in equipment currently offered for sale.
The baseline model in each equipment class represents the
characteristics of certain MHLFs in that class and, for fixtures
already subject to energy conservation standards, is usually a model
that just meets the current standard. Chapter 5 of the preliminary TSD
discusses the engineering analysis.
B. Energy Use Characterization
The energy use characterization provides estimates of annual energy
usage for MHLFs, which DOE uses in the LCC and PBP analyses and the
NIA. DOE developed energy usage estimates for all of the equipment
classes analyzed in the engineering analysis as the basis for its
energy use estimates. Chapters 2 and 6 of the preliminary TSD provide
detail on the energy use characterization.
C. Markups To Determine Installed Price
DOE derives the installed prices for equipment based on
manufacturer markups, retailer markups, distributor markups, contractor
markups, builder markups, and sales taxes. In deriving these markups,
DOE has determined the distribution channels for product sales, the
markup associated with each party in the distribution channels, and the
existence and magnitude of differences between markups for baseline
equipment (baseline markups) and for more efficient equipment
(incremental markups). DOE calculates both overall baseline and overall
incremental markups based on the equipment markups at each step in the
distribution channel. The overall incremental markup relates the change
in the manufacturer sales price of higher efficiency models (the
incremental cost increase) to the change in the retailer or distributor
sales price. Chapters 2 and 7 of the preliminary TSD provide detail on
the estimation of markups.
D. Life-Cycle Cost and Payback Period Analyses
The LCC and PBP analyses determine the economic impact of potential
standards on individual consumers. The LCC is the total consumer
expense for equipment over its lifetime. The LCC analysis compares the
LCCs of equipment designed to meet possible energy conservation
standards with the LCCs of equipment likely to be installed in the
absence of standards. DOE determines LCCs by considering (1) Total
installed cost to the purchaser (which consists of manufacturer selling
price, sales taxes, distribution chain markups, and installation cost);
(2) the operating expenses of the equipment (energy use and
maintenance); (3) equipment lifetime; and (4) a discount rate that
reflects the real consumer cost of capital and puts the LCC in present-
value terms. The PBP represents the number of years needed to recover
the increase in purchase price (including installation cost) of more
efficient equipment through savings in the operating cost. PBP is equal
to the change in total installed cost due to increased efficiency
divided by the change in annual operating cost from increased
efficiency. Chapters 2 and 8 of the preliminary TSD provide detail on
the LCC and PBP analyses.
E. National Impact Analysis
The NIA estimates the national energy savings (NES) and the net
present value (NPV) of total consumer costs and savings expected to
result from new standards at specific efficiency levels (referred to as
candidate standard levels). DOE calculated NES and NPV at each
efficiency level for each candidate standard for MHLFs as the
difference between a base-case forecast (without new standards) and the
standards-case forecast (with standards). DOE determined national
annual energy usage by multiplying the number of units in use (by
vintage) by the average unit energy usage (also by vintage). Cumulative
energy savings are the sum of the annual NES determined over a
specified time period. The national NPV
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is the sum over time of the discounted net savings each year, which
consists of the difference between total operating cost savings and
increases in total installed costs. Critical inputs to this analysis
include shipments projections, retirement rates (based on estimated
product lifetimes), and estimates of changes in shipments and
retirement rates in response to changes in product costs due to
standards. Chapters 2 and 10 of the preliminary TSD provide detail on
the NIA.
DOE consulted with interested parties on all of the analyses and
invites further input on these topics. The preliminary analytical
results are subject to revision following review and input from the
public. A revised TSD will be made available upon issuance of a NOPR.
The final rule will contain the final analysis results and be
accompanied by a final rule TSD.
DOE encourages those who wish to participate in the public meeting
to obtain the preliminary TSD and be prepared to discuss its contents.
However, public meeting participants need not limit their comments to
the topics identified in the preliminary TSD. DOE is also interested in
receiving information on other relevant issues that participants
believe would affect energy conservation standards for this equipment
or that DOE should address in the NOPR.
DOE welcomes all interested parties, regardless of whether they
participate in the public meeting, to submit comments and information
in writing by May 16, 2011.
The public meeting and associated Webinar will be conducted in an
informal, conference style. A court reporter will be present to record
the minutes of the meeting. There shall be no discussion of proprietary
information, costs, prices, market shares, or other commercial matters
regulated by U.S. antitrust laws.
After considering all comments and additional information it
receives from interested parties or through further analyses, DOE will
prepare and publish in the Federal Register a NOPR. The NOPR will
include proposed energy conservation standards for the equipment
covered by the rulemaking. Members of the public will have an
opportunity to submit written and oral comments on the proposed
standards.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 24, 2011.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Office of Technology
Development, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-7585 Filed 3-31-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P