[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 2, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 152-185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30677]



[[Page 151]]

Vol. 78

Wednesday,

No. 1

January 2, 2013

Part II





Department of Energy





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10 CFR Parts 429 and 430





Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential Clothes 
Dryers; Proposed Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 78 , No. 1 / Wednesday, January 2, 2013 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 152]]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430

[Docket No. EERE-2011-BT-TP-0054]
RIN 1904-AC63


Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential 
Clothes Dryers

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to revise its 
test procedures for residential clothes dryers established under the 
Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The proposed amendments to appendix 
D1 would include testing methods for more accurately measuring the 
effects of automatic cycle termination. In addition, the proposed 
amendments would update the reference to the latest edition of the 
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard 62301, 
``Household electrical appliances--Measurement of standby power,'' 
Edition 2.0 2011-01. For the test procedures at both appendix D and 
appendix D1, DOE proposes to clarify the cycle settings used for the 
test cycle and the requirements for the gas supply for gas clothes 
dryers.

DATES: DOE will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Washington, DC. The meeting will also be 
broadcast as a webinar. See section V, ``Public Participation,'' for 
webinar registration information, participant instructions, and 
information about the capabilities available to webinar participants.
    DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) before and after the public 
meeting, but no later than March 18, 2013. See section V, ``Public 
Participation,'' for details.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of 
Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-245 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585. To attend, please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at 
(202) 586-2945. For more information, refer to the Public 
Participation, section V, near the end of this notice.
    Any comments submitted must identify the NOPR on Test Procedures 
for Residential Clothes Dryers, and provide docket number EERE-2011-BT-
TP-0054 and/or regulatory information number (RIN) 1904-AC63. Comments 
may be submitted using any of the following methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    2. Email: [email protected]. Include docket number 
EERE-2011-BT-TP-0054 and/or RIN 1904-AC63 in the subject line of the 
message.
    3. Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building 
Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121. If possible, please submit all items on a 
compact disc (CD), in which case it is not necessary to include printed 
copies.
    4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Building Technologies Program, 6th Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza 
SW., Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. If possible, 
please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not necessary to 
include printed copies.
    For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see section V of this document 
(Public Participation).
    Docket: The docket is available for review at www.regulations.gov, 
including Federal Register notices, framework documents, public meeting 
attendee lists and transcripts, comments, and other supporting 
documents/materials. All documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. However, not all documents listed in the 
index may be publicly available, such as information that is exempt 
from public disclosure.
    A link to the docket web page can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=FR%252BPR%252BN%252BO%252BSR;rpp=10;po=0;D=EERE-
2011-BT-TP-0054. This web page will contain a link to the docket for 
this notice on the www.regulations.gov site. The www.regulations.gov 
web page contains instructions on how to access all documents, 
including public comments, in the docket. See section V for information 
on how to submit comments through www.regulations.gov.
    For further information on how to submit a comment or review other 
public comments and the docket, or participate in the public meeting, 
contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 or email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stephen Witkowski, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0121. Tel.: (202) 586-7463. Email: 
[email protected].
    Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 
General Counsel, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20585-
0121. Tel.: (202) 586-7796, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

I. Authority and Background
    A. General Test Procedure Rulemaking Process
    B. DOE Clothes Dryer Test Procedure
    1. January 2011 TP Final Rule
    2. August 2011 RFI
II. Summary of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
III. Discussion
    A. Products Covered by This Test Procedure Rulemaking
    B. Automatic Cycle Termination
    1. August 2011 RFI
    2. Product Testing
    3. Energy Consumption versus RMC
    4. Water Supply Testing
    5. Proposed Amendments
    C. Incorporating by Reference IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition 
for Measuring Standby Mode and Off Mode Power
    1. Stable Power Consumption
    2. Unstable, Non-Cyclic Power Consumption
    3. Cyclic Power Consumption
    4. Conclusions on Test Methodology
    D. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-Cycle 
Combined Total Energy Consumption
    E. Clarifications to Test Conditions
    F. Effects of Proposed Test Procedure Revisions on Compliance 
With Standards
    1. Active Mode
    2. Standby Mode and Off Mode
    G. Compliance With Other EPCA Requirements
    1. Test Burden
    2. Certification Requirements
IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review
    A. Review Under Executive Order 12866
    B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
    C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
    D. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
    E. Review Under Executive Order 13132
    F. Review Under Executive Order 12988
    G. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
    H. Review Under the Treasury and General Government 
Appropriations Act, 1999
    I. Review Under Executive Order 12630
    J. Review Under the Treasury and General Government 
Appropriations Act, 2001
    K. Review Under Executive Order 13211
    L. Review Under Section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration 
Act of 1974
V. Public Participation

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    A. Attendance at Public Meeting
    B. Procedure for Submitting Prepared General Statements for 
Distribution
    C. Conduct of Public Meeting
    D. Submission of Comments
    E. Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment
    1. Test Load
    2. Automatic Cycle Termination Test Cycle
    3. Timed Dry Test Cycle
    4. Characteristics of Water for Wetting Test Load
    5. Incorporation by Reference of IEC Standard 62301 (Second 
Edition)
    6. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-cycle 
Combined Total Energy Consumption
    7. Clarifications to Test Conditions
    8. Effects of Proposed Amendments for Automatic Cycle 
Termination on Energy Conservation Standards
    9. Test Burden
VI. Approval of the Office of the Secretary

I. Authority and Background

    Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 
6291, et seq.; ``EPCA'' or ``the Act'') sets forth a variety of 
provisions designed to improve energy efficiency. (All references to 
EPCA refer to the statute as amended through the Energy Independence 
and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), Public Law 110-140 (Dec. 19, 
2007)). Part B of title III, which for editorial reasons was re-
designated as Part A upon codification in the U.S. Code (42 U.S.C. 
6291-6309), establishes the ``Energy Conservation Program for Consumer 
Products Other Than Automobiles.'' Covered consumer products include 
clothes dryers, the subject of today's notice. (42 U.S.C. 6292(a)(8))
    Under EPCA, this program consists essentially of four parts: (1) 
Testing, (2) labeling, (3) Federal energy conservation standards, and 
(4) certification and enforcement procedures. The testing requirements 
consist of test procedures that manufacturers of covered products must 
use (1) as the basis for certifying to DOE that their products comply 
with the applicable energy conservation standards adopted under EPCA, 
and (2) for making representations about the efficiency of those 
products. Similarly, DOE must use these test requirements to determine 
whether the products comply with any relevant standards promulgated 
under EPCA.

A. General Test Procedure Rulemaking Process

    Under 42 U.S.C. 6293, EPCA sets forth the criteria and procedures 
DOE must follow when prescribing or amending test procedures for 
covered products. EPCA provides in relevant part that any test 
procedures prescribed or amended under this section must be reasonably 
designed 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 and not be unduly 
burdensome to conduct. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3))
    In addition, if DOE determines that a test procedure amendment is 
warranted, it must publish proposed test procedures and offer the 
public an opportunity to present oral and written comments on them. (42 
U.S.C. 6293(b)(2)) In any rulemaking to amend a test procedure, DOE 
must also determine to what extent, if any, the proposed test procedure 
would alter the measured energy efficiency of any covered product as 
determined under the existing test procedure. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e))
    EPCA also requires DOE to amend the test procedures for all 
residential covered products to include measures of standby mode and 
off mode energy consumption. Specifically, EPCA provides definitions of 
``standby mode'' and ``off mode'' (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(1)(A)) and 
permits DOE to amend these definitions in the context of a given 
product (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(1)(B)). The statute requires integration of 
such energy consumption into the overall energy efficiency, energy 
consumption, or other energy descriptor for each covered product, 
unless DOE determines that--
    (i) The current test procedures for a covered product already fully 
account for and incorporate the standby mode and off mode energy 
consumption of the covered product; or
    (ii) Such an integrated test procedure is technically infeasible 
for a particular covered product, in which case the Secretary shall 
prescribe a separate standby mode and off mode energy use test 
procedure for the covered product, if technically feasible. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(gg)(2)(A))
    In any test procedure amendment, DOE must consider the most current 
versions of IEC Standard 62301, ``Household electrical appliances--
Measurement of standby power,'' and IEC Standard 62087, ``Methods of 
measurement for the power consumption of audio, video, and related 
equipment.'' Id.

B. DOE Clothes Dryer Test Procedure

    DOE's test procedures for clothes dryers are codified in appendix D 
and appendix D1 to subpart B of Title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR). DOE established its test procedure for clothes 
dryers at appendix D in a final rule published in the Federal Register 
on September 14, 1977 (the September 1977 TP Final Rule). 42 FR 46145. 
On May 19, 1981, DOE published a final rule (the May 1981 TP Final 
Rule) to amend the test procedure by establishing a field-use factor 
for clothes dryers with automatic termination controls, clarifying the 
test cloth specifications and clothes dryer preconditioning, and making 
editorial and minor technical changes. 46 FR 27324. The test procedure 
includes provisions for determining the energy factor (EF) for clothes 
dryers, which is a measure of the total energy required to dry a 
standard test load of laundry to a ``bone dry'' \1\ state.
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    \1\ ``Bone dry'' is defined in the DOE clothes dryer test 
procedure as a condition of a load of test clothes which has been 
dried in a dryer at maximum temperature for a minimum of 10 minutes, 
removed and weighed before cool down, and then dried again for 10-
minute periods until the final weight change of the load is 1 
percent or less. (10 CFR subpart B, appendix D, section 1.2)
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1. January 2011 TP Final Rule
    On January 6, 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published 
in the Federal Register a final rule for the residential clothes dryer 
and room air conditioner test procedure rulemaking (76 FR 972) (January 
2011 TP Final Rule), in which it (1) adopted the provisions for the 
measurement of standby mode and off mode power use for those products; 
and (2) adopted several amendments to the clothes dryer and room air 
conditioner test procedures concerning the active mode for these 
products. 76 FR 972 (Jan. 6, 2011). DOE created a new appendix D1 in 10 
CFR part 430 subpart B that contained the amended test procedure for 
clothes dryers. Manufacturers must use the test procedures in appendix 
D1 to demonstrate compliance with the amended energy conservation 
standards for clothes dryers as of January 1, 2015 (76 FR 52852 (Aug. 
24, 2011), 76 FR 52854 (Aug. 24, 2011))
    For clothes dryer standby mode and off mode, the January 2011 TP 
Final Rule amended the DOE clothes dryer test procedure to incorporate 
by reference specific clauses from the International Electrotechnical 
Commission (IEC) Standard 62301, ``Household electrical appliances-
Measurement of standby power,'' (first edition June 2005) regarding 
test conditions and test procedures for measuring standby mode and off 
mode power consumption, as well as language to clarify application of 
these provisions for measuring standby mode and off mode power 
consumption in clothes dryers. In addition, DOE adopted definitions of 
modes based on the relevant provisions from IEC Standard 62301 Second 
Edition Committee Draft

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for Vote (IEC Standard 62301 CDV). DOE established the Combined Energy 
Factor (CEF) for clothes dryers to integrate energy use in the standby 
mode and off mode with the energy use of the main functions of the 
product.\2\ 76 FR 972, 975-6 (Jan. 6, 2011).
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    \2\ The CEF is defined as the clothes dryer test load weight in 
pounds divided by the sum of the per-cycle standby and off mode 
energy consumption and either the total per-cycle electric dryer 
energy consumption or the total per-cycle gas dryer energy 
consumption expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh).
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    For clothes dryer active mode, DOE adopted amendments in the 
January 2011 TP Final Rule to include provisions for the testing of 
ventless clothes dryers. 76 FR 972, 976-7 (Jan. 6, 2011). The 
amendments also included the following changes to reflect the current 
usage and capabilities of products: (1) Changing the annual clothes 
dryer use cycles from 416 to 283 cycles per year, (2) changing the 
initial remaining moisture content (RMC) \3\ of clothes dryer loads 
from 70 percent  3.5 percent to 57.5 percent  
3.5 percent, and (3) changing the clothes dryer test load size from 
7.00 pounds (lbs)  .07 lbs to 8.45  .085 lbs 
for standard-size clothes dryers. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011). The 
January 2011 TP Final Rule also amended the DOE clothes dryer test 
procedure by updating test cloth preconditioning provisions; revising 
the water temperature for test load preparation from 100 degrees 
Fahrenheit ([deg]F)  5 [deg]F to 60 [deg]F  5 
[deg]F; updating the reference to the relevant industry test standard 
(Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) Standard HLD-1-
2009); eliminating reference to an obsolete industry test standard 
(AHAM Standard HLD-2EC); clarifying the required gas supply conditions 
for testing gas clothes dryers; clarifying the provisions for measuring 
the drum capacity; clarifying the definition of ``automatic termination 
control'' for clothes dryers; and adding the calculations of EF and CEF 
to 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1. 76 FR 972, 978 (Jan. 6, 
2011).
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    \3\ RMC is the ratio of the weight of water contained by the 
test load to the bone-dry weight of the test load, expressed as a 
percent.
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    In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE did not adopt the amendments 
to more accurately measure automatic cycle termination that were 
originally proposed in the test procedure supplemental notice of 
proposed rulemaking (SNOPR) (June 2010 TP SNOPR) (75 FR 37594, 37612-20 
(June 29, 2010)).\4\ As further discussed in the January 2011 TP Final 
Rule, DOE conducted testing of representative residential clothes 
dryers using the automatic cycle termination test procedure proposed in 
the June 2010 TP SNOPR. The results of the testing revealed that all of 
the clothes dryers tested significantly over-dried the DOE test load 
\5\ to near bone dry and, as a result, the measured EF values were 
significantly lower than EF values obtained using the existing DOE test 
procedure. The test data also indicated that clothes dryers equipped 
with automatic termination controls would be considered less efficient 
than timer dryers. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011).
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    \4\ The test method proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR involved 
testing clothes dryers with automatic termination controls using the 
``normal'' setting (and where the temperature setting can be chosen 
independently of the program, it shall be set to the highest level) 
and a test load with a starting moisture content of 57.5  0.33 percent, allowing the dryer to run until the heater 
switches off for the final time at the end of the drying cycle to 
achieve a final remaining moisture content of no more than 5 
percent.
    \5\ The DOE test load is composed of cotton momie test cloths 
that are each 24 inches by 36 inches in dimensions and are a blend 
of 50-percent cotton and 50-percent polyester.
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    In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE concluded that the test 
procedure amendments for automatic cycle termination proposed in the 
June 2010 TP SNOPR do not adequately measure the energy consumption of 
clothes dryers equipped with such systems using the test load specified 
in the DOE test procedure. DOE stated that clothes dryers with 
automatic termination sensing control systems, which infer the RMC of 
the load from the properties of the exhaust air such as temperature and 
humidity, may be designed to stop the cycle when a load of varying 
weights, composition, and size has a higher RMC than the RMC obtained 
using the proposed automatic cycle termination test procedure in 
conjunction with the existing DOE test load. In considering whether 
other test loads would be appropriate to incorporate into the DOE test 
procedure to produce both representative and repeatable test results, 
however, DOE noted that manufacturers indicated that test load types 
and test cloth materials different than those specified in the DOE test 
procedure do not produce results as repeatable as those obtained using 
the test load as currently specified. 76 FR 977 (Jan. 6, 2011).
2. August 2011 RFI
    On August 12, 2011, DOE published a Request for Information (RFI) 
to further investigate the effects of automatic cycle termination on 
the energy efficiency (August 2011 RFI). 76 FR 50145. DOE sought 
information, data, and comments regarding methods for more accurately 
measuring the effects of automatic cycle termination in the clothes 
dryer test procedure. In particular, DOE sought comment on the 
following: (1) The characteristics of loads of varying weights, 
composition, and size, (2) the accuracy of different automatic cycle 
termination sensors and controls, (3) the target final RMC used by 
manufacturers to maintain consumer satisfaction, (4) the effects of the 
characteristics of water (i.e., hardness and conductivity) used for 
wetting the test load prior to testing, and (5) the cycle settings 
selected by consumers for automatic termination cycles. In response to 
the August 2011 RFI, interested parties commented that DOE should amend 
the clothes dryer test procedure to include provisions to account for 
the effectiveness of automatic cycle termination and amend the relevant 
energy conservation standards based on the effects of the test 
procedure changes according to EPCA.

II. Summary of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Automatic Termination Control Procedures

    In this notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR), DOE proposes to 
modify the test procedures for clothes dryers in 10 CFR part 430, 
subpart B, appendix D1 to include methods for more accurately measuring 
the effects of automatic cycle termination. The proposed method would 
require that clothes dryers with automatic cycle termination controls 
be tested using the ``Normal'' automatic termination cycle setting. 
Where the drying temperature setting can be chosen independently, it 
shall be set to the maximum. Where the dryness level setting can be 
chosen independently, it shall be set to the ``normal'' or ``medium'' 
dryness level setting.\6\ The proposed amendments would then specify 
that the clothes dryer be allowed to run until the completion of the 
drying cycle, including the cool down period, to achieve a final RMC of 
no more than 2 percent. If the final measured RMC is above 2 percent, 
the test would be considered invalid and the proposed amendments would 
require that a new test cycle be run using the highest dryness level 
setting. DOE notes that a final RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test 
load would be more representative of clothes dryers currently on the 
market and representative of the maximum consumer-accepted final

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RMC. Finally, DOE is proposing to apply a field use factor of 0.80 for 
clothes dryers with automatic cycle termination to account for the 
measured energy consumption at the end of the automatic termination 
cycle drying the DOE test load below 2-percent RMC.
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    \6\ Most clothes dryers available on the market provide separate 
settings for the ``temperature level'' and ``dryness level.'' The 
temperature level refers to the temperature of the hot air used to 
dry the load in the drum. The dryness level refers to the desired 
remaining moisture content of the load at the completion of the 
drying cycle.
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    For clothes dryers with only timed dry control settings, the 
proposed amendments would require that the existing timed dry test 
cycle in appendix D1 be used, but change the final RMC from 2.5-5 
percent to 1-2.5 percent. DOE also proposes to change the normalization 
in the calculation of the per-cycle energy consumption to represent the 
energy consumption required to dry the test load to 2-percent RMC. Both 
of these changes are proposed to be consistent with the test method for 
automatic cycle termination and to be representative of the final RMC 
of clothes dryers currently on the market using the DOE test load.

Incorporation of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition)

    The IEC published IEC Standard 62301, ``Household electrical 
appliances--Measurement of standby power,'' Edition 2.0 2011-01 (IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition) or ``Second Edition'') on January 27, 
2011. Consistent with EPCA requirements for amending test procedures to 
include standby and off mode procedures (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(A)), DOE 
analyzed IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) for today's NOPR. DOE has 
reviewed this latest draft of the IEC standard and believes that it 
provides for improvement for some measurements of standby mode and off 
mode energy use. Accordingly, DOE proposes in today's NOPR to 
incorporate certain provisions of the IEC Standard 62301 (Second 
Edition), along with clarifying language, into the DOE clothes dryer 
test procedure.

Clarifications to Test Conditions

    DOE received a number of inquiries from independent test 
laboratories requesting clarification on testing according to the DOE 
clothes dryer test procedure. Based on these inquiries, DOE is 
proposing in today's NOPR to amend both 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 
appendix D and appendix D1 to clarify the cycle settings used for the 
test cycle and the requirements for the gas supply for gas clothes 
dryers.

III. Discussion

A. Products Covered by This Test Procedure Rulemaking

    Today's proposed amendments to DOE's clothes dryer test procedure 
cover both electric and gas clothes dryers. DOE defines a clothes dryer 
to mean a cabinet-like appliance designed to dry fabrics in a tumble-
type drum with forced air circulation, with blower(s) driven by an 
electric motor(s) and either gas or electricity as the heat source. 10 
CFR 430.2. DOE is not proposing in today's NOPR to change the 
definition for clothes dryers in DOE's regulations.

B. Automatic Cycle Termination

    In today's NOPR, DOE is proposing amendments to the clothes dryer 
test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1 to more 
accurately measure the effects of automatic cycle termination. The 
current DOE test procedures for clothes dryers in 10 CFR part 430, 
subpart B, appendices D and D1 currently require manufacturers to apply 
a field use factor to the per-cycle drying energy consumption to 
determine the performance of clothes dryers equipped with both 
automatic cycle termination and timers. For dryers with automatic 
termination control, the test procedures do not distinguish between the 
type of sensing control system (e.g., temperature-sensing or moisture-
sensing controls) and the sophistication and accuracy of the control 
system. Gas or electric clothes dryers with time termination control 
(i.e., those dryers equipped with a timer to determine the end of a 
drying cycle) are assigned a field use factor of 1.18, while dryers 
with automatic termination are assigned a field use factor of 1.04. The 
field use factors are assigned to account for drying beyond the 2.5-5 
percent RMC specified in the test procedure. The field use factor for 
timer dryers was derived from a field study conducted by the Oklahoma 
Gas and Electric Company in 1971, consisting of 64 households and 
33,000 loads of clothing, as well as data reported by AHAM representing 
the energy consumption in 1972 of 2,983,200 production units of clothes 
dryers. 42 FR 46145, 46146 (Sept. 14, 1977). For automatic termination 
control dryers, the field use factor was derived from a field study 
conducted by AHAM in 1977 involving 72 households. 45 FR 46762-3 (July 
10, 1980); 46 FR 27324 (May 19, 1981).
    In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE did not adopt the amendments 
to more accurately measure automatic cycle termination that were 
originally proposed in June 2010 TP SNOPR. 76 FR 972, 977-78 (Jan. 6, 
2011). In that June 2010 TP SNOPR, DOE proposed to revise its clothes 
dryer test procedure to include definitions of and provisions for 
testing both timer dryers and automatic termination control dryers 
based on the methodology provided in Australia/New Zealand (AS/NZS) 
Standard 2442.1: 1996, ``Performance of household electrical 
appliances--Rotary clothes dryers, Part 1: Energy consumption and 
performance'' (AS/NZS Standard 2442.1) and AS/NZS Standard 2442.2: 
2000, ``Performance of household electrical appliances--Rotary clothes 
dryers, Part 2: Energy labeling requirements'' (AS/NZS Standard 
2442.2). 75 FR 37594, 37598 (June 29, 2010). DOE proposed to 
incorporate the testing methods from these international test 
standards, along with a number of clarifications, to measure the energy 
consumption for both timer dryers and automatic termination control 
dryers. The measurement would account for the energy consumed by the 
clothes dryer after the load reaches an RMC of 5 percent. 75 FR 37594, 
37599 (June 29, 2010). The proposed test method in the June 2010 TP 
SNOPR specified that a clothes dryer with automatic cycle termination 
controls be tested using the ``normal'' cycle setting, and where the 
temperature setting can be chosen independently of the program, it 
would be set to the highest level. The clothes dryer would then be 
allowed to run until the heater switched off for the final time at the 
end of the drying cycle. If the final RMC was higher than 5 percent, 
the test would be re-run using the highest dryness level setting. Id.
    In addition to the provisions for automatic cycle termination 
clothes dryers, DOE also proposed testing methods in the June 2010 TP 
SNOPR for timer dryers based on AS/NZS Standard 2442.1. The proposed 
test method specified that the clothes dryer be operated at the maximum 
temperature setting until the final RMC of the load was between 5 and 6 
percent. The procedure would then be repeated to dry the load until the 
final RMC was between 4 and 5 percent, with the results from these two 
tests used to interpolate the value of the per-cycle energy consumption 
required to dry the test load to exactly 5-percent RMC. 75 FR 37594, 
37617 (June 29, 2010).
    As discussed in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE conducted 
testing of representative residential clothes dryers using the 
automatic cycle termination test procedure proposed in the June 2010 TP 
SNOPR. The results of the testing revealed that all of the clothes 
dryers tested significantly over-dried the DOE test load to near bone 
dry and, as a result, the measured EF values were significantly lower 
than EF values obtained using the existing DOE test procedure in 
appendix D. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011). In the January 2011

[[Page 156]]

TP Final Rule, DOE concluded that the test procedure amendments for 
automatic cycle termination proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR do not 
adequately measure the energy consumption of clothes dryers equipped 
with such systems using the test load specified in the DOE test 
procedure. DOE stated that clothes dryers with automatic termination 
sensing control systems, which infer the RMC of the load from the 
properties of the exhaust air such as temperature and humidity, may be 
designed to stop the cycle when a load of varying weights, composition, 
and size has a higher RMC than the RMC obtained using the proposed 
automatic cycle termination test procedure in conjunction with the 
existing DOE test load. In considering whether other test loads would 
be appropriate to incorporate into the DOE test procedure to produce 
both representative and repeatable test results, however, DOE noted 
that manufacturers indicated that test load types and test cloth 
materials different than those specified in the DOE test procedure do 
not produce results as repeatable as those obtained using the test load 
as currently specified. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011).
1. August 2011 RFI
    As discussed in section I of this notice, DOE published the August 
2011 RFI to further investigate the effects of automatic cycle 
termination on the energy efficiency. 76 FR 50145 (Aug. 12, 2011). DOE 
sought information, data, and comments regarding methods for more 
accurately measuring the effects of automatic cycle termination in the 
residential clothes dryer test procedure. In particular, DOE sought 
comment on the following: (1) The characteristics of loads of varying 
weights, composition, and size, (2) the accuracy of different automatic 
cycle termination sensors and controls, (3) the target final RMC used 
by manufacturers to maintain consumer satisfaction, (4) the effects of 
the characteristics of water (i.e., hardness and conductivity) used for 
wetting the test load prior to testing, and (5) the cycle settings 
selected by consumers for automatic termination cycles.
    In response to the August 2011 RFI, DOE received the ``Joint 
Petition to Amend the Test Procedure for Residential Clothes Dryers to 
Include Provisions Related to Automatic Termination Controls'' (the 
``Joint Petition''), a comment submitted by groups representing 
manufacturers (AHAM, Whirlpool Corporation (Whirlpool), General 
Electric Company (GE), Electrolux, LG Electronics, Inc. (LG), BSH Home 
Appliances (BSH), Alliance Laundry Systems (ALS), Viking Range, Sub-
Zero Wolf, Friedrich A/C, U-Line, Samsung, Sharp Electronics, Miele, 
Heat Controller, AGA Marvel, Brown Stove, Haier, Fagor America, Airwell 
Group, Arcelik, Fisher & Paykel, Scotsman Ice, Indesit, Kuppersbusch, 
Kelon, and DeLonghi); energy and environmental advocates (American 
Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Appliance Standards 
Awareness Project (ASAP), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 
Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), 
Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC), and Northeast Energy 
Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)); and consumer groups (Consumer 
Federation of America (CFA) and the National Consumer Law Center 
(NCLC)) (collectively, the ``Joint Petitioners''). The Joint 
Petitioners commented that DOE should amend the clothes dryer test 
procedure to include provisions to account for the effectiveness of 
automatic cycle termination. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 1, 4-5) \7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ A notation in the form ``Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 1, 4-
5'' identifies a written comment: (1) Made by the Joint Petition; 
(2) recorded in document number 2 that is filed in the docket of the 
residential dishwasher, dehumidifier, and conventional cooking 
products test procedures rulemaking (Docket No. EERE-2011-BT-TP-
0054) and available for review at www.regulations.gov; and (3) that 
appears on pages 1 and 4-5 of document number 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE notes that AHAM withdrew its support for the petition in a 
letter dated May 29, 2012, stating that the petition was predicated on 
DOE adoption of test procedure provisions to account for automatic 
termination controls by December 31, 2011. DOE acknowledges AHAM's 
withdrawal but considers the substantive provisions to account for such 
controls in the discussion that follows. (AHAM, No. 5 at pp. 1-2)
    The Joint Petitioners recognized DOE's concerns that the amendments 
for automatic cycle termination proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR may 
not properly measure the effectiveness of automatic termination 
controls, particularly in light of data that suggested that automatic 
termination control dryers may in fact be drying clothes to 
approximately 5-percent RMC rather than the less than 2-percent RMC 
resulting from testing using the DOE test cloth. The Joint Petitioners 
noted that the DOE test cloth is uniform, for purposes of repeatability 
and reproducibility, but likely dries faster and more uniformly than a 
load of varying weights, composition, and size. (Joint Petition, No. 2 
at p. 5)
    As part of the Joint Petition, AHAM members provided test data on 
clothes dryers with automatic termination controls representing 60 
percent of shipments, measuring the final RMC at the completion of a 
``normal'' automatic cycle, including cool down, using the DOE test 
load. The data, presented below in Figure III.1, show that all tested 
models had a final RMC below 2 percent. The Joint Petitioners stated 
that the testing assumed that the current market ending RMC is 
appropriate. The Joint Petitioners commented that the test results 
demonstrated that an ending RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test cloth 
best approximates the maximum consumer-accepted final RMC. (Joint 
Petition, No. 2 at pp. 5-6)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ Joint Petition, No. 2 at p. 6

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

[[Page 157]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP02JA13.013

    Based on this data, the Joint Petitioners stated that DOE should 
amend the clothes dryer test procedure to include the full automatic 
termination cycle, including cool down. The Joint Petitioners stated 
that testing the entire cycle is more representative of actual consumer 
use and is less of a test burden for manufacturers than DOE's proposal 
in the June 2010 TP SNOPR to stop the dryer when the heater switches 
off for the final time at the end of the drying cycle. In addition, the 
Joint Petitioners commented that the test procedure should be amended 
to state that the final RMC when testing units with automatic 
termination controls shall be no more than 2 percent when testing with 
the DOE test load to be representative of clothes dryers currently on 
the market. Any test in which the final RMC is 2 percent or less should 
be considered valid. If the final RMC is greater than 2 percent, the 
test would be invalid and a new test run would be conducted using the 
highest dryness level setting. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at p. 6)
    ALS commented that it supports the continued use of the DOE test 
cloth and that attempting to use the IEC/AHAM test load that is 
composed of more all-cotton material of varying shapes and sizes will 
add more variability and uncertainty to the test results. ALS stated 
that the DOE test procedure needs to be repeatable, and that changing 
to a different test cloth is not appropriate. (ALS, No. 3 at p. 1)
2. Product Testing
    To evaluate potential amendments for automatic cycle termination, 
DOE selected a representative sample of 20 clothes dryers encompassing 
all clothes dryer product classes. DOE considered features such as 
rated energy factor, rated capacity, control type (i.e., 
electromechanical versus electronic), and automatic cycle termination 
sensor technology (if advertised) when selecting units to be most 
representative of products currently available on the U.S. market. The 
test units and key features are presented below in Table III.1. Unless 
otherwise noted, the test unit numbers presented in Table III.1 are 
used in other tables of results in today's notice.

                               Table III.1--Clothes Dryer Test Units and Features
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Rated EF
         Product class           Test unit    \1\ (lbs/      Drum airflow         Controls         Sensor type
                                                 kWh)         direction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard......            1          3.1  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                          2         3.19  Back to Front....  ElectroMechanical  Temp
                                          3         3.03  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                          4         3.04  Back to Back.....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                          5          3.4  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                          6          3.1  Back to Back.....  ElectroMechanical  Moisture
                                          7          3.1  Back to Back.....  ElectroMechanical  Moisture
                                          8         3.08  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
Vented Electric Compact (240              9         2.95  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
 Volt (V)).
                                         10         2.98  Back to Back.....  ElectroMechanical  Temp
Vented Electric Compact (120V)           11         3.15  Back to Back.....  ElectroMechanical  Moisture
Vented Gas....................           12         2.77  Back to Front....  ElectroMechanical  Temp
                                         13         2.68  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                         14         2.71  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                         15         2.85  Back to Back.....  Electromechanical  Moisture
                                         16         2.76  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
                                         17          2.8  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
Ventless Electric Compact                18   Not Listed  Back to Front....  Electronic.......  Moisture
 (240V).
Ventless Electric Combination            19   Not Listed  Front to Back....  Electronic.......  None--Timed Dry
 Washer/Dryer.                                                                                   Only

[[Page 158]]

 
                                         20   Not Listed  Front to Back....  Electronic.......  Temp
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Rated EF is based on the DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D.

    DOE initially conducted testing for all test units according to the 
DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 
appendix D1. Appendix D1 requires that the DOE test load, initially 
soaked with an RMC of 57.5  3.5 percent, be dried using the 
timed dry and maximum temperature settings until the test load has 
reached a final RMC of 2.5 to 5 percent without allowing the dryer to 
advance into a cool-down phase. A field use factor is then applied to 
the measured per-cycle energy consumption to account for the over-
drying energy consumption associated with the use of either timer 
clothes dryers or automatic cycle termination clothes dryers. DOE then 
conducted testing of these units using automatic cycle termination test 
methodologies with different test loads to evaluate the effects of 
these potential test procedure amendments on the measured efficiency as 
compared to the existing DOE test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart 
B, appendix D1. DOE also conducted additional testing to evaluate 
repeatability and reproducibility of the test results.
    In conducting the testing, DOE used the DOE test load and the test 
load specified in both the AHAM clothes dryer test standard HLD-1-2009, 
``Household Tumble Type Clothes Dryers,'' and the IEC test standard 
61121, ``Tumble dryers for household use--Methods for measuring the 
performance,'' Edition 3 (2005), which consists of cotton bed sheets, 
towels, and pillowcases. DOE concluded in the August 2011 RFI that 
clothes dryers with automatic termination sensing control systems may 
be designed to stop the cycle when a load of varying weights, 
composition, and size has a higher RMC than the RMC obtained using the 
automatic termination drying cycle in conjunction with the existing DOE 
test load. 76 FR 50145, 50146 (Aug. 12, 2011). In addition, the 
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) supplied DOE with data from 
a residential laundry field use study that NEEA conducted. The field 
study, which included 50 households in the northwest United States 
metered from January 2012 to March 2012, gathered data on the energy 
use and usage habits for residential clothes dryers, including 
information on the type of fabrics composing household laundry loads 
for each laundry cycle. The data, presented below in Table III.2, show 
the frequency of various load compositions, ranging from ``light'' to 
``heavy,'' for the average household surveyed.

 Table III.2--Laundry Load Fabric Composition for the Average Household
                  Surveyed in the NEEA Field Use Study
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Percentage of
                                                          laundry cycles
                Laundry load description                   for average
                                                            household
                                                           surveyed (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light..................................................              6.8
Mixed Light/Medium.....................................             19.9
Medium.................................................             23.5
Mixed Light/Medium/Heavy...............................             13.1
Mixed Medium/Heavy.....................................             23.3
Heavy..................................................             13.5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light = permanent press, light socks, light/casual shirts, pillow cases,
  underwear, light weight/smaller sheets.
Medium = heavy shirts, medium weight/larger sheets, casual pants, light
  weight sweatpants and shirts, heavy socks, pullovers.
Heavy = towels, heavy work clothing, flannel sheets, heavy sweatpants
  and shirts, jeans.

    DOE conducted the testing for the proposed automatic cycle 
termination test methodology according to the DOE test procedure, with 
the following modifications. The test load was prepared with a starting 
RMC of 57.5 percent  0.33 percent. The controls were set as 
follows:
     Instead of using the timed dry cycle setting, the 
``normal'' automatic termination cycle setting was selected. If a 
``normal'' cycle setting was not provided, then the test cycle 
recommended by manufacturers for drying cotton or linen clothes was 
used.
     Where the temperature setting could be chosen 
independently of the program, the highest level was selected.
     Where the dryness level setting could be chosen 
independently of the program, it was set to the ``normal'' or 
``medium'' level. If such designation was not provided, then the 
dryness level was set at the mid-point between the minimum and maximum 
settings.
    The clothes dryer was then allowed to run until the completion of 
the cycle, including the cool-down period. At the completion of the 
cycle, the clothes were weighed to determine the final RMC. If the 
final RMC was below 2 percent for the DOE test load, the test was 
considered valid. If the RMC was higher than 2 percent (i.e., the test 
load contained more moisture than would be acceptable to consumers), 
the test was considered invalid and was re-run using the highest 
dryness level setting. DOE selected the 2-percent RMC threshold based 
on data presented in the Joint Petitioners' comment regarding RMC 
levels acceptable to consumers, discussed above. For the IEC/AHAM test 
load, similar test conditions were applied except that the threshold 
value for the final RMC was changed from 2 percent to 5 percent because 
of the more varied composition of the IEC/AHAM test load.
    Table III.3 presents the key features of the automatic cycle 
termination testing methodology as compared to the DOE clothes dryer 
test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1.

                                   Table III.3--Tests Methods for DOE Testing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Test condition               DOE test  procedure     Automatic cycle termination testing methodology
--------------------------------------      (Appendix D1)      -------------------------------------------------
                                      -------------------------
              Test Load                          DOE                      DOE                    IEC/AHAM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permitted Number of Test Runs per      Less than 25 test runs   Less than 25 test runs   Less than 80 test runs
 Test Cloth.                            for individual test      for individual test      for individual test
                                        cloth.                   cloth.                   cloth. Weighted
                                                                                          average age of test
                                                                                          load between 30 and 50
                                                                                          test runs.

[[Page 159]]

 
Test Load Preconditioning............  10 CFR part 430,         10 CFR part 430,         AHAM Standard HLD-1-
                                        subpart B, appendix      subpart B, appendix      2009 Section 3.2.3.
                                        D1, section 2.6.3.       D1, section 2.6.3.
Test Load Normalization..............  N/A....................  N/A....................  After each 9 test
                                                                                          cycles, normalize
                                                                                          using AHAM Standard
                                                                                          HLD-1-2009 Section
                                                                                          3.2.3.
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
Cycle and Settings Used for Test.....  Timed Dry Cycle,              ``Normal'' Automatic Dry Cycle; Maximum
                                        Maximum Temperature          Temperature (if separately selectable);
                                        (if separately             ``Normal'' or ``Medium'' Dryness (or, if no
                                        selectable).               such designations, at mid-point between min.
                                                                                and max. settings)
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
Starting RMC of Test Load............  57.5  3.5             57.5  0.33 percent
                                        percent.
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
RMC of Test Load at Which Test is      Stopped manually at 2.5- Allowed to run until     Allowed to run until
 Stopped.                               5 percent RMC.           completion of            completion of
                                                                 automatic cycle. Must    automatic cycle. Must
                                                                 be below 2-percent RMC   be below 5-percent RMC
                                                                 or additional test       or additional test
                                                                 with highest dryness     with highest dryness
                                                                 level setting must be    level setting must be
                                                                 run.                     run.
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
Cool Down............................  Clothes dryer not          Cool down period included in automatic cycle
                                        permitted to advance                           test
                                        into cool down.
                                                               -------------------------------------------------
Field Use Factor (multiplied by per-   = 1.04 for automatic          No field use factor for automatic cycle
 cycle energy consumption to account    cycle termination          termination dryers. = 1.18 for timer dryers
 for over drying).                      dryers = 1.18 for
                                        timer dryers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For each specific testing methodology described above, DOE 
conducted a series of three identical tests for each model to evaluate 
the repeatability of test results. The results, presented in Table 
III.4, show both the average measured CEF for each test unit and the 
percentage change in the measured CEF for the automatic cycle 
termination tests as compared to appendix D1. For the automatic cycle 
termination tests using the DOE test load, all of the tests resulted in 
a lower measured CEF (i.e., higher per-cycle energy use) compared to 
the DOE test procedure, ranging from a 3.5 percent to 41.9 percent 
decrease in CEF. Similarly, for the automatic cycle termination tests 
using the IEC/AHAM test load, all of the tests resulted in a lower 
measured CEF compared to the DOE test procedure, ranging from a 6.1 
percent to 40.3 percent decrease. In addition, the majority of tested 
units had a lower CEF for the automatic cycle termination test with the 
IEC/AHAM test load than with the DOE test load. DOE notes that for this 
series of tests, it did not make any modifications to the water used to 
wet the test loads. As discussed in section III.B.4 of this notice, DOE 
subsequently conducted testing with modifications to the water used to 
wet the test loads.

                                      Table III.4--DOE Test Procedure and Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                             DOE test      Automatic cycle termination--   Automatic cycle termination--
                                                                             procedure             DOE test load                IEC/AHAM test load
                      Product class                          Test unit     (Appendix D1) --------------------------------
                                                                         ----------------                                -------------------------------
                                                                           CEF (lbs/kWh)   CEF (lbs/kWh)     % Change      CEF (lbs/kWh)     % Change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard................................               1            3.58            3.16           -11.6            3.13           -12.6
                                                                       2            3.93            2.73           -30.6            2.76           -29.8
                                                                       3            3.83            3.49            -9.1            3.08           -19.6
                                                                       4            3.71            3.48            -6.1            3.44            -7.3
                                                                       5            3.90            3.51           -10.0            3.40           -12.9
                                                                       6            3.80            2.71           -28.7            2.42           -36.3
                                                                       7            3.84            3.06           -20.2            3.02           -21.3
                                                                       8            3.71            3.11           -16.1            2.97           -19.9
                                                                     Avg            3.79            3.16           -16.6            3.03           -20.0
Vented Electric Compact (240V)..........................               9            3.53            3.32            -6.1            3.24            -8.4
                                                                      10            3.56            2.27           -36.1            2.12           -40.3
                                                                     Avg            3.54            2.79           -21.1            2.68           -24.4
Vented Electric Compact (120V)..........................              11            3.75            2.18           -41.9            2.42           -35.6
Vented Gas..............................................              12            3.43            2.70           -21.3            2.66           -22.4
                                                                      13            3.31            2.87           -13.3            2.64           -20.2
                                                                      14            3.49            3.07           -12.0            2.93           -16.2

[[Page 160]]

 
                                                                      15            3.39            2.69           -20.5            2.64           -22.0
                                                                      16            3.37            3.25            -3.5            2.99           -11.0
                                                                      17            3.37            2.94           -12.7            2.89           -14.3
                                                                     Avg            3.39            2.92           -13.9            2.79           -17.7
Ventless Electric Compact (240V)........................              18            2.98            2.73            -8.4            2.63           -11.9
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer..............              19            2.81            2.70            -3.9            2.44           -13.3
                                                                      20            2.28         2.19\1\            -3.9            2.14            -6.1
                                                                     Avg            2.54            2.45            -3.9            2.29            -9.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Table III.5 presents the average final RMC from the automatic cycle 
termination tests with both the DOE and IEC/AHAM test loads, as well as 
the cycle settings used for each test unit. DOE notes that for nearly 
all of the test units, the average final RMC is higher for the tests 
using the IEC/AHAM test load. The higher measured per-cycle energy use 
and final RMC for the IEC/AHAM test load compared to the DOE test load 
is likely due to the ability of the IEC/AHAM test load to retain more 
water during the drying process than the DOE test load, which gives off 
moisture more readily and terminates the drying cycle sooner. In 
addition, as discussed above, clothes dryers with automatic termination 
sensing control systems may be designed to stop the cycle when a load 
of varying weights, composition, and size has a higher RMC than the RMC 
obtained using the DOE test load.

                        Table III.5--Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results--Final RMC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   Automatic cycle termination--
                                                                                           final RMC (%)
             Product class                 Test unit    Automatic cycle  setting -------------------------------
                                                                                     DOE load      IEC/AHAM load
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard..............               1  Normal Cycle, High Temp,             1.3             2.2
                                                         Normal Dry.
                                                     2  Cottons Cycle, High                  0.7             1.5
                                                         Heat, Optimum Dry.
                                                     3  Cotton/Normal Cycle,                 0.6             1.3
                                                         Medium Heat, Normal Dry.
                                                     4  Sensor Normal Cycle,                 0.7             3.1
                                                         Medium Temp.
                                                     5  Normal Cycle............             0.9             3.9
                                                     6  Energy Preferred Plus                1.9             2.4
                                                         Cycle, High Temp.
                                                     7  Energy Preferred Plus                1.3             1.5
                                                         Cycle, High Heat.
                                                     8  Normal Cycle, Medium                 0.4             1.6
                                                         Heat, Normal Dry.
Vented Electric Compact (240V)........               9  Cottons Cycle, High                  1.3             4.3
                                                         Temp, Sensor Dry.
                                                    10  Perm Press/Normal.......             2.0             3.2
Vented Electric Compact (120V)........              11  Perm Press..............             2.0             2.5
Vented Gas............................              12  Cottons Regular Cycle,               1.8             1.6
                                                         Optimum Dry.
                                                    13  Normal Cycle, High Temp,             0.9             1.9
                                                         Normal Dry.
                                                    14  Normal Cycle, Medium                 0.7             1.6
                                                         Heat, Normal Dry.
                                                    15  Energy Preferred Plus                1.3             2.2
                                                         Cycle, High Temp.
                                                    16  Normal Cycle, Medium                 0.8             2.6
                                                         Temp, Normal Dry.
                                                    17  Normal Cycle, Medium                 0.9             2.3
                                                         Temp, Normal Dry.
Ventless Electric Compact (240V)......              18  Cottons Cycle, High                  2.0             4.7
                                                         Temp, More Dry\1\.
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/               19  Timed Dry Only..........  ..............  ..............
 Dryer.
                                                    20  Normal Dry..............             1.7             3.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Original test using Cottons Cycle, High Temp, Normal Dry gave an average RMC of 3.1 percent for DOE test
  load, with all tests above 2-percent RMC. As a result, test was re-run using highest dryness setting.

    As noted in section III.B.1 of this notice, manufacturers have 
indicated that test load types and test cloth materials different than 
those specified in the DOE test procedure do not produce results as 
repeatable as those obtained using the DOE test load. Therefore, for 
each test unit, DOE examined the test-to-test variation in CEF among 
the three tests conducted using the DOE test procedure and among the 
three tests using the automatic cycle termination test methodology. 
Table III.6 presents the test-to-test variation expressed as the 
percent standard error. The analysis shows that the test-to-test 
variation for the automatic cycle termination tests with the DOE test 
load is slightly lower than the test-to-test variation with the IEC/
AHAM test load, and that both are higher than the test-to-test 
variation for the DOE test procedure. DOE notes that the more 
consistent results for the current DOE test procedure are likely due to 
the use of the timed dry cycle rather than the automatic termination 
cycles, which may have additional variation in results due to the 
performance of temperature and moisture sensors and the automatic 
termination control strategies.

[[Page 161]]



                                     Table III.6--CEF Test-to-Test Variation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                CEF test-to-test variation standard error (%)
                                                            ----------------------------------------------------
               Product class                    Test unit       DOE test      Automatic cycle   Automatic cycle
                                                                procedure    termination--DOE  termination--IEC/
                                                              (Appendix D1)      test load       AHAM test load
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard...................               1            1.35             0.50               2.26
                                                          2            0.57             2.95               0.50
                                                          3            0.89             1.46               0.62
                                                          4            0.37             1.14               6.44
                                                          5            1.02             2.10               0.77
                                                          6            0.46             0.72               3.68
                                                          7            0.70             2.20               1.59
                                                          8            1.12             0.16               1.73
                                                        Avg            0.81             1.40               2.20
Vented Electric Compact (240V).............               9            1.60             4.25               2.42
                                                         10            0.18             5.70               4.39
                                                        Avg            0.89             4.98               3.40
Vented Electric Compact (120V).............              11            0.51             2.12               2.25
Vented Gas.................................              12            1.31             0.48               3.07
                                                         13            0.82             0.81               1.95
                                                         14            2.08             1.58               0.92
                                                         15            1.23             2.08               1.73
                                                         16            0.61             0.68               1.91
                                                         17            0.52             2.73               1.94
                                                        Avg            1.10             1.39               1.92
Ventless Electric Compact (240V)...........              18            0.32             2.00               1.50
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer.              19            0.75             0.55               0.16
                                                         20            0.90             3.22               1.58
                                                        Avg            0.82             1.88               0.87
                                            --------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Average..........................  ..............            0.87             1.87               2.07
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To evaluate the effect of test load composition on repeatability, 
DOE then ran appendix D1 again for a subset of 10 of the clothes dryers 
in its test sample, using the IEC/AHAM test cloth instead of the DOE 
test cloth. For each of these units, DOE conducted three repeat tests. 
DOE believes that using the timed dry cycle and requiring that the 
dryer be stopped manually allow for better evaluation of the actual 
test load by limiting other factors, such as automatic termination 
sensor performance, that may contribute to variability of results from 
test to test. The results from this testing, presented in Table III.7, 
show an average test-to-test variation in CEF (expressed in terms of 
standard error) of 1.02 percent for the IEC/AHAM test load as compared 
to the 0.87 percent test-to-test variation for the DOE timed dry test 
procedure with the DOE test load, presented above in Table III.6.

  Table III.7--CEF Test-to-Test Variation for Appendix D1 with IEC/AHAM
                               Test Loads
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Timed dry--IEC/
                                                        AHAM test load--
            Product class                 Test unit     CEF test-to-test
                                                         standard error
                                                              (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard.............               1               1.42
                                                    3               1.21
                                                    6               1.28
                                                    8               0.96
Vented Electric Compact (240V).......               9               0.90
                                                   10               1.28
Vented Electric Compact (120V).......              11               0.31
 Vented Gas..........................              13               1.17
                                                   14               1.10
                                                   17               0.55
Average..............................  ..............               1.02
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE notes that in addition to the use of the IEC/AHAM test load 
producing less repeatable results from test to test, the 
reproducibility of test results from lab to lab must also be considered 
because different test laboratories may be using different lots of test 
cloth. To evaluate the reproducibility of test results from lab to lab, 
DOE conducted testing of 9 units at an independent test laboratory with 
different lots of the DOE and IEC/AHAM test loads using the automatic 
cycle termination test method. The results, presented below in Table 
III.8, show that the use of the IEC/AHAM test load also results in 
lower reproducibility of test results than the use of the existing DOE 
test load.

[[Page 162]]



                                   Table III.8--Lab-to-Lab Reproducibility of Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Automatic cycle termination, DOE test  Automatic cycle termination, IEC/AHAM
                                                                                      load--average CEF                    Test load--average CEF
                        Product class                           Test unit  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         Independent       %                    Independent       %
                                                                              DOE lab        lab       Difference    DOE lab        lab       Difference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard.....................................            1         3.10         3.16          2.2         2.85         3.13          9.8
                                                                         2         2.73         3.02         10.8         2.76         2.79          1.0
Vented Electric Compact (240V)...............................           10         2.26         2.27          0.3         2.12         2.12          0.0
Vented Gas...................................................           13         2.86         2.87          0.4         2.87         2.64          7.8
                                                                        15         2.72         2.69          1.0         2.73         2.64          3.2
                                                                        16         3.29         3.25          1.2         3.23         2.99          7.2
                                                                        17         3.03         2.94          2.8         3.03         2.89          4.5
Ventless Electric Compact (240V).............................           18         2.90         2.73          6.0         2.74         2.63          4.2
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer...................           20         2.19         2.23          2.0   Not Tested   Not Tested  ...........
Average......................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........          3.0  ...........  ...........          4.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Energy Consumption Versus RMC
    As noted in section III.B.2 of this notice, the automatic cycle 
termination test method using the DOE test load resulted in a lower 
measured CEF value compared to the CEF measured using appendix D1. As 
part of the automatic cycle termination testing discussed in section 
III.B.2, DOE tested a number of units in the test sample at an 
independent test laboratory that measured and recorded the energy 
consumption and an estimated instantaneous RMC of the test load 
throughout the test cycle. The estimated RMC was determined based on 
the weight of the test load, measured in place during the test cycle, 
and the rotation of the drum. Based on this testing, DOE decided to 
develop a field use factor to account for the over-drying energy 
consumption using the automatic cycle termination test method with the 
DOE test load at the end of the cycle when the load is dried below 2-
percent RMC.
    Using the independent test laboratory's data, DOE evaluated the 
measured energy consumption at different times during the cycle--when 
the test load initially reached 5-percent RMC, when it reached 2-
percent RMC, and at the end of the cycle (including cool down). The 
test data, presented below in Table III.9, show that the energy 
consumption measured over a full automatic termination dry cycle is 11-
72 percent greater than the energy consumption during the test cycle 
when the test load initially reaches 5-percent RMC, and 4-62 percent 
greater than the energy consumption when the test load initially 
reaches 2-percent RMC (before any moisture regain during cool down/
tumbling). DOE also noted that while the final RMC of the DOE test load 
using the automatic cycle termination test method was between 0.4 
percent and 2.0 percent at the completion of the test cycle for all of 
the clothes dryers in DOE's test sample, this RMC was achieved either 
after the end of a cool-down period, during which the dryer tumbles 
with no added heat after the conclusion of the heated drying, or after 
an extended period of operation at nearly 0-percent RMC when the heater 
is cycled off and on. The independent test laboratory's data showed 
that during cool-down or non-heated tumbling, the test load regains 
moisture from the room air. As a result, the final RMC of the test load 
at the completion of the cycle after the cool-down/tumbling period is 
higher than the RMC of the load when the heater turns off for the final 
time.

           Table III.9--Measured Automatic Cycle Termination Energy Consumption at Specific RMC Levels
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                             Energy consumption (kWh)
                                                Automatic cycle  -----------------------------------------------
         Product class            Test unit   termination sensor                                   End of cycle
                                                  technology          5% RMC          2% RMC      (measured  RMC
                                                                                                      (%) \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard.......            1  Moisture..........           1.945           2.070     2.624 (1.2)
                                           2  Temperature.......           2.068           2.233     3.119 (0.9)
                                           4  Moisture..........           2.160           2.318     2.405 (0.7)
                                           6  Moisture..........           2.091           2.280     3.141 (1.9)
Vented Electric Compact (240V).           10  Temperature.......           0.823           0.875     1.418 (2.0)
Vented Gas.....................           13  Moisture..........           2.375           2.569     2.905 (0.8)
                                          15  Moisture..........           2.347           2.532     3.161 (1.2)
                                          17  Moisture..........           2.300           2.482     2.843 (1.2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ As noted above, the test load regained moisture during the cool-down/tumbling period.

    Figure III.2 presents the measured energy consumption during the 
test cycle for the units tested at the independent testing laboratory. 
The regions of the graphs that have a nearly horizontal slope 
correspond to periods when the clothes dryer is tumbling with no heat. 
DOE notes that most clothes dryers have a temperature set point, likely 
based on measurements from a temperature sensor in the exhaust duct, at 
which point the heater will cycle on and off. At the end of the cycle, 
the nearly horizontal slope corresponds to the cool-down period.
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP02JA13.001

    Figure III.3 through Figure III.5 present, for each product class, 
the latter part of the test cycle when the test load is nearly dry. 
Each curve starts where the test load has initially reached 5-percent 
RMC. The curves also identify where the test load initially reaches 2-
percent RMC. DOE noted that for all of the dryers tested at the 
independent test laboratory, the DOE test load reached 2-percent RMC 
before the clothes dryer initially began cycling the heater on and off.

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[[Page 165]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP02JA13.003

    Figure III.6 shows the measured energy consumption as a function of 
RMC for the portion of the test cycle below 5-percent RMC for two 
vented electric standard clothes dryers. The cycles proceed in time 
from the right side of the curves, with the RMC generally decreasing as 
energy consumption increases until the start of any cool down or 
tumbling. The data show that the cool-down/tumbling period can 
contribute a significant amount of energy consumption associated with 
over-drying and moisture regain when using the DOE test load. DOE 
observed that these two test units, both of which used the same 
moisture sensor technology and dried the test load to final RMCs of 
close to 1 percent at the end of the cycle, had significantly different 
total measured energy consumption. One of these test units achieved 
this final RMC with only a brief cool-down period, while the other test 
unit repeatedly heated, tumbled, and regained moisture before the final 
cool down. DOE believes that the difference in energy consumption 
between these two units is most likely a function of the control 
strategy rather than the accuracy of the sensors.

[[Page 166]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP02JA13.004

BILLING CODE 6450-01-C
    DOE conducted  further analysis to develop an appropriate field use 
factor to account for the measured energy consumption at the end of the 
automatic termination cycle below 2-percent RMC using the DOE test load 
(including any cool-down/tumbling period). Using the data presented in 
Table III.9, DOE calculated a field use factor of 0.80 for automatic 
termination control dryers by taking the average of the difference 
between the measured energy consumption to initially reach 2-percent 
RMC and the measured energy consumption at the end of the test cycle. 
The results of this analysis showing the application of the 0.8 field 
use factor are presented in Table III.10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ The apparent excursions below 0-percent RMC result from the 
method used to calculate instantaneous RMC, which may be less 
accurate at very low RMCs.

              Table III.10--Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results With Adjusted Field Use Factor
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                        Per-cycle energy consumption (kWh)
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                  Product class                      Test unit                                     End of test--
                                                                      2% RMC       End of test--  field adjusted
                                                                                     measured
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard........................               1           2.070           2.624           2.099
                                                               2           2.233           3.119           2.495
                                                               4           2.318           2.405           1.924
                                                               6           2.280           3.141           2.513
Vented Electric Compact (240V)..................              10           0.875           1.418           1.134
Vented Gas......................................              13           2.569           2.905           2.324
                                                              15           2.532           3.161           2.528
                                                              17           2.482           2.843           2.274
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Water Supply Testing
    In the August 2011 RFI, DOE noted that the IEC is currently 
revising its test standard for clothes dryers, IEC Standard 61121. 76 
FR 50145, 50147 (Aug. 12, 2011). As part of the IEC Standard 61121 
Fourth Edition Committee Draft for Vote (IEC Standard 61121 CDV), the 
most recent version available at the time of the August 2011 RFI 
analysis, the IEC noted that the characteristics of the water used for 
wetting the test load prior to the test, particularly the conductivity, 
can influence the test results when testing automatic cycle termination 
clothes dryers with moisture sensors. Clothes dryers with moisture 
sensors use conductivity sensor bars to determine the amount of 
moisture in the load when the load comes in contact with the sensors. 
DOE more recently learned that IEC Standard 61121 Fourth Edition 
published in February 2012 using the same methodology provided in IEC 
Standard 61121 CDV. Table III.11 provides the characteristics of either 
soft

[[Page 167]]

or hard water to be used for appliance testing under IEC Standard 
61121.

 Table III.11--IEC Standard 61121 Requirements for Composition of Soft and Hard Water for Clothes Dryer Testing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   Water type
               Property                          Unit          -------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Standard soft water      Standard hard water
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total hardness.......................  Millimols per liter       0.50  0.20   2.50  0.20
                                        (mmol/l) (Ca\2+\/
                                        Mg\2+\).
Conductivity (at 20 [deg]C)..........  Microsiemens per             150  50     750  150
                                        centimeter ([micro]S/
                                        cm).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the August 2011 RFI, DOE requested information and data on these 
effects of the characteristics of the water used to wet the test load 
on the measured efficiency, as well as any potential testing burden 
associated with the requirements for modifying the water supply used 
for wetting the test load. DOE did not receive any comments or 
information on this issue. DOE conducted testing to evaluate the 
effects of using supply water modified to meet the specifications in 
the IEC Standard 61121 on the measured efficiency compared to using 
supply water according to the requirements of appendix D1. For this 
series of tests, DOE conducted tests on 16 units using the same 
automatic cycle termination methodology presented in Table III.3, 
except that the water used to wet the test load prior to the test met 
the conditions presented in Table III.8 for standard soft water. DOE 
selected the soft water requirements from IEC Standard 61121 rather 
than the hard water requirements to more closely match the existing DOE 
clothes dryer test procedure, which also requires the use of soft 
water.\10\ For each test method, DOE again conducted three identical 
tests for each test units. The test results, presented in Table III.12 
and Table III.13, did not show a correlation between the average 
measured CEF and water supply specifications for the automatic cycle 
termination tests with either the DOE or IEC/AHAM test loads.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 2.6.3 
requires the use of soft water with 17 parts per million hardness or 
less.

                               Table III.12--Automatic Cycle Termination Tests--Water Supply Investigation--DOE Test Cloth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Appendix D1    Automatic cycle termination,    Automatic cycle termination,
                                                                         ----------------   Appendix D1 water--DOE test   IEC soft water--DOE test cloth
                      Product class                          Test unit                                 cloth             -------------------------------
                                                                           CEF (lbs/kWh) --------------------------------
                                                                                           CEF (lbs/kWh)     % Change      CEF (lbs/kWh)     % Change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Electric Standard................................               1            3.58            3.16           -11.6            3.15           -11.9
                                                                       3            3.83            3.49            -9.1            3.44           -10.3
                                                                       4            3.71            3.48            -6.1            3.45            -6.9
                                                                       6            3.80            2.71           -28.7            2.68           -29.5
                                                                       7            3.84            3.06           -20.2            3.05           -20.7
                                                                       8            3.71            3.11           -16.1            3.24           -12.9
                                                                     Avg            3.75            3.17           -15.3            3.17           -15.3
Vented Electric Compact (240V)..........................               9            3.53            3.32            -6.1            3.32            -6.2
                                                                      10            3.56            2.27           -36.1            2.37           -33.4
                                                                     Avg            3.54            2.79           -21.1            2.84           -19.8
Vented Electric Compact (120V)..........................              11            3.75            2.18           -41.9            2.27           -39.6
Vented Gas..............................................              13            3.31            2.87           -13.3            2.91           -12.2
                                                                      14            3.49            3.07           -12.0            3.24            -7.3
                                                                      15            3.39            2.69           -20.5            2.77           -18.2
                                                                      16            3.37            3.25            -3.5      Not Tested      Not Tested
                                                                      17            3.37            2.94           -12.7            2.92           -13.2
                                                                     Avg            3.39            2.97           -12.4            2.96           -12.7
Ventless Electric Compact (240V)........................              18            2.98            2.73            -8.4            2.85            -4.3
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer..............              20            2.28            2.19            -3.9            2.19            -3.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            Table III.13--Automatic Cycle Termination Tests--Water Supply Investigation--IEC/AHAM Test Cloth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Appendix D1    Automatic cycle termination,    Automatic cycle termination,
                                                                         ----------------   Appendix D1 water--IEC/AHAM    IEC soft water--IEC/AHAM test
                      Product class                          Test unit                              test cloth                         cloth
                                                                           CEF (lbs/kWh) ---------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                           CEF (lbs/kWh)     % Change      CEF (lbs/kWh)     % Change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Vented Electric Standard...............................               1            3.58            3.13           -12.6            3.16           -11.8
                                                                       3            3.83            3.08           -19.6            3.13           -18.3
                                                                       4            3.71            3.44            -7.3            3.49            -5.8
                                                                       6            3.80            2.42           -36.3            2.58           -32.2
                                                                       7            3.84            3.02           -21.3            2.96           -23.0

[[Page 168]]

 
                                                                       8            3.71            2.97           -19.9            3.02           -18.5
                                                                     Avg            3.75            3.01           -19.5            3.06           -18.3
Vented Electric Compact (240V)..........................               9            3.53            3.24            -8.4            3.22            -8.8
                                                                      10            3.56            2.12           -40.3            2.05           -42.3
                                                                     Avg            3.54            2.68           -24.4            2.64           -25.5
Vented Electric Compact (120V)..........................              11            3.75            2.42           -35.6            2.48           -33.8
Vented Gas..............................................              13            3.31            2.64           -20.2            2.73           -17.5
                                                                      14            3.49            2.93           -16.2            2.82           -19.2
                                                                      15            3.39            2.64           -22.0            2.74           -19.3
                                                                      16            3.37            2.99           -11.0            3.08            -8.3
                                                                      17            3.37            2.89           -14.3            2.85           -15.3
                                                                     Avg            3.39            2.82           -16.7            2.85           -15.9
Ventless Electric Compact (240V)........................              18            2.98            2.63           -11.9            2.81            -5.6
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer..............              20            2.28            2.14            -6.1            2.15            -5.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Table III.14 presents the average final RMC for water supply 
investigative tests. Similar to the measured CEF discussed above, there 
was no definitive correlation between the average measured final RMC 
and the water supply specifications.

                                 Table III.14--Automatic Cycle Termination Tests--Water Supply Investigation--Final RMC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                            Final RMC (%)
                                                                           -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                        DOE test cloth                      IEC/AHAM test cloth
                        Product class                           Test unit  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Appendix D1    IEC soft                Appendix D1    IEC soft
                                                                               water        water       % Change      water        water       % Change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Vented Electric Standard....................................            1          1.3          1.2         -7.7          2.2          2.2          0.0
                                                                         3          0.6          0.6          0.0          1.3          1.2         -7.7
                                                                         4          0.7          0.8         14.3          3.1          3.5         12.9
                                                                         6          1.9          1.9          0.0          2.4          2.7         12.5
                                                                         7          1.3          1.1        -15.4          1.5          1.2        -20.0
                                                                         8          0.4          0.5         25.0          1.6          1.3        -18.8
Vented Electric Compact (240V)...............................            9          1.3          1.3          0.0          4.3          4.4          2.3
                                                                        10          2.0          2.0          0.0          3.2          3.3          3.1
Vented Electric Compact (120V)...............................           11          2.0          1.5        -25.0          2.5          2.1        -16.0
Vented Gas...................................................           13          0.9          0.9          0.0          1.9          1.9          0.0
                                                                        14          0.7          0.8         14.3          1.6          1.6          0.0
                                                                        15          1.3          1.5         15.4          2.2          2.2          0.0
                                                                        16          0.8   Not Tested  ...........          2.6          2.7          3.8
                                                                        17          0.9          0.9          0.0          2.3          1.9        -17.4
Ventless Electric Compact (240V).............................           18          2.0          2.4         20.0          4.7          7.1         51.1
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer...................           20          1.7          1.5        -11.8          3.4          3.4          0.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Table III.15 presents the test-to-test variation for each water 
supply investigative test. DOE noted that there was again no definitive 
correlation between the test-to-test variation and whether the water 
supply was unmodified or modified.

                         Table III.15--Automatic Cycle Termination Tests--Water Supply Investigation--CEF Test-to-Test Variation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            CEF Test-to-test variation standard error (%)
                                                                           -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                        DOE Test cloth                      IEC/AHAM Test cloth
                        Product class                           Test unit  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Appendix D1    IEC Soft                Appendix D1    IEC Soft
                                                                               water        water      %  Change       water       water      %  Change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Vented Electric Standard....................................            1         0.50         1.15        130.0         2.26         2.65         17.3
                                                                         3         1.46         2.03         39.0         0.62         3.94        535.5
                                                                         4         1.14         0.04        -96.5         6.44         1.13        -82.5

[[Page 169]]

 
                                                                         6         0.72         3.93        445.8         3.68         4.81         30.7
                                                                         7         2.20    No Repeat  ...........         1.59    No Repeat  ...........
                                                                                               Tests                                  Tests
                                                                         8         0.16         2.49       1456.3         1.73         0.20        -88.4
                                                                       Avg         1.03         1.93         87.4         2.72         2.55         -6.3
Vented Electric Compact (240V)...............................            9         4.25         0.04        -99.1         2.42         2.23         -7.9
                                                                        10         5.70         1.05        -81.6         4.39         4.62          5.2
                                                                       Avg         4.98         0.54        -89.2         3.40         3.43          0.9
Vented Electric Compact (120V)...............................           11         2.12         1.60        -24.5         2.25         0.79        -64.9
Vented Gas...................................................           13         0.81         4.42        445.7         1.95         3.91        100.5
                                                                        14         1.58         0.54        -65.8         0.92         4.83        425.0
                                                                        15         2.08         2.68         28.8         1.73         1.26        -27.2
                                                                        16         0.68   Not Tested  ...........         1.91         1.12        -41.4
                                                                        17         2.73         0.67        -75.5         1.94         0.60        -69.1
                                                                       Avg         1.57         2.08         32.5         1.69         2.34         38.5
Ventless Electric Compact (240V).............................           18         2.00         2.56         28.0         1.50         1.71         14.0
Ventless Electric Combination Washer/Dryer...................           20         3.22         3.27          1.6         1.58         0.81        -48.7
                                                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Average............................................  ...........         1.96         1.89         -3.6         2.31         2.31          0.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE determined that the modifications to the water supply specified 
in IEC Standard 61121 did not have a definitive effect on the measured 
CEF as compared to the water requirements specified in the existing DOE 
test procedure. In addition, the repeatability testing showed that the 
IEC water hardness specifications did not improve overall the test-to-
test repeatability.
    DOE conducted additional testing on two clothes dryers to evaluate 
the lab-to-lab reproducibility using both supply water specifications 
in automatic cycle termination tests with the IEC/AHAM test load. The 
results, presented in Table III.16, showed that the IEC supply water 
may produce more reproducible results from lab to lab with the IEC/AHAM 
test load. DOE notes, however, that the percentage difference in test 
results from lab to lab is within the test-to-test variation for a 
given lab using the IEC/AHAM test load (presented in Table III.15). For 
these reasons, DOE is not proposing amendments in today's NOPR to 
include in the amendments to appendix D1 the supply water 
specifications from IEC Standard 61121. If additional test results are 
made available showing that IEC supply water characteristics produce 
more repeatable and reproducible test results than the requirements in 
appendix D1, DOE may consider such amendments in a future test 
procedure rulemaking.

            Table III.16--Lab-to-Lab Reproducibility of Automatic Cycle Termination Tests With IEC/AHAM Test Load--Water Supply Investigation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Automatic cycle termination, Appendix  Automatic cycle termination, IEC soft
                                                                               D1 water--IEC/AHAM test cloth--      water--IEC/AHAM test cloth--average
                                                                                         average CEF                                CEF
                        Product class                           Test unit  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         Independent       %                    Independent       %
                                                                              DOE  lab        lab      Difference    DOE  lab        lab      Difference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vented Gas...................................................           17         3.03         2.89          4.5         2.96         2.85          3.6
Ventless Electric Compact (240V).............................           18         2.74         2.63          4.2         2.76         2.81          1.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Proposed Amendments
    Based on the testing and analysis discussed above, DOE is proposing 
amendments to the clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, 
subpart B, appendix D1 in today's NOPR to more accurately measure the 
energy consumption of automatic termination control clothes dryers. The 
proposed amendments are discussed in detail in the following sections.
Definitions
    DOE is proposing in today's NOPR to amend the clothes dryer test 
procedure to add definitions for both automatic termination control 
dryers and timer dryers. DOE is proposing to define ``automatic 
termination control dryer'' as a clothes dryer that can be preset to 
carry out at least one sequence of operations to be terminated by means 
of a system assessing, directly or indirectly, the moisture content of 
the load. An automatic termination control dryer with a supplementary 
timer or that may also be manually controlled shall be tested as an 
automatic termination control dryer. DOE is proposing to define ``timer 
dryer'' as a clothes dryer that can be preset to carry out at least one 
operation to be terminated by a timer, but may also be manually 
controlled, and does not

[[Page 170]]

include any automatic termination function.
Test Load
    The current DOE test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 
appendix D1, section 2.7 requires that test loads be prepared with a 
starting RMC of 57.5 percent  3.5 percent. DOE is proposing 
amendments in today's NOPR to change the starting RMC from 57.5 percent 
 3.5 percent to 57.5 percent  0.33 percent. DOE 
believes that the starting RMC of 57.5 percent  0.33 
percent, which was used for the testing presented above and originally 
proposed in the June TP 2010 SNOPR, would produce the most repeatable 
results, particularly for automatic cycle termination dryers. DOE notes 
that allowing a wide range in the starting RMC, such as the  3.5 percent specified in the current DOE test procedure, would 
result in significantly different results using the proposed automatic 
cycle termination test procedure because a test load with a starting 
RMC of 61 percent would contain approximately 0.6 lbs. of water more 
than a test load with a starting RMC of 54 percent for standard size 
loads.
    As a result, DOE is specifically proposing to amend 10 CFR part 
430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 2.7.1, ``Compact size dryer 
load,'' and section 2.7.2, ``Standard size dryer load,'' to require 
that water be extracted from the wet test loads by spinning the load 
until the moisture content of the load is 52.5-57.5 percent of the 
bone-dry weight of the test load. Final mass adjustments would be made, 
such that the moisture content is 57.5 percent  0.33 
percent by adding water uniformly to the load in a very fine spray. DOE 
notes that requiring water to be extracted to achieve an RMC between 
52.5 percent and 57.5 percent would serve as an initial preparation 
step prior to the final mass adjustments to obtain a test load with an 
RMC of 57.5  0.33 percent proposed above.
Test Cycle
    DOE is proposing in today's NOPR to change the clothes dryer test 
cycle specified in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.3 
to require separate test methods for automatic cycle termination dryers 
and timer dryers.
    For automatic cycle termination dryers, DOE is proposing to amend 
the clothes dryer test procedure to require the use of the control 
settings, presented in section III.B.2 of this notice, that were used 
for DOE testing. Specifically, DOE is proposing to require that the 
``normal'' automatic termination cycle program be selected for the test 
cycle, and that for dryers that do not have a ``normal'' program, the 
cycle recommended by the manufacturer for drying cotton or linen 
clothes would be selected. Where the drying temperature can be chosen 
independently of the program, it would be set to the maximum 
temperature setting. In addition, the proposed amendments would require 
that where the dryness level setting can be chosen independently of the 
program, the dryness level would be set to the ``normal'' or ``medium'' 
setting. If such designation is not provided, then the dryness level 
would be set at the mid-point between the minimum and maximum settings. 
The proposed amendments would also require that the cycle settings used 
for the test cycle be recorded.
    For the reasons explained below, the clothes dryer would then be 
allowed to run until the completion of the cycle, including any cool-
down period. After the cycle is complete, the test load would be 
weighed to determine the final RMC. If the final RMC is below 2 
percent, the test would be considered valid. If the RMC is higher than 
2 percent, the test would be considered invalid and would be re-run 
using the highest dryness level setting. DOE is also proposing in 
today's NOPR that the measured test cycle energy consumption be 
multiplied by a field use factor of 0.80 to calculate the per-cycle 
energy consumption for automatic cycle termination clothes dryers.
    DOE is proposing in today's NOPR to measure the full automatic 
termination cycle, including any cool-down period, to be more 
representative of actual consumer use. DOE has determined that the 
proposed provision to include a cool-down period would result in less 
testing burden than the January 2011 TP Final Rule proposal to stop the 
test cycle when the heater switches off for the final time immediately 
before the cool-down period begins (76 FR 972, 998 (Jan. 6, 2011)), 
which would require the tester to monitor the dryer and possibly run 
multiple test cycles to determine when the heater has switched off for 
the final time.
    As discussed above, DOE also proposes to base the calculations for 
automatic termination control dryers on a nominal final RMC of 2 
percent. This is a change from the existing test procedure, which 
requires that the clothes dryer test cycle be stopped when the final 
RMC is between 2.5 percent and 5 percent. Based on the data submitted 
in the Joint Petition and DOE's analysis, DOE tentatively concludes 
that a final RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test load would be more 
representative of clothes dryers currently on the market and 
representative of the maximum consumer-accepted final RMC.
    DOE is proposing in today's NOPR to revise the field use factor in 
the per-cycle energy consumption calculation for dryers with automatic 
termination controls to 0.80 based on the data presented above in 
section III.B.3. DOE notes that this field use factor would account for 
the measured energy consumption at the end of the automatic termination 
cycle drying the DOE test load below 2-percent RMC, which DOE 
determines to be representative of consumer-acceptable drying levels 
with loads of varying weights, composition, and size.
    As discussed in section III.B.2 of this notice, NEEA supplied DOE 
with data from its residential laundry field use study, which included 
50 households in the northwest United States metered from January 2012 
to March 2012. Although the NEEA field study did not provide data to 
closely determine the final RMC of laundry loads, the study did provide 
data on the weights of the laundry loads both before and after the 
drying cycle. As a result, DOE was able to determine the amount of 
moisture removed from the laundry load during each dry cycle, to 
compare with the proposed DOE test procedure. The NEEA field study 
showed that the average initial weight of the laundry load prior to the 
drying cycle for the average household surveyed was approximately 12.1 
lbs, and that, on average, 4.8 lbs of water was removed during the 
drying cycle. Comparing this to the proposed DOE test procedure for a 
standard-size test load with a bone-dry weight of 8.45 lbs, the 
starting RMC of 57.5 percent would result in an initial weight of the 
test load of approximately 13.3 lbs. The proposed test procedure, which 
requires that the laundry load be dried to below 2-percent RMC, would 
require approximately 4.7 lbs of water to be removed from the load 
during the drying cycle. Based on the information from the NEEA field 
use study, DOE concludes that the weight of the test load and amount of 
moisture removed during the drying cycle in the proposed test procedure 
are fairly representative of consumer use.
    Data from the NEEA study also showed that the average household 
surveyed used the ``normal'' or an equivalent program cycle setting for 
nearly 60 percent of all drying cycles. The remaining drying cycles 
used other automatic termination cycle settings, or timed dry or manual 
cycles. Based on these usage patterns, DOE tentatively

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concludes that using the ``normal'' automatic termination program cycle 
setting for automatic termination control clothes dryers would be most 
representative of consumer use. DOE is not proposing to require 
additional program cycle settings, which would also require specifying 
different load types for each setting, in today's NOPR to minimize 
testing burden.
    For timer dryers, DOE is proposing to use the test method currently 
specified in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.3 with 
a revised final RMC requirement. The proposed test method would require 
that the clothes dryer be operated using the highest temperature 
setting and maximum time setting. The clothes dryer would then be 
allowed to run until the final RMC of the load is between 1.0 percent 
and 2.5 percent, at which point the test cycle is stopped without 
permitting the clothes dryer to advance into the cool-down period. 
After stopping the test run, test technicians would remove and weigh 
the test load. DOE is also proposing to add a clarification that the 
clothes dryer should not be stopped intermittently in the middle of the 
test cycle for any reason. This clarification would ensure that test 
technicians are not stopping the dryer intermittently to weigh the test 
load to check whether it is within the target range for the final RMC. 
Such a practice would alter the measured results because of the heat 
loss from the dryer when the cycle is stopped.
    DOE is proposing in today's NOPR to include separate calculations 
for the per-cycle energy consumption for timer dryers. The calculations 
would be similar to the calculations provided in the current DOE test 
procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, sections 4.1-4.3, 
except that the normalization of the per-cycle energy consumption to 
represent the energy consumption required to dry the test load to 4-
percent RMC would be changed to represent the new target RMC of 2 
percent. The per-cycle energy consumption calculation in the current 
test procedure applies a scaling factor of 53.5 to be representative of 
the percentage change from the nominal initial RMC of 57.5 percent to 
the nominal ending RMC of 4 percent. The proposed amendments would 
change this scaling factor to 55.5 to reflect the new ending RMC of 2 
percent. DOE proposes a range of 1.0 percent to 2.5 percent for the 
allowable ending RMC during the test cycle to reduce testing burden. 
DOE tentatively concludes that requiring the tester to dry the test 
load to an exact RMC during the test cycle would be unduly burdensome 
because it could require the test to be repeated a significant number 
of times until the exact RMC is achieved. For the test procedure to 
produce repeatable results, the measured test cycle energy consumption 
is normalized to calculate the energy consumption required to dry the 
test load from exactly 57.5-percent RMC to 2-percent RMC, which is 
representative of clothes dryers currently on the market and of the 
maximum consumer-accepted final RMC.
    DOE proposes in today's NOPR that manufacturers continue to apply 
the field use factor needed to account for the energy consumption of 
drying beyond the 2-percent RMC specified in the test procedure. DOE is 
not proposing any changes to the 1.18 field use factor for timer dryers 
because DOE is not aware of any data or studies more recent than the 
studies on which it was originally based that would indicate that this 
value is not currently representative of consumer use. DOE seeks 
comment on the field use factors for both automatic termination control 
dryers and timer dryers in section V.E of this notice.
    DOE is not proposing to include the cool-down period as part of the 
timed dry test cycle because the proposed test method requires drying 
the load to a specified RMC, at which point the test cycle is stopped 
by the test technician. DOE has determined that specifying a timed dry 
cycle that includes the cool-down period to achieve a target final RMC 
would add significant testing burden on test technicians to determine 
and preset the appropriate time setting. It would also be difficult to 
ensure that testing results are repeatable and reproducible because 
different combinations of timed dry cycle length and cool-down period 
may be selected to dry a test load to the same final RMC. For these 
reasons, DOE is not amending the timed dry test cycle to include the 
cool-down period in today's NOPR.

C. Incorporating by Reference IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition for 
Measuring Standby Mode and Off Mode Power

    The January 2011 TP Final Rule incorporated in the test procedures 
for clothes dryers relevant provisions from IEC Standard 62301 (First 
Edition) for measuring standby mode and off mode power. 76 FR 972, 979-
80 (Jan. 6, 2011). DOE reviewed the IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) 
and concluded that it would be generally applicable to clothes dryers, 
although some clarification would be needed. Specifically, DOE adopted 
amendments for standby mode and off mode power measurements to provide 
a stabilization period of 30 to 40 minutes followed by an energy use 
measurement period of 10 minutes. 76 FR 986 (Jan.6, 2011). With these 
clarifications in place, the January 2011 TP Final Rule referenced IEC 
Standard 62301 (First Edition) for the standby mode and off mode 
wattage measurements. DOE also incorporated into the clothes dryer test 
procedure definitions of ``active mode,'' ``standby mode,'' and ``off 
mode'' based on the definitions provided in IEC Standard 62301 CDV. 76 
FR 76 FR 981-85 (Jan. 6, 2011).
    IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) published on January 27, 2011. 
Consistent with EPCA requirements for amending test procedures to 
include standby and off mode procedures, DOE considered IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition) in today's NOPR for amendments to the standby 
mode and off mode test procedures for clothes dryers. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(gg)(2)(A)) IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) is an 
internationally-accepted test procedure for measuring standby power in 
residential appliances, and it provides clarification to certain 
sections as compared to the First Edition, as discussed in the 
following paragraphs.
    Section 4, paragraph 4.4 of the Second Edition revises the power 
measurement accuracy provisions of the First Edition. A more 
comprehensive specification of required accuracy is provided in the 
Second Edition, which depends upon the characteristics of the power 
being measured. Testers using the Second Edition are required to 
measure the crest factor and power factor of the input power, and to 
calculate a maximum current ratio (MCR) (paragraph 4.4.1 of the Second 
Edition). The Second Edition then specifies calculations to determine 
permitted uncertainty in MCR. DOE notes, however, that the allowable 
uncertainty is the same or less stringent than the allowable 
uncertainty specified in the First Edition, depending on the value of 
MCR and the power level being measured (see Table III.17 for examples). 
This change in the allowable uncertainty, however, maintains sufficient 
accuracy of measurements under a full range of possible measured power 
levels without placing undue demands on the instrumentation. These 
power measurement accuracy requirements were based upon detailed 
technical submissions to the IEC in the development of IEC Standard 
62301 Final Draft International Standard (FDIS), which showed that 
commonly-used power measurement instruments were unable to meet the 
original requirements for certain types of loads. The incremental 
testing burden

[[Page 172]]

associated with the additional measurements and calculations is offset 
by the more reasonable requirements for testing equipment, while 
maintaining measurement accuracy deemed acceptable and practical by 
voting members for IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). For these 
reasons, DOE proposes in today's notice to incorporate by reference in 
10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 2.4.7 the power 
equipment specifications in section 4, paragraph 4.4 of IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition).

                       Table III.17--Comparison of Allowable Uncertainty in Measured Power
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Allowable Uncertainty (W)
                            ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Measured Power (W)                                                 IEC 62301 (Second Edition)
                              IEC 62301 (First Edition)  -------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    MCR = 5                    MCR = 15
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  5.0                          0.1                          0.1                        0.14
                  2.0                         0.04                         0.04                       0.056
                  1.0                         0.02                         0.02                       0.028
                  0.5                         0.01                         0.02                        0.02
                  0.2                         0.01                         0.02                        0.02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 5, paragraph 5.2 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 
maintains the installation and setup procedures incorporated by 
reference in the clothes dryer test procedure in the January 2011 TP 
Final Rule from the First Edition. These provisions require that the 
appliance be prepared and set up in accordance with manufacturer's 
instructions, and that if no instructions are given, then the factory 
or ``default'' settings shall be used, or where there are no 
indications for such settings, the appliance is tested as supplied. 
Additionally, IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) adds certain 
clarifications to the installation and setup procedures in section 5, 
paragraph 5.2 of the First Edition regarding products equipped with a 
battery recharging circuit for an internal battery, as well as 
instructions for testing each relevant configuration option identified 
in the product's instructions for use. DOE is not aware of any clothes 
dryer with an internal battery, or with a recharging circuit for such a 
battery. DOE also believes that a requirement to separately test each 
configuration option could substantially increase test burden and 
potentially conflicts with the requirement within the same section to 
set up the product in accordance with the instructions for use or, if 
no such instructions are available, to use the factory or ``default'' 
settings. Therefore, DOE tentatively concludes that the portions of the 
installation instructions in section 5, paragraph 5.2 of IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition) pertaining to batteries and the requirement for 
the determination, classification, and testing of all modes associated 
with every combination of available product configuration options 
(which may be more numerous than the modes associated with operation at 
the default settings) are not appropriate for the clothes dryer test 
procedures. Accordingly, DOE is proposing qualifying language in the 
test procedure amendments in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, 
section 2.1 to disregard those portions of the installation 
instructions.
    The Second Edition also contains provisions for the power supply 
(section 4.3) and power-measuring instruments (section 4.4). Paragraph 
4.3.2 requires that the value of the harmonic content of the voltage 
supply be recorded during the test and reported. As described 
previously, paragraph 4.4.1 requires the instrument to measure the 
crest factor and maximum current ratio. Paragraph 4.4.3 requires the 
instrument to be capable of measuring the average power or integrated 
total energy consumption over any operator-selected time interval. DOE 
is aware of commercially available power measurement instruments that 
can perform each of these required measurements individually. However, 
DOE is also aware that certain industry-standard instruments, such as 
the Yokogawa WT210/WT230 digital power meter and possibly others, are 
unable to measure harmonic content or crest factor while measuring 
average power or total integrated energy consumption. DOE is concerned 
that laboratories currently using power-measuring instruments without 
this capability would be required to purchase, at potentially 
significant expense, additional power-measuring instruments that are 
able to perform all these measurements simultaneously. Therefore, DOE 
proposes in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, sections 2.3.1.1 
and 2.4.7 that if the power-measuring instrument is unable to perform 
these measurements during the actual test measurement, it would be 
acceptable to measure the total harmonic content, crest factor, and 
maximum current ratio immediately before and immediately after the 
actual test measurement to determine whether the requirements for the 
power supply and power measurement have been met.
    The other major changes in the Second Edition related to the 
measurement of standby mode and off mode power consumption in covered 
products involve measurement techniques and specification of the 
stability criteria required to measure that power. The Second Edition 
contains more detailed techniques to evaluate the stability of the 
power consumption and to measure the power consumption for loads with 
different stability characteristics. According to the Second Edition, 
the user is given a choice of measurement procedures, including 
sampling methods, average reading methods, and a direct meter reading 
method. DOE evaluated these new methods in terms of test burden and 
improvement in results as compared to the methods adopted in the 
January 2011 TP Final Rule, which were based on IEC Standard 62301 
(First Edition).
    In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE adopted provisions requiring 
that clothes dryer standby mode and off mode power be measured using 
section 5, paragraph 5.3 of IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition), 
clarified by requiring the product to stabilize for 30 to 40 minutes 
and using an energy use measurement period of 10 minutes. Further, for 
any clothes dryer in which the power varies over a cycle, as described 
in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 of the First Edition, the January 2011 TP 
Final Rule adopted amendments to require the use of the average power 
approach in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2(a), with a 30- to 40-minute 
stabilization period and a 10-minute minimum measurement period, as 
long as the measurement period comprises one or more complete cycles. 
76 FR 972, 979-980, 985-986 (Jan. 6, 2011).

[[Page 173]]

    For today's notice, to determine the potential impacts of 
referencing methodology from IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) rather 
than from the First Edition, DOE compared the provisions allowed by 
each under different scenarios of power consumption stability, as 
discussed in the following sections.
1. Stable Power Consumption
    According to section 5, paragraph 5.3.1 of IEC Standard 62301 
(First Edition), after an initial stabilization period of 5 minutes, 
power consumption is defined as stable if it varies by less than 5 
percent over a subsequent measurement period of 5 minutes. In such a 
case, a direct reading may be made at the end of the measurement 
period. With the clarifications adopted in the January 2011 TP Final 
Rule, the total test time would be 40 to 50 minutes (comprised of a 30- 
to 40-minute stabilization period, followed by a 10-minute period 
during which the stability criterion could be evaluated and a direct 
power reading taken.) Alternatively, the tester may select an average 
power or accumulated energy approach, again with a 30- to 40-minute 
stabilization period and a 10-minute measurement period. The average 
power approach would simply require a different reading to be taken 
from the instrument (true average power instead of a direct reading of 
instantaneous power), while the accumulated energy approach would 
require the calculation of power by dividing an accumulated energy by 
the duration of the measurement period.
    In comparison, section 5, paragraph 5.3.4 of IEC Standard 62301 
(Second Edition) specifies a direct meter reading method that can be 
used for stable power consumption, in which a minimum 30-minute 
stabilization period must be observed, followed by a first power 
measurement. After an additional period of 10 minutes, a second power 
measurement is taken. If the average of the two measurements divided by 
the time interval between them meets certain threshold criteria, then 
the power consumption is considered to be the average of the two power 
measurements. Thus, the total test period would still be at minimum 40 
minutes. DOE believes that this method likely improves the validity of 
the test results, as it is a more stringent measure of the stability of 
the power consumption over a longer period of time than the First 
Edition requires. However, if the threshold criteria are not met at the 
end of the test, a different measurement method must be used, 
increasing test time and complexity. Further, the Second Edition 
specifies that the direct reading method shall not be used for 
verification purposes. Both of these qualifications potentially 
increase test burden as compared to the First Edition, possibly 
requiring the tester to conduct the more complex methodology of the 
methods available under the Second Edition.
    Section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 
identifies a sampling method as the preferred means for all power 
consumption measurements and the fastest test method when the power is 
stable. For any non-cyclic power consumption, power readings are 
initially recorded over a period of at least 15 minutes after 
energizing the product. Data from the first third of the measurement 
period are discarded, and stability is evaluated by a linear regression 
through all power readings in the second two-thirds of the data. If the 
slope of the linear regression is less than 10 milliwatts per hour (mW/
h) for input power less than or equal to 1.0 W, or less than 1 percent 
of the input power per hour for input power greater than 1.0 W, the 
power consumption is calculated as the average of the power readings 
during the second two-thirds of the measurement period. If the slope of 
the linear regression does not meet these stability criteria, the total 
period is continuously extended until the stability criteria are met 
for the second two-thirds of the data. In some cases, this is a more 
stringent requirement than the stability criteria of IEC Standard 62301 
(First Edition). The lack of a definitive test period means that the 
test duration could extend past 15 minutes for certain products--up to 
3 hours is allowed in the Second Edition--and could introduce added 
test burden as compared to the First Edition.
2. Unstable, Non-Cyclic Power Consumption
    Section 5, paragraph 5.3 from IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition), 
which DOE incorporated by reference in the clothes dryer test procedure 
in the January 2011 TP Final Rule with clarification, specifies that 
either an average power method or accumulated energy approach could be 
used for measuring non-cyclic unstable power consumption. As described 
previously, this methodology, as adopted in the January 2011 TP Final 
Rule, would limit total test duration to 40-50 minutes.
    In contrast, the Second Edition requires the use of either a 
sampling method or average reading method for measuring power 
consumption in standby mode or off mode. The sampling method is the 
same as described previously, but the measurement period must be at 
least 60 minutes, and the cumulative average of all data points 
recorded during the second two-thirds of the total period must fall 
within a band of 0.2 percent.
    The average reading method in section 5, paragraph 5.3.3 IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition) comprises both an average power method 
and accumulated energy method, either of which may be selected for 
unstable, non-cyclic power. For both methods, a 30-minute stabilization 
period is specified, followed by two comparison measurement periods of 
not less than 10 minutes each. The average power values, either 
measured directly or calculated from accumulated energy during each 
period, are compared to determine whether they agree to within certain 
threshold criteria. If the threshold is not achieved, the comparison 
periods are each extended in approximately equal increments until the 
threshold is met. If agreement is not achieved after reaching 30 
minutes for each comparison period, the sampling method must then be 
used. Therefore, the minimum test period is 50 minutes, but may extend 
up to 90 minutes, at which time an additional test may be required.
    DOE believes that the stability criteria in either method improves 
the accuracy and representativeness of the measurement as compared to 
the First Edition, but would cause the required test time to increase, 
with a corresponding increase in manufacturer burden due to the 
additional time and complexity of the test.
3. Cyclic Power Consumption
    As noted previously, DOE adopted amendments in the January 2011 TP 
Final Rule to require that for any clothes dryer in which the power 
varies over a cycle, the average power approach of section 5, paragraph 
5.3.2(a) in IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) shall be used, with a 
30- to 40-minute stabilization period and minimum 10-minute measurement 
period. The First Edition also requires that at least one or more 
complete cycles be measured.
    In the Second Edition, cyclic power must be measured according to 
the sampling method in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2, but this method 
requires a measurement period of at least four complete cycles (for a 
total of at least 40 minutes) divided into two comparison periods, with 
stability criteria evaluated by calculating the difference in average 
power measured in each comparison period divided by the time difference 
of the mid-point of each

[[Page 174]]

comparison period. Similar to the sampling method for stable power 
consumption measurements described previously, this ``slope'' must be 
less than 10 mW/h for input powers less than or equal to 1 W, and less 
than 1 percent of the input power per hour for input powers greater 
than 1 W. If the appropriate stability criterion is not met, additional 
cycles are added to each comparison period until the criterion is 
achieved. Once stability has been reached, the power consumption is 
calculated as the average of all readings from both comparison periods. 
DOE believes that this methodology produces an improved measurement 
over the methodology from the First Edition, but the test duration 
could be extended, again potentially introducing issues of increased 
test burden.
4. Conclusions on Test Methodology
    DOE, in evaluating IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) in 
comparison to the First Edition, considers the substantial body of 
comments on and input to the provisions and methodology that IEC 
developed as part of its latest revision process. DOE recognizes that, 
in some cases, test burden and complexity would be increased by 
requiring the use of the test methods specified in the Second Edition. 
AHAM and manufacturers involved in the IEC review process have 
commented that IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) test methods improve 
the accuracy and representativeness of the test measurements and would 
not be unduly burdensome to conduct. 77 FR 28805, 28812 (May 16, 2012); 
76 FR 58346, 58350 (Sept. 20, 2011); 77 FR 13888, 13893 (March 7, 
2012). As a result, and for the reasons discussed above, DOE proposes 
incorporation by reference of the relevant paragraphs of section 5.3 of 
IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) in the clothes dryer test procedure 
in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.6.
    Further, DOE observes that although the Second Edition allows the 
choice of multiple test methods for both stable and unstable non-cyclic 
power consumption, the sampling method provides for a test duration 
that is approximately the same or similar to the allowable alternative 
methods and does not require classification of the nature of the power 
consumption (e.g., stable or unstable, non-cyclic) in advance of the 
test. By monitoring the variation in power consumption during the test, 
the test operator could determine whether it is stable or unstable, and 
thereby establish the required duration of the sampling periods. For 
cyclic power consumption, the Second Edition also requires the use of 
the sampling method. Thus, DOE proposes to require in 10 CFR part 430, 
subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.6 the use of the sampling method in 
section 5.3.2 of the Second Edition for all standby mode and off mode 
power measurements.
    DOE is also proposing to amend the reference in 10 CFR 430.3 to add 
IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). DOE is not proposing to replace 
the reference to the First Edition in 10 CFR 430.3, because several 
test procedures for other covered products not addressed in today's 
notice incorporate provisions from it. In addition, there are a number 
of editorial changes necessary in appendix D1 to allow for the correct 
referencing to the Second Edition. For example, the definition sections 
need to define the IEC Standard 62301 as the Second Edition instead of 
the First Edition. Also, there are some section numbering differences 
in the Second Edition that impact the text of the measurement 
provisions of the relevant test procedures.

D. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-Cycle Combined 
Total Energy Consumption

    DOE notes that 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 
4.6, regarding the calculation of the per-cycle combined total energy 
consumption contains a reference to an incorrect section number. The 
per-cycle standby mode and off mode energy consumption, 
ETSO, which is contained in section 4.5, is incorrectly 
referenced in the per-cycle combined total energy consumption as 
section 4.7. DOE is proposing in today's NOPR to correct this section 
number reference.

E. Clarifications to Test Conditions

    DOE notes that it received a number of inquiries from independent 
test laboratories requesting clarification on testing according to the 
DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 
appendix D. DOE is proposing amendments in today's NOPR to clarify the 
cycle settings used for the test cycle and the requirements for the gas 
supply for gas clothes dryers.
    Section 3.3 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D specifies 
that the maximum temperature setting and, if a tested unit is equipped 
with a timer, the maximum time setting must be used for the drying test 
cycle. DOE received an inquiry from an independent test laboratory 
regarding how to test a clothes dryer that has timed dry cycle length 
settings, but no temperature settings on the control panel. DOE is 
proposing to clarify in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D, section 
3.3, that if the clothes dryer does not have a separate temperature 
setting selection on the control panel, the maximum time setting should 
be used for the drying test cycle. In today's NOPR, DOE is proposing to 
amend 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, to require separate test 
methods for timer dryers and automatic termination control dryers. 
Because the proposed timed dry test method maintains the same cycle 
settings as specified in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D, DOE is 
also proposing to include the clarification discussed above in section 
3.3.1 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, for the timer dryer 
test method. Because the proposed test method for automatic termination 
control dryers requires using an automatic cycle termination program 
where the drying temperature and dryness level settings are modified 
only if they can be chosen independently of the cycle program, DOE is 
not proposing to include the clarification discussed above.
    DOE also received an inquiry regarding how to test a clothes dryer 
that has an optional cycle setting, other than the temperature and time 
settings, that is activated by default in the condition as shipped by 
the manufacturer. DOE is proposing to clarify in both 10 CFR part 430, 
subpart B, appendix D, section 3.3, and appendix D1, section 3.3.1, 
that the test procedures specify requirements only for the temperature 
setting and time setting, and do not specify modifications to any other 
optional settings that do not affect the temperature setting and time 
setting. Similarly in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 
3.3.2, DOE is proposing to clarify for automatic termination control 
dryers, the test procedures specify requirements only for the automatic 
termination cycle program, temperature setting, and dryness setting, 
and do not specify modifications to any other optional settings that do 
not affect the automatic termination cycle program, temperature 
setting, and dryness setting.
    Section 2.3.2 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D and 
appendix D1, specifies that gas supply to the clothes dryer should be 
maintained at a normal inlet test pressure at 7 to 10 inches of water 
column, and that the hourly British thermal unit (Btu) rating of the 
burner shall be maintained within 5 percent of the rating 
specified by the manufacturer. DOE received an inquiry from an 
independent testing laboratory noting that during its testing, the gas 
dryer under test did not meet the requirement to maintain the Btu 
rating within 5 percent of the rating specified

[[Page 175]]

by the manufacturer under the allowable range in gas inlet test 
pressure. DOE is proposing to add a clarification in both 10 CFR part 
430, subpart B, appendix D and appendix D1 that if the requirement to 
maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within 5 
percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer cannot be achieved 
under the allowable range in gas inlet test pressure, the orifice of 
the gas burner should be modified as necessary to achieve the required 
Btu rating.
    Section 2.3.2 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D and 
appendix D1, also specifies that if a clothes dryer is equipped with a 
gas appliance pressure regulator, the regulator outlet pressure at the 
normal test pressure shall be approximately that recommended by the 
manufacturer. DOE notes that the test procedures for similar gas 
heating products, such as gas water heaters, specifies that the 
regulator outlet pressure must be within 10 percent of the 
value specified by the manufacturer. DOE is proposing to clarify the 
term ``approximately'' by specifying that the regulator outlet pressure 
shall be within 10 percent of the value specified by the 
manufacturer.

F. Effects of Proposed Test Procedure Revisions on Compliance With 
Standards

    In any rulemaking to amend a test procedure, DOE must determine to 
what extent, if any, the proposed test procedure would alter the 
measured energy efficiency of any covered product as determined under 
the existing test procedure. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(1)) If DOE determines 
that the amended test procedure would alter the measured efficiency of 
a covered product, DOE must amend the applicable energy conservation 
standard accordingly. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2)) In determining the amended 
energy conservation standard, the Secretary shall measure, pursuant to 
the amended test procedure, the energy efficiency, energy use, or water 
use of a representative sample of covered products that minimally 
comply with the existing standard. The average of such energy 
efficiency, energy use, or water use levels determined under the 
amended test procedure shall constitute the amended energy conservation 
standard for the applicable covered products. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2)) 
Models of covered products in use before the date on which the amended 
energy conservation standard becomes effective (or revisions of such 
models that come into use after such date and have the same energy 
efficiency, energy use or water use characteristics) that comply with 
the energy conservation standard applicable to such covered products on 
the day before such date shall be deemed to comply with the energy 
conservation standard. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(3)) DOE's authority to amend 
energy conservation standards does not affect DOE's obligation to issue 
any final standards as described in 42 U.S.C. 6295. (42 U.S.C. 
6293(e)(4))
1. Active Mode
    As discussed in section III.E, DOE is only proposing to amend 10 
CFR part 430 subpart B, appendix D in today's NOPR to clarify the cycle 
settings used for testing and the requirements for the gas supply. 
Because the proposed amendments to appendix D would not change the 
actual testing method, DOE determined that these proposed amendments 
would not affect the measured efficiency according to appendix D and 
would not affect a manufacturer's ability to demonstrate compliance 
with the current energy conservation standards at 10 CFR 430.32(h)(2).
    Because the January 1, 2015 energy conservation standards for 
clothes dryers are based on CEF as measured according to 10 CFR part 
430 subpart B, subpart D1, DOE investigated how the proposed amendments 
for automatic cycle termination would affect the measured CEF.
    In response to the August 2011 RFI, the Joint Petitioners commented 
that if DOE adopts the petition's proposed test procedure amendments, 
it must also revise the relevant energy conservation standards to 
reflect the new test procedure, ensuring that for clothes dryers with 
effective automatic termination controls, there is no change in 
stringency of the standards. The Joint Petitioners stated that the 
procedures in 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2) should be used, with the 
clarification that for the purposes of establishing a representative 
sample of products, DOE should select a sample of minimally compliant 
clothes dryers that automatically terminate the drying cycle at 1.5- to 
2-percent RMC. The Joint Petitioners stated that by selecting products 
that terminate at 1.5- to 2-percent RMC, DOE will assure that the 
revised standard is based upon dryers that do not over-dry and that the 
tested sample yields valid results under both the current and proposed 
revised test procedure. The Joint Petitioners also stated that if DOE 
does not consider dryers that terminate the drying cycle at 1.5- to 2-
percent RMC to be a representative sample, the proposed test procedure 
in the Joint Petition should still be adopted. In that case, the Joint 
Petitioners stated that DOE could revise the energy conservation 
standards without limiting the representative sample of dryers based on 
automatic termination performance. However, the Joint Petitioners noted 
that this approach would reduce, but not eliminate, the benefits from 
this test procedure change. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 6-7)
    DOE conducted testing on 20 clothes dryers according to the current 
DOE clothes dryer test procedure in appendix D1 and then according to 
the proposed automatic cycle termination test procedure. The results of 
this testing, presented in Table III.18, showed that specific models 
resulted in either a lower or higher measured CEF as compared to the 
measured CEF using the current test procedure, ranging from a 27.4 
percent decrease to a 20.4 percent increase in CEF with an average of a 
3.8 percent increase. DOE also evaluated the effects of the proposed 
amendments for the products in DOE's test sample that minimally comply 
with the existing energy conservation standards (based on rated EF). 
The results for the 10 minimally compliant units in DOE's test sample 
showed a 27.4 percent decrease to a 16.9 percent increase in CEF as 
compared to the CEF using the test procedure in 10 CFR part 430 subpart 
B, subpart D1, with an average of a 4.1 percent increase.

                    Table III.18--Effects of Proposed Automatic Cycle Termination Test Method
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Proposed automatic cycle
                                                                                      termination test method
                                                                      Current    -------------------------------
                  Product class                      Test unit      Appendix D1                    % Change from
                                                                   CEF (lbs/kWh)   CEF (lbs/kWh)    appendix D1
                                                                                                        CEF
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Vented Electric Standard                                   \*\1            3.58            3.94            10.2
                                                               2            3.93            3.41           -13.2

[[Page 176]]

 
                                                            \*\3            3.83            4.35            13.6
                                                            \*\4            3.71            4.34            16.9
                                                               5            3.90            4.37            12.0
                                                            \*\6            3.80            3.39           -10.9
                                                            \*\7            3.84            3.83            -0.2
                                                            \*\8            3.71            3.87             4.4
Vented Electric Compact (240V)..................            \*\9            3.53            4.12            16.7
                                                              10            3.56            2.84           -20.2
Vented Electric Compact (120V)..................           \*\11            3.75            2.72           -27.4
Vented Gas......................................              12            3.43            3.37            -1.7
                                                           \*\13            3.31            3.58             8.1
                                                           \*\14            3.49            3.84             9.8
                                                              15            3.39            3.37            -0.7
                                                              16            3.37            4.05            20.4
                                                              17            3.37            3.66             8.6
Ventless Electric Compact (240V)................              18            2.98            3.40            14.0
Ventless Electric Combo Washer/Dryer............              19            2.81            2.70            -3.9
                                                              20            2.28            2.74            20.2
    Total Average...............................  ..............  ..............  ..............             3.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ Minimally compliant test units.

    Based on these results and consistent with 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(1) and 
(2), DOE tentatively concludes that the proposed amendments to the 
active mode test procedure will on average not impact the measured 
efficiency as compared to the current test procedure for models 
currently available on the market. As a result, DOE is not considering 
amendments to the energy conservation standards that will be required 
on January 1, 2015.
2. Standby Mode and Off Mode
    DOE also investigated how the proposed amendments for standby mode 
and off mode would affect the measured efficiency. Because the proposed 
amendments to the DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430 
subpart B, appendix D1 for measuring standby mode and off mode energy 
consumption would not alter the existing measure of energy consumption 
for clothes dryers (EF), the proposed amendments would not affect a 
manufacturer's ability to comply with the current energy conservation 
standards.
    DOE's amendments in the January 2011 TP Final Rule specified that 
manufacturers will not be required to use the test procedure provisions 
for standby mode and off mode until the mandatory January 1, 2015 
compliance date of the amended clothes dryer energy conservation 
standards. (10 CFR 430.32(h)(3)) The January 1, 2015 amended energy 
conservation standards are based on CEF, which accounts for standby 
mode and off mode energy consumption. Because today's proposed 
amendments would revise the provisions used to measure standby mode and 
off mode energy consumption, and thus CEF, DOE investigated how the 
proposed test procedure amendments would affect the amended energy 
conservation standards at 10 CFR 430.32(h)(3). DOE believes the 
proposed changes to the testing methods for measuring standby mode and 
off mode energy consumption do not vary significantly from the methods 
in the amended DOE clothes dryer test procedure in appendix D1 for 
measuring standby power and would not alter the measured efficiency. To 
confirm this assertion, DOE conducted testing on four clothes dryers 
(three of which minimally comply with the existing energy conservation 
standards) according to both the existing appendix D1 and the proposed 
amendments to appendix D1 for standby mode and off mode that are based 
IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). The results, presented below in 
Table III.19, show that the measured average standby power is the same 
using both methods.

 Table III.19--DOE Test Results To Evaluate Effects of Proposed Changes
               To Standby and Off Mode Testing Procedures
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Average standby power (W)
                                         -------------------------------
                Test unit                    Existing        Proposed
                                            appendix D1     appendix D1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 *.....................................            0.97            0.97
3 *.....................................            0.16            0.16
14 *....................................            0.38            0.38
16......................................            0.70           0.70
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Minimally compliant test units.


[[Page 177]]

    Based on these test results, DOE believes that the proposed 
amendments to the clothes dryer test procedure for standby mode and off 
mode would not alter the measured CEF. DOE is, therefore, not 
considering amendments to the energy conservation standards at 10 CFR 
430.32(h)(3) that must be met on January 1, 2015.
    DOE's proposed amendments would continue to clarify that 
manufacturers would not be required to use the provisions relating to 
standby mode and off mode energy use to determine compliance with the 
energy conservation standard until the compliance date of the amended 
energy conservation standards for clothes dryers addressing standby 
mode and off mode energy use on January 1, 2015. As a result, the 
proposed test procedure amendments for standby mode and off mode would 
not affect a manufacturer's ability to demonstrate compliance with the 
current energy conservation standards.

G. Compliance With Other EPCA Requirements

1. Test Burden
    EPCA requires that test procedures shall be reasonably designed to 
produce test results which measure energy efficiency, energy use, or 
estimated annual operating cost of a covered product during a 
representative average use cycle or period of use. Test procedures must 
also not be unduly burdensome to conduct. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3))
    DOE notes that the proposed amendments for automatic cycle 
termination, discussed in section III.B.5, would change the test cycle 
for automatic cycle termination dryers to require that a programmed 
automatic termination cycle be used for the test instead of using the 
maximum timed dry setting. The proposed provision to include the cool 
down period and allowing the clothes dryer to run until the completion 
of the programmed dry cycle would likely be less burdensome than the 
existing test procedure in which the tester is required to monitor or 
make estimates about the RMC of the test load and potentially run 
multiple test cycles to determine when to stop the test to achieve the 
desired final RMC. For timer dryers, the proposed amendments would use 
the same basic test method that is currently specified in the DOE test 
procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, except that the 
test cycle would be stopped when the final RMC is between 1.0 percent 
and 2.5 percent instead of between 2.5 percent and 5.0 percent. DOE 
notes that this would result in a slightly longer cycle time, but the 
additional time would be minimal compared to the overall time to set up 
and conduct the test. For these reasons, DOE believes that the 
amendments to more accurately account for automatic cycle termination 
proposed in today's NOPR would not be unduly burdensome to conduct. DOE 
also notes that the revised test cycle for automatic cycle termination 
dryers would produce a measured energy use that is more representative 
of consumer use because it directly measures the energy consumption of 
the programmed automatic termination cycle.
    With regards to the amendments for standby and off mode power 
consumption, DOE concluded in the January 2011 TP Final Rule that the 
amended test procedure would produce test results that measure the 
standby mode and off mode power consumption of covered products during 
a representative average use cycle as well as annual energy 
consumption, and that the test procedure would not be unduly burdensome 
to conduct. 76 FR 972. 1020 (Jan. 6, 2011). Today's proposed amendments 
to the DOE clothes dryer test procedure for standby mode and off mode 
are based on an updated version of IEC Standard 62301, IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition), which has been the subject of significant 
review and input from interested parties and, thus, continues to be an 
internationally accepted test standard for measuring standby mode and 
off mode power consumption. As discussed in section III.0 of this 
notice, DOE believes that the provisions of IEC Standard 62301 (Second 
Edition) that it proposes to incorporate by reference through today's 
NOPR provide a means to measure power consumption with greater accuracy 
and repeatability than the provisions from IEC Standard 62301 (First 
Edition) that were adopted in the January 2011 TP Final Rule. DOE 
tentatively concludes that today's proposed amendments would also 
provide measurements representative of average consumer use of the 
product under test. DOE also notes that interested parties have 
commented that the testing methods in IEC Standard 62301 (Second 
Edition) would not be unduly burdensome to conduct. 77 FR 28805, 28812 
(May 16, 2012); 76 FR 58346, 58350 (Sept. 20, 2011); 77 FR 13888, 13893 
(March 7, 2012). The potential for increased test burden for certain 
power consumption measurements is also offset by more reasonable 
requirements for testing equipment, while maintaining measurement 
accuracy deemed acceptable and practical by voting members for IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition). For these reasons, DOE tentatively 
concludes that the amended test procedures proposed in today's NOPR 
would produce test results that measure the standby mode and off mode 
power consumption during representative use, and that the test 
procedures would not be unduly burdensome to conduct.
2. Certification Requirements
    42 U.S.C. 6299 et seq. authorizes DOE to enforce compliance with 
the energy and water conservation standards established for certain 
consumer products. On March 7, 2011, the Department revised, 
consolidated, and streamlined its existing certification, compliance, 
and enforcement regulations for certain consumer products and 
commercial and industrial equipment covered under EPCA, including 
clothes dryers. 76 FR 12422. These regulations are codified in 10 CFR 
429.21 (residential clothes dryers).
    The certification requirements for residential clothes dryers 
consist of a sampling plan for selection of units for testing and 
requirements for certification reports. Because DOE introduced a new 
metric (CEF) in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE proposes to amend 
the provisions in 10 CFR 429.21(a)(2) to include CEF, along with the 
existing measure of EF, in the list of metrics for which consumers 
would favor higher values. DOE is proposing to amend the reporting 
requirements in 10 CFR 429.21(b)(2) to require manufacturers, when 
using either appendix D or D1, to provide an indication if the clothes 
dryer has automatic termination controls and also to report the hourly 
Btu rating of the burner for gas clothes dryers. DOE is also proposing 
to amend 10 CFR 429.21(b)(2) to require manufacturers, when using 
appendix D1, to include the CEF and to list the cycle setting 
selections for the energy test cycle as recorded in the proposed 
section 3.4.7 of appendix D1 for each basic model.
3. Compliance Date of Any Final Amended Test Procedures
    As stated in section I, DOE test procedures for clothes dryers are 
set forth in appendices D and D1 in 10 CFR part 430 subpart B. This 
proposal describes amendments to both appendices. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 
6293(c)(2), effective 180 days after DOE prescribes or establishes a 
new or amended test procedure, manufacturers must make representations 
of energy efficiency using that new or amended test procedure. 
Therefore, effective 180

[[Page 178]]

days after the promulgation of any final amendments to the test 
procedure based on this proposal, manufacturers must make 
representations of energy efficiency, including certifications of 
compliance, using either appendix D or appendix D1. Manufacturers must 
use a single appendix for all representations, including certifications 
of compliance, and may not use appendix D for certain representations 
and appendix D1 for other representations. See DOE's existing guidance 
on this topic for additional information, available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/pdfs/tp_faq_2012-06-29.pdf. Compliance with DOE's amended standards for clothes dryers, 
and corresponding use of the test procedures at Appendix D1 for all 
representations, including certifications of compliance, is required as 
of January 1, 2015. (76 FR 52852 (Aug. 24, 2011), 76 FR 52854 (Aug. 24, 
2011))

IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review

A. Review Under Executive Order 12866

    The Office of Management and Budget has determined that test 
procedure rulemakings do not constitute ``significant regulatory 
actions'' under section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, Regulatory 
Planning and Review, 58 FR 51735 (Oct. 4, 1993). Accordingly, this 
action was not subject to review under the Executive Order by the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB).

B. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) requires 
preparation of a regulatory flexibility analysis (RFA) for any rule 
that 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. As required 
by Executive Order 13272, ``Proper Consideration of Small Entities in 
Agency Rulemaking,'' 67 FR 53461 (August 16, 2002), DOE published 
procedures and policies on February 19, 2003, to ensure that the 
potential impacts of its rules on small entities are properly 
considered during the rulemaking process. 68 FR 7990. DOE's procedures 
and policies may be viewed on the Office of the General Counsel's Web 
site (http://energy.gov/gc/office-general-counsel). DOE reviewed 
today's NOPR under the provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and 
the procedures and policies published on February 19, 2003.
    In conducting this review, DOE first determined the potential 
number of affected small entities. The Small Business Administration 
(SBA) considers an entity to be a small business if, together with its 
affiliates, it employs fewer than the threshold number of workers 
specified in 13 CFR part 121 according to the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS) codes. The SBA's Table of Size Standards 
is available at: http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/serv_sstd_tablepdf.pdf. The threshold number for NAICS 
classification 335224, Household Laundry Equipment Manufacturing, which 
includes clothes dryer manufacturers, is 1,000 employees.
    As discussed in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE noted that most 
of the manufacturers supplying clothes dryers are large multinational 
corporations. As part of the most recent energy conservation standards 
rulemaking for residential clothes dryers, DOE requested comment on 
whether there are any manufacturer subgroups, including potential small 
businesses, that it should consider for its analyses. DOE did not 
receive any comments regarding whether there are any residential 
clothes dryer manufacturers that would be considered small businesses. 
DOE then conducted a more focused inquiry of the companies that could 
be small business manufacturers of products covered by this rulemaking. 
During its market survey, DOE used all available public information to 
identify potential small manufacturers. DOE's research included the 
AHAM membership directory, product databases (the AHRI, AHAM, CEC, and 
ENERGY STAR databases), individual company Web sites, and the SBA 
dynamic small business search \11\ to find potential small business 
manufacturers. DOE also asked interested parties and industry 
representatives if they were aware of any other small business 
manufacturers during manufacturer interviews conducted and at DOE 
public meetings for the energy conservation standards rulemakings. DOE 
also contacted various companies, as necessary, to determine whether 
they met the SBA's definition of a small business manufacturer of 
covered residential clothes dryers. DOE screened out companies that did 
not offer products covered by this rulemaking, did not meet the 
definition of a ``small business,'' or are foreign owned and operated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ A searchable database of certified small businesses is 
available online at: http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DOE initially identified at least 14 manufacturers of residential 
clothes dryers that sold products in the United States. DOE determined 
that 13 of these companies exceeded the SBA's maximum number of 
employees or were foreign-owned and operated. Thus, DOE identified only 
one potential small business manufacturer of residential clothes 
dryers. DOE could not locate this manufacturer on the dynamic small 
business search on the SBA Web site, but DOE nonetheless considered the 
economic impacts of the proposed test procedure amendments on this 
potential small business manufacturer.
    As discussed in section III.G.0, DOE does not believe the proposed 
active mode test procedure amendments in today's NOPR to more 
accurately measure the effects of automatic cycle termination would 
result in any added test burden on manufacturers as compared to the 
current DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 
appendix D1. DOE is not proposing to require any additional test 
instruments or significantly different active mode testing methods and 
conditions that would require additional time for testing. For standby 
mode and off mode, DOE believes that the proposed test procedure 
amendments presented in section 0 would not represent a significant 
economic impact. DOE notes that industry-standard instruments, such as 
the Yokogawa WT210/WT230 digital power meter, that meet the standby 
mode and off mode requirements of the current DOE clothes dryer test 
procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, also meet the 
requirements of the proposed amendments for standby mode and off mode 
in today's NOPR. DOE also notes that the duration of a standby mode or 
off mode test period using the current test procedure in appendix D1 is 
40 to 50 minutes. As discussed in section 0, DOE recognizes that the 
test duration using the proposed standby and off mode test procedure 
may range from 15 minutes to 3 hours depending on the stability of the 
measured power consumption. However, based on DOE's testing of four 
clothes dryers from different manufacturers, DOE expects the test 
duration using the proposed standby and off mode test procedure to be 
approximately 30 to 45 minutes for most clothes dryers. In addition, 
DOE notes that most third party testing laboratories already use these 
or similar industry-standard power meters for clothes dryer testing. As 
a result, if the

[[Page 179]]

small manufacturer decides to use a third party testing laboratory, DOE 
believes there would be a minimal, if any, increase in cost for standby 
mode and off mode testing.
    For these reasons, DOE certifies that the proposed rule, if 
adopted, would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities. Accordingly, DOE has not prepared a 
regulatory flexibility analysis for this rulemaking. DOE seeks comment 
on the certification set forth above, and will transmit the 
certification and supporting statement of factual basis to the Chief 
Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA for review under 5 U.S.C. 605(b).

C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    Manufacturers of clothes dryers must certify to DOE that their 
products comply with any applicable energy conservation standards. In 
certifying compliance, manufacturers must test their products according 
to the DOE test procedures for clothes dryers, including any amendments 
adopted for those test procedures. DOE has established regulations for 
the certification and recordkeeping requirements for all covered 
consumer products and commercial equipment, including clothes dryers. 
(76 FR 12422 (March 7, 2011). The collection-of-information requirement 
for the certification and recordkeeping is subject to review and 
approval by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). This 
requirement has been approved by OMB under OMB control number 1910-
1400. Public reporting burden for the certification is estimated to 
average 20 hours per response, including the time for reviewing 
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number.

D. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

    In this proposed rule, DOE is adopting test procedure amendments 
that it expects will be used to develop and implement future energy 
conservation standards for clothes dryers. DOE has determined that this 
rule falls into a class of actions that are categorically excluded from 
review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) and DOE's implementing regulations at 10 CFR part 1021. 
Specifically, this proposed rule would amend the existing test 
procedures without affecting the amount, quality or distribution of 
energy usage, and, therefore, would not result in any environmental 
impacts. Thus, this rulemaking is covered by Categorical Exclusion A5 
under 10 CFR part 1021, subpart D, which applies to any rulemaking that 
interprets or amends an existing rule without changing the 
environmental effect of that rule. Accordingly, neither an 
environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is 
required.

E. Review Under Executive Order 13132

    Executive Order 13132, ``Federalism,'' 64 FR 43255 (August 4, 1999) 
imposes certain requirements on agencies formulating and implementing 
policies or regulations that preempt State law or that have Federalism 
implications. The Executive Order requires agencies to examine the 
constitutional and statutory authority supporting any action that would 
limit the policymaking discretion of the States and to carefully assess 
the necessity for such actions. The Executive Order also requires 
agencies to have an accountable process to ensure meaningful and timely 
input by State and local officials in the development of regulatory 
policies that have Federalism implications. On March 14, 2000, DOE 
published a statement of policy describing the intergovernmental 
consultation process it will follow in the development of such 
regulations. 65 FR 13735.DOE has examined this proposed rule and has 
determined that it would not have a substantial direct effect on the 
States, on the relationship between the national government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government. EPCA governs and prescribes Federal 
preemption of State regulations as to energy conservation for the 
products that are the subject of today's proposed rule. States can 
petition DOE for exemption from such preemption to the extent, and 
based on criteria, set forth in EPCA. (42 U.S.C. 6297(d)) No further 
action is required by Executive Order 13132.

F. Review Under Executive Order 12988

    Regarding the review of existing regulations and the promulgation 
of new regulations, section 3(a) of Executive Order 12988, ``Civil 
Justice Reform,'' 61 FR 4729 (Feb. 7, 1996), imposes on Federal 
agencies the general duty to adhere to the following requirements: (1) 
Eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity; (2) write regulations to 
minimize litigation; (3) provide a clear legal standard for affected 
conduct rather than a general standard; and (4) promote simplification 
and burden reduction. Section 3(b) of Executive Order 12988 
specifically requires that Executive agencies make every reasonable 
effort to ensure that the regulation: (1) Clearly 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 
sections 3(a) and 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 proposed rule meets the relevant standards of Executive Order 
12988.

G. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) 
requires each Federal agency to assess the effects of Federal 
regulatory actions on State, local, and Tribal governments and the 
private sector. Pub. L. 104-4, sec. 201 (codified at 2 U.S.C. 1531). 
For a proposed regulatory action likely to result in a rule that may 
cause the expenditure by State, local, and Tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or by the private sector of $100 million or more in any one 
year (adjusted annually for inflation), section 202 of UMRA requires a 
Federal agency to publish a written statement that estimates the 
resulting costs, benefits, and other effects on the national economy. 
(2 U.S.C. 1532(a), (b)) The UMRA also requires a Federal agency to 
develop an effective process to permit timely input by elected officers 
of State, local, and Tribal governments on a proposed ``significant 
intergovernmental mandate,'' and requires an agency plan for giving 
notice and opportunity for timely input to potentially affected small 
governments before establishing any requirements that might 
significantly or uniquely affect small governments. On March 18, 1997, 
DOE published a statement of policy on its process for 
intergovernmental consultation under

[[Page 180]]

UMRA. 62 FR 12820; also available at http://energy.gov/gc/office-general-counsel. DOE examined today's proposed rule according to UMRA 
and its statement of policy and determined that the rule contains 
neither an intergovernmental mandate, nor a mandate that may result in 
the expenditure of $100 million or more in any year, so these 
requirements do not apply.

H. Review Under the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 
1999

    Section 654 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 1999 (Pub. L. 105-277) requires Federal agencies to issue a Family 
Policymaking Assessment for any rule that may affect family well-being. 
This rule would not have any impact on the autonomy or integrity of the 
family as an institution. Accordingly, DOE has concluded that it is not 
necessary to prepare a Family Policymaking Assessment.

I. Review Under Executive Order 12630

    DOE has determined, under Executive Order 12630, ``Governmental 
Actions and Interference with Constitutionally Protected Property 
Rights'' 53 FR 8859 (March 18, 1988), that this regulation would not 
result in any takings that might require compensation under the Fifth 
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

J. Review Under the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 
2001

    Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations 
Act, 2001 (44 U.S.C. 3516 note) provides for agencies to review most 
disseminations of information to the public under guidelines 
established by each agency pursuant to general guidelines issued by 
OMB. OMB's guidelines were published at 67 FR 8452 (Feb. 22, 2002), and 
DOE's guidelines were published at 67 FR 62446 (Oct. 7, 2002). DOE has 
reviewed today's proposed rule under the OMB and DOE guidelines and has 
concluded that it is consistent with applicable policies in those 
guidelines.

K. Review Under Executive Order 13211

    Executive Order 13211, ``Actions Concerning Regulations That 
Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use,'' 66 FR 28355 
(May 22, 2001), requires Federal agencies to prepare and submit to OMB, 
a Statement of Energy Effects for any proposed significant energy 
action. A ``significant energy action'' is defined as any action by an 
agency that promulgated or is expected to lead to promulgation of a 
final rule, and that: (1) Is a significant regulatory action under 
Executive Order 12866, or any successor order; and (2) is likely to 
have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use 
of energy; or (3) is designated by the Administrator of OIRA as a 
significant energy action. For any proposed significant energy action, 
the agency must give a detailed statement of any adverse effects on 
energy supply, distribution, or use should the proposal be implemented, 
and of reasonable alternatives to the action and their expected 
benefits on energy supply, distribution, and use.
    Today's action to amend the test procedure for measuring the energy 
efficiency of clothes dryers is not a significant regulatory action 
under Executive Order 12866. Moreover, it would not have a significant 
adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy, nor has 
it been designated as a significant energy action by the Administrator 
of OIRA. Therefore, it is not a significant energy action, and, 
accordingly, DOE has not prepared a Statement of Energy Effects.

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

    Under section 301 of the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91), DOE 
must comply with section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 
1974 (Pub. L. 93-275), as amended by the Federal Energy Administration 
Authorization Act of 1977 (FEAA; Pub. L. 95-70) (15 U.S.C. 788). 
Section 32 essentially provides that, where a rule authorizes or 
requires use of commercial standards, the rulemaking must inform the 
public of the use and background of such standards. In addition, 
section 32(c) requires DOE to consult with the Attorney General and the 
Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning the impact of 
the commercial or industry standards on competition.
    The proposed rule incorporates testing methods contained in the 
commercial standard, IEC Standard 62301, ``Household electrical 
appliances--Measurement of standby power,'' Edition 2.0, 2011-01. DOE 
has evaluated this standard and is unable to conclude whether it fully 
complies with the requirements of section 32(b) of the FEAA, i.e., 
whether it was developed in a manner that fully provides for public 
participation, comment, and review. DOE will consult with the Attorney 
General and the Chairman of the FTC about the impact on competition of 
using the methods contained in this standard and will address any 
concerns when it publishes a response to the public comments on this 
NOPR.

V. Public Participation

A. Attendance at Public Meeting

    The time, date and location of the public meeting are listed in the 
DATES and ADDRESSES sections at the beginning of this document. If you 
plan to attend the public meeting, please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at 
(202) 586-2945 or [email protected]. Please note that foreign 
nationals visiting DOE Headquarters are subject to advance security 
screening procedures. Any foreign national wishing to participate in 
the meeting should advise DOE as soon as possible by contacting Ms. 
Edwards to initiate the necessary procedures. Please also note that 
those wishing to bring laptops into the Forrestal Building will be 
required to obtain a property pass. Visitors should avoid bringing 
laptops, or allow an extra 45 minutes. Persons can attend the public 
meeting via webinar.
    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 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/903943753. Participants are responsible for ensuring their systems are 
compatible with the webinar software.

B. Procedure for Submitting Prepared General Statements for 
Distribution

    Any person who has plans to present a prepared general statement 
may request that copies of his or her statement be made available at 
the public meeting. Such persons may submit requests, along with an 
advance electronic copy of their statement in PDF (preferred), 
Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file format, to 
the appropriate address shown in the ADDRESSES section at the beginning 
of this notice. The request and advance copy of statements must be 
received at least one week before the public meeting and may be 
emailed, hand-delivered, or sent by mail. DOE prefers to receive 
requests and advance copies via email. Please include a telephone 
number to enable DOE staff to make a follow-up contact, if needed.

C. Conduct of Public Meeting

    DOE will designate a DOE official to preside at the public meeting 
and may also use a professional facilitator to aid discussion. The 
meeting will not be a

[[Page 181]]

judicial or evidentiary-type public hearing, but DOE will conduct it in 
accordance with section 336 of EPCA (42 U.S.C. 6306). A court reporter 
will be present to record the proceedings and prepare a transcript. DOE 
reserves the right to schedule the order of presentations and to 
establish the procedures governing the conduct of the public meeting. 
After the public meeting, interested parties may submit further 
comments on the proceedings as well as on any aspect of the rulemaking 
until the end of the comment period.
    The public meeting will be conducted in an informal, conference 
style. DOE will present summaries of comments received before the 
public meeting, allow time for prepared general statements by 
participants, and encourage all interested parties to share their views 
on issues affecting this rulemaking. Each participant will be allowed 
to make a general statement (within time limits determined by DOE), 
before the discussion of specific topics. DOE will permit, as time 
permits, other participants to comment briefly on any general 
statements.
    At the end of all prepared statements on a topic, DOE will permit 
participants to clarify their statements briefly and comment on 
statements made by others. Participants should be prepared to answer 
questions by DOE and by other participants concerning these issues. DOE 
representatives may also ask questions of participants concerning other 
matters relevant to this rulemaking. The official conducting the public 
meeting will accept additional comments or questions from those 
attending, as time permits. The presiding official will announce any 
further procedural rules or modification of the above procedures that 
may be needed for the proper conduct of the public meeting.
    A transcript of the public meeting will be included in the docket, 
which can be viewed as described in the Docket section at the beginning 
of this notice. In addition, any person may buy a copy of the 
transcript from the transcribing reporter.

D. Submission of Comments

    DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this 
proposed rule before or after the public meeting, but no later than the 
date provided in the DATES section at the beginning of this proposed 
rule. Interested parties may submit comments using any of the methods 
described in the ADDRESSES section at the beginning of this notice.
    Submitting comments via regulations.gov. The regulations.gov web 
page will require you to provide your name and contact information. 
Your contact information will not be publicly viewable except for your 
first and last names, organization name (if any), and submitter 
representative name (if any). If your comment is not processed properly 
because of technical difficulties, DOE will use this information to 
contact you. If DOE cannot read your comment due to technical 
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, DOE may not be 
able to consider your comment.
    However, your contact information will be publicly viewable if you 
include it in the comment or in any documents attached to your comment. 
Any information that you do not want to be publicly viewable should not 
be included in your comment, nor in any document attached to your 
comment.
    Do not submit to regulations.gov information for which disclosure 
is restricted by statute, such as trade secrets and commercial or 
financial information (hereinafter referred to as Confidential Business 
Information (CBI)). Comments submitted through regulations.gov cannot 
be claimed as CBI. Comments received through the Web site will waive 
any CBI claims for the information submitted. For information on 
submitting CBI, see the Confidential Business Information section 
below.
    DOE processes submissions made through regulations.gov before 
posting. Normally, comments will be posted within a few days of being 
submitted. However, if large volumes of comments are being processed 
simultaneously, your comment may not be viewable for up to several 
weeks. Please keep the comment tracking number that regulations.gov 
provides after you have successfully uploaded your comment.
    Submitting comments via email, hand delivery, or mail. Comments and 
documents submitted via email, hand delivery, or mail also will be 
posted to regulations.gov. If you do not want your personal contact 
information to be publicly viewable, do not include it in your comment 
or any accompanying documents. Instead, provide your contact 
information on a cover letter. Include your first and last names, email 
address, telephone number, and optional mailing address. The cover 
letter will not be publicly viewable as long as it does not include any 
comments.
    Include contact information each time you submit comments, data, 
documents, and other information to DOE. If you submit via mail or hand 
delivery, please provide all items on a CD, if feasible. It is not 
necessary to submit printed copies. No facsimiles (faxes) will be 
accepted.
    Comments, data, and other information submitted to DOE 
electronically should be provided in PDF (preferred), Microsoft Word or 
Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file format. Provide documents that 
are not secured, written in English and are free of any defects or 
viruses. Documents should not contain special characters or any form of 
encryption and, if possible, they should carry the electronic signature 
of the author.
    Campaign form letters. Please submit campaign form letters by the 
originating organization in batches of between 50 to 500 form letters 
per PDF or as one form letter with a list of supporters' names compiled 
into one or more PDFs. This reduces comment processing and posting 
time.
    Confidential Business Information. According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any 
person submitting information that he or she believes to be 
confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via 
email, postal mail, or hand delivery two well-marked copies: one copy 
of the document marked confidential including all the information 
believed to be confidential, and one copy of the document marked non-
confidential with the information believed to be confidential deleted. 
Submit these documents via email or on a CD, if feasible. DOE will make 
its own determination about the confidential status of the information 
and treat it according to its determination.
    Factors of interest to DOE when evaluating requests to treat 
submitted information as confidential include: (1) A description of the 
items; (2) whether and why such items are customarily treated as 
confidential within the industry; (3) whether the information is 
generally known by or available from other sources; (4) whether the 
information has previously been made available to others without 
obligation concerning its confidentiality; (5) an explanation of the 
competitive injury to the submitting person which would result from 
public disclosure; (6) when such information might lose its 
confidential character due to the passage of time; and (7) why 
disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest.
    It is DOE's policy that all comments may be included in the public 
docket, without change and as received, including any personal 
information provided in the comments (except information deemed to be 
exempt from public disclosure).

[[Page 182]]

E. Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment

    Although DOE welcomes comments on any aspect of this proposal, DOE 
is particularly interested in receiving comments and views of 
interested parties on the following issues:
1. Test Load
    DOE seeks comment on the proposal to continue using the DOE test 
load to maintain repeatability and reproducibility. DOE welcomes 
additional data on the test-to-test repeatability and lab-to-lab 
reproducibility of both the DOE and IEC/AHAM test load. (See section 
III.B.5)
2. Automatic Cycle Termination Test Cycle
    DOE seeks comment on the proposed amendments to more accurately 
measure the effects of automatic cycle termination. DOE specifically 
requests comment on the proposed maximum allowable final RMC of 2 
percent using the DOE test load. DOE further seeks comment on the 
proposed test cycle program settings, temperature settings, and dryness 
level settings. DOE also requests comment and additional test data on 
the proposed field use factor of 0.80 for automatic cycle termination 
clothes dryers. (See section III.B.5)
3. Timed Dry Test Cycle
    DOE seeks comment on the proposed test method for timer dryers. In 
particular, DOE welcomes comment on the proposed final RMC range of 1.0 
percent to 2.5 percent with the normalization of the per-cycle energy 
consumption to represent the energy consumption required to dry the 
test load to 4-percent RMC changed to represent the new target RMC of 2 
percent. DOE also seeks comment on the continued use of the 1.18 field 
use factor in the per-cycle energy consumption calculation for timer 
dryers. DOE welcomes comment on the determination to not measure the 
cool-down period for the timed dry test cycle due to the associated 
test burden and difficulties with determining the appropriated timed 
dry cycle time. DOE also welcomes comment on the proposed amendment to 
clarify that the clothes dryer should not be stopped intermittently in 
the middle of the timed dry test cycle for any reason. (See section 
III.B.5)
4. Characteristics of Water for Wetting Test Load
    DOE welcomes comment on the determination to not propose amendments 
to include requirements for the characteristics of the water supply 
used for wetting the test load prior to the test cycle. DOE welcomes 
additional data evaluating the repeatability and reproducibility of 
test results using both appendix D1 water and water modified according 
to the requirements in IEC Standard 61121. (See section III.B.4)
5. Incorporation by Reference of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition)
    DOE invites comment on the adequacy of IEC Standard 62301 (Second 
Edition) to measure standby mode and off mode power consumption for 
clothes dryers, and the suitability of incorporating into DOE 
regulations the following specific provisions from IEC Standard 62301 
(Second Edition): section 4 (``General conditions for measurements''), 
paragraph 4.2, ``Test room,'' paragraph 4.3.2, ``Supply voltage 
waveform,'' and paragraph 4.4, ``Power measuring instruments,'' and 
section 5 (``Measurements''), paragraph 5.1, ``General,'' paragraph 5.2 
``Preparation of product'', and paragraph 5.3.2, ``Sampling method.'' 
DOE also invites comment on the acceptability of measuring the total 
harmonic content, crest factor, and maximum current ratio before and 
after the actual test measurement if the power measuring instrument is 
unable to perform these measurements during the actual test 
measurement. (See section 0)
6. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-cycle Combined 
Total Energy Consumption
    DOE seeks comment on the proposed amendments to correct the section 
number reference for the per-cycle standby mode and off mode energy 
consumption contained in the calculation of the per-cycle combined 
total energy consumption contains in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 
appendix D1, section 4.6. (See section III.D)
7. Clarifications to Test Conditions
    DOE seeks comment on the proposed amendments to clarify the cycle 
settings used for the test cycle. DOE also seeks comment on the 
proposed amendments to clarify for gas clothes dryer the requirements 
for the hourly British thermal unit (Btu) rating of the burner and the 
regulator outlet pressure for clothes dryers equipped with a gas 
appliance pressure regulator. (See section III.E)
8. Effects of Proposed Amendments for Automatic Cycle Termination on 
Energy Conservation Standards
    DOE welcomes comments and additional data on the effects of the 
proposed test procedure amendments on the current energy conservation 
standards in both 10 CFR 430.32(h)(2) and (3). In particular, DOE seeks 
comment on the proposed determination to not amend the energy 
conservation standards based on the proposed test procedure amendments 
for automatic cycle termination due to the anti-backsliding provisions 
in 42 U.S.C. 6295(o)(1). DOE also welcomes comment on the determination 
and testing results showing that the proposed standby mode and off mode 
test procedure amendments would not measurably affect the measured 
efficiency as compared to the existing DOE test procedure in 10 CFR 
430, subpart B, appendix D1. (See section III.F)
9. Test Burden
    DOE seeks comment on any added test burden associated with the 
proposed amendments. When providing comments regarding testing burden, 
DOE request that commenters provide specific details and quantify any 
burdens. (See section III.G.0)

VI. Approval of the Office of the Secretary

    The Secretary of Energy has approved publication of this proposed 
rule.

List of Subjects

10 CFR Part 429

    Energy conservation, Household appliances, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.

10 CFR Part 430

    Administrative practice and procedure, Confidential business 
information, Energy conservation, Household appliances, Imports, 
Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Small 
businesses.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 14, 2012.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
    For the reasons stated in the preamble, DOE is proposing to amend 
parts 429 and 430 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as 
set forth below:

PART 429--CERTIFICATION, COMPLIANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT FOR CONSUMER 
PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT

0
1. The authority citation for part 429 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291-6317.


[[Page 183]]


0
2. Section 429.21 is amended by:
0
a. Revising paragraph (a)(2)(ii) introductory text; and
0
b. Revising paragraph (b)(2).
    The revision and addition read as follows:


Sec.  429.21  Residential clothes dryers.

* * * * *
    (a) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (ii) Any represented value of the energy factor, combined energy 
factor, or other measure of energy consumption of a basic model for 
which consumers would favor higher values shall be less than or equal 
to the lower of:
* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (2) Pursuant to Sec.  429.12(b)(13), a certification report shall 
include the following public product-specific information: When using 
appendix D, the energy factor in pounds per kilowatt hours (lb/kWh), 
the capacity in cubic feet (cu ft), the voltage in volts (V) (for 
electric dryers only), an indication if the dryer has automatic 
termination controls, and the hourly British thermal unit (Btu) rating 
of the burner (for gas dryers only); when using appendix D1, the 
combined energy factor in pounds per kilowatt hours (lb/kWh), the 
capacity in cubic feet (cu ft), the voltage in volts (V) (for electric 
dryers only), an indication if the dryer has automatic termination 
controls, the hourly Btu rating of the burner (for gas dryers only), 
and a list of the cycle setting selections for the energy test cycle as 
recorded in section 3.4.7 of appendix D1 for each basic model.

PART 430--ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS

0
3. The authority citation for part 430 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6291-6309; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note.


Sec.  430.3  [Amended].

0
4. Section 430.3 is amended by:
0
a. Removing ``appendix D1,'' from paragraph (m)(1); and
0
b. Adding ``appendix D1,'' after ``appendix C1,'' in (m)(2).
0
5. Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 430 is amended:
0
a. Revise the introductory text;
0
b. In section 2. Test Conditions, by revising sections 2.3.2.1 and 
2.3.2.2; and
0
c. In section 3. Test Methods and Measurements, by revising section 
3.3.
    The revisions read as follows:

Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Clothes Dryers

    Note: Effective 180 days after the promulgation of any final 
amendments to the test procedure, manufacturers must make 
representations of energy efficiency, including certifications of 
compliance, using either appendix D or appendix D1. Manufacturers 
must use a single appendix for all representations, including 
certifications of compliance, and may not use appendix D for certain 
representations and appendix D1 for other representations. 
Compliance with DOE's amended standards for clothes dryers, and 
corresponding use of the test procedures at Appendix D1 for all 
representations, including certifications of compliance, is required 
as of January 1, 2015.

* * * * *
    2. Testing Conditions
* * * * *
    2.3.2 Gas supply.
    2.3.2.1 Natural gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes 
dryer at a normal inlet test pressure immediately ahead of all 
controls at 7 to 10 inches of water column. If the clothes dryer is 
equipped with a gas appliance pressure regulator, the regulator 
outlet pressure at the normal test pressure shall be within 10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. The 
hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within 5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer. If the 
requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within 
5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer 
cannot be achieved under the allowable range in gas inlet test 
pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as 
necessary to achieve the required Btu rating. The natural gas 
supplied should have a heating value of approximately 1,025 Btus per 
standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, Hn2, in 
Btus per standard cubic foot, for the natural gas to be used in the 
test shall be obtained either from measurements made by the 
manufacturer conducting the test using a standard continuous flow 
calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6 or by the purchase of 
bottled natural gas whose Btu rating is certified to be at least as 
accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurements with a 
standard continuous flow calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6.
    2.3.2.2 Propane gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes 
dryer at a normal inlet test pressure immediately ahead of all 
controls at 11 to 13 inches of water column. If the clothes dryer is 
equipped with a gas appliance pressure regulator, the regulator 
outlet pressure at the normal test pressure shall be within 10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. The 
hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within 5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer. If the 
requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within 
5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer 
cannot be achieved under the allowable range in gas inlet test 
pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as 
necessary to achieve the required Btu rating. The propane gas 
supplied should have a heating value of approximately 2,500 Btus per 
standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, Hp, in 
Btus per standard cubic foot, for the propane gas to be used in the 
test shall be obtained either from measurements made by the 
manufacturer conducting the test using a standard continuous flow 
calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6 or by the purchase of 
bottled gas whose Btu rating is certified to be at least as accurate 
a rating as could be obtained from measurement with a standard 
continuous calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6.
* * * * *
    3. Test Procedures and Measurements
* * * * *
    3.3 Test cycle. Operate the clothes dryer at the maximum 
temperature setting and, if equipped with a timer, at the maximum 
time setting. Any other optional cycle settings that do not affect 
the temperature and time settings shall be tested in the as-shipped 
position. If the clothes dryer does not have a separate temperature 
setting selection on the control panel, the maximum time setting 
should be used for the drying test cycle. Dry the test load until 
the moisture content of the test load is between 2.5 percent and 5.0 
percent of the bone-dry weight of the test load, but do not permit 
the dryer to advance into cool down. If required, reset the timer or 
automatic dry control.
* * * * *
0
6. Appendix D1 to Subpart B of Part 430 is amended:
0
a. By revising the introductory text;
0
b. In section 1. Definitions, by:
0
1. Redesignating sections 1.5 through 1.18 and 1.19 as sections 1.6 
through 1.19 and 1.21, respectively;
0
2. Revising newly designated section 1.12;
0
3. Adding sections 1.5 and 1.20;
    c. In section 2. Test Conditions, by:
    1. Revising sections 2.1, 2.3.1.1, 2.3.2.1, 2.3.2.2, 2.4.7, 2.6.3, 
2.7.1, and 2.7.2; 2. Adding sections 2.1.1 through 2.1.3;
    d. In section 3. Test Methods and Measurements, by:
    1. Revising sections 3.3, 3.6, 3.6.1, and 3.6.2;
    2. Adding sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2, and 3.4.7; and
    e. In section 4. Calculation of Derived Results From Test 
Measurements, by revising sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.6.
    The additions and revisions read as follows:

Appendix D1 to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Clothes Dryers

    Note: Effective 180 days after the promulgation of any final 
amendments to the test procedure, manufacturers must make 
representations of energy efficiency, including certifications of 
compliance, using either appendix D or appendix D1. Manufacturers 
must use a single appendix for

[[Page 184]]

all representations, including certifications of compliance, and may 
not use appendix D for certain representations and appendix D1 for 
other representations. Compliance with DOE's amended standards for 
clothes dryers, and corresponding use of the test procedures at 
Appendix D1 for all representations, including certifications of 
compliance, is required as of January 1, 2015.


    1. Definitions
* * * * *
    1.5 ``Automatic termination control dryer'' means a clothes 
dryer which can be preset to carry out at least one sequence of 
operations to be terminated by means of a system assessing, directly 
or indirectly, the moisture content of the load. An automatic 
termination control dryer with supplementary timer or that may also 
be manually controlled shall be tested as an automatic termination 
control dryer.
* * * * *
    1.12 ``IEC 62301'' means the test standard published by the 
International Electrotechnical Commission (``IEC'') titled 
``Household electrical appliances--Measurement of standby power,'' 
Publication 62301 (Edition 2.0 2011-01) (incorporated by reference; 
see Sec.  430.3).
* * * * *
    1.20 ``Timer dryer'' means a clothes dryer that can be preset to 
carry out at least one operation to be terminated by a timer, but 
may also be manually controlled, and does not include any automatic 
termination function.
* * * * *
    2. Testing Conditions
    2.1 Installation.
    2.1.1 All clothes dryers. For both conventional clothes dryers 
and ventless clothes dryers, as defined in sections 1.8 and 1.21 of 
this appendix, install the clothes dryer in accordance with 
manufacturer's instructions. If the manufacturer's instructions do 
not specify the installation requirements for a certain component, 
it shall be tested in the as-shipped condition. Where the 
manufacturer gives the option to use the dryer both with and without 
a duct, the dryer shall be tested without the exhaust simulator 
described in section 3.3.5.1 of AHAM HLD-1 (incorporated by 
reference; see Sec.  430.3). All external joints should be taped to 
avoid air leakage. For drying testing, disconnect all console lights 
or other lighting systems on the clothes dryer which do not consume 
more than 10 watts during the clothes dryer test cycle. For standby 
and off mode testing, the clothes dryer shall also be installed in 
accordance with section 5, paragraph 5.2 of IEC 62301 (incorporated 
by reference; see Sec.  430.3), disregarding the provisions 
regarding batteries and the determination, classification, and 
testing of relevant modes. For standby and off mode testing, do not 
disconnect console lights or other lighting systems.
    2.1.2 Conventional clothes dryers. For conventional clothes 
dryers, as defined in section 1.8 of this appendix, the dryer 
exhaust shall be restricted by adding the AHAM exhaust simulator 
described in section 3.3.5.1 of AHAM HLD-1 (incorporated by 
reference; see Sec.  430.3).
    2.1.3 Ventless clothes dryers. For ventless clothes dryers, as 
defined in section 1.21, the dryer shall be tested without the AHAM 
exhaust simulator. If the manufacturer gives the option to use a 
ventless clothes dryer, with or without a condensation box, the 
dryer shall be tested with the condensation box installed. For 
ventless clothes dryers, the condenser unit of the dryer must remain 
in place and not be taken out of the dryer for any reason between 
tests.
* * * * *
    2.3.1.1 Supply voltage waveform. For the clothes dryer standby 
mode and off mode testing, maintain the electrical supply voltage 
waveform indicated in section 4, paragraph 4.3.2 of IEC 62301 
(incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3). If the power measuring 
instrument used for testing is unable to measure and record the 
total harmonic content during the test measurement period, it is 
acceptable to measure and record the total harmonic content 
immediately before and after the test measurement period.
    2.3.2 Gas supply.
    2.3.2.1 Natural gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes 
dryer immediately ahead of all controls at a pressure of 7 to 10 
inches of water column. If the clothes dryer is equipped with a gas 
appliance pressure regulator for which the manufacturer specifies an 
outlet pressure, the regulator outlet pressure shall be within 
10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. 
The hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within 
5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer. 
If the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner 
within 5 percent of the rating specified by the 
manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range in gas 
inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be 
modified as necessary to achieve the required Btu rating. The 
natural gas supplied should have a heating value of approximately 
1,025 Btus per standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, 
Hn2, in Btus per standard cubic foot, for the natural gas 
to be used in the test shall be obtained either from measurements 
made by the manufacturer conducting the test using a standard 
continuous flow calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6 or by the 
purchase of bottled natural gas whose Btu rating is certified to be 
at least as accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurements 
with a standard continuous flow calorimeter as described in section 
2.4.6.
    2.3.2.2 Propane gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes 
dryer immediately ahead of all controls at a pressure of 11 to 13 
inches of water column. If the clothes dryer is equipped with a gas 
appliance pressure regulator for which the manufacturer specifies an 
outlet pressure, the regulator outlet pressure shall be within 
10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. 
The hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within 
5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer. 
If the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner 
within 5 percent of the rating specified by the 
manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range in gas 
inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be 
modified as necessary to achieve the required Btu rating. The 
propane gas supplied should have a heating value of approximately 
2,500 Btus per standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, 
Hp, in Btus per standard cubic foot, for the propane gas 
to be used in the test shall be obtained either from measurements 
made by the manufacturer conducting the test using a standard 
continuous flow calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6 or by the 
purchase of bottled gas whose Btu rating is certified to be at least 
as accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurement with a 
standard continuous calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6.
* * * * *
    2.4.7 Standby mode and off mode watt meter. The watt meter used 
to measure standby mode and off mode power consumption shall meet 
the requirements specified in section 4, paragraph 4.4 of IEC 
62301(incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3). If the power 
measuring instrument used for testing is unable to measure and 
record the crest factor, power factor, or maximum current ratio 
during the test measurement period, it is acceptable to measure the 
crest factor, power factor, and maximum current ratio immediately 
before and after the test measurement period.
* * * * *
    2.6.3 Test Cloth Preconditioning.
    A new test cloth load and energy stuffer cloths shall be treated 
as follows:
    (1) Bone dry the load to a weight change of 1 
percent, or less, as prescribed in section 1.6 of this appendix.
    (2) Place the test cloth load in a standard clothes washer set 
at the maximum water fill level. Wash the load for 10 minutes in 
soft water (17 parts per million hardness or less), using 60.8 grams 
of AHAM standard test detergent Formula 3.Wash water temperature 
should be maintained at 140[deg]  5 [deg]F (60[deg] 
 2.7 [deg]C). Rinse water temperature is to be 
controlled at 100[deg]  5 [deg]F (37.7  2.7 
[deg]C).
    (3) Rinse the load again at the same water temperature.
    (4) Bone dry the load as prescribed in section 1.6 of this 
appendix and weigh the load.
    (5) This procedure is repeated until there is a weight change of 
1 percent or less.
    (6) A final cycle is to be a hot water wash with no detergent, 
followed by two warm water rinses.
* * * * *
    2.7.1 Compact size dryer load. Prepare a bone-dry test load of 
energy cloths that weighs 3.00 pounds  .03 pounds. The 
test load can be adjusted to achieve proper weight by adding energy 
stuffer cloths, but no more than five stuffer cloths may be added 
per load. Dampen the load by agitating it in water whose temperature 
is 60 [deg]F  5 [deg]F and consists of 0 to 17 parts per 
million hardness for approximately 2 minutes to saturate the fabric. 
Then, extract water from the wet test load by spinning the load 
until the moisture content of the load is between 52.5 and 57.5 
percent of the bone-dry weight of the test load. Make a final mass 
adjustment, such that the moisture content is 57.5 percent  0.33 percent by adding water uniformly to the load in a very 
fine spray.
    2.7.2 Standard size dryer load. Prepare a bone-dry test load of 
energy cloths that

[[Page 185]]

weighs 8.45 pounds  .085 pounds. The test load can be 
adjusted to achieve proper weight by adding stuffer cloths, but no 
more than five stuffer cloths may be added per load. Dampen the load 
by agitating it in water whose temperature is 60 [deg]F  
5[deg]F and consists of 0 to 17 parts per million hardness for 
approximately 2 minutes to saturate the fabric. Then, extract water 
from the wet test load by spinning the load until the moisture 
content of the load is between 52.5 and 57.5 percent of the bone-dry 
weight of the test load. Make a final mass adjustment, such that the 
moisture content is 57.5 percent  0.33 percent by adding 
water uniformly to the load in a very fine spray.
* * * * *
    3. Test Procedures and Measurements
* * * * *
    3.3 Test cycle.
    3.3.1 Timer dryers. For timer dryers, as defined in section 1.20 
of this appendix, operate the clothes dryer at the maximum 
temperature setting and, if equipped with a timer, at the maximum 
time setting. Any other optional cycle settings that do not affect 
the temperature and time settings shall be tested in the as-shipped 
position. If the clothes dryer does not have a separate temperature 
setting selection on the control panel, the maximum time setting 
should be used for the drying test cycle. Dry the load until the 
moisture content of the test load is between 1 and 2.5 percent of 
the bone-dry weight of the test load, at which point the test cycle 
is stopped, but do not permit the dryer to advance into cool down. 
If required, reset the timer to increase the length of the drying 
cycle. After stopping the test cycle, remove and weigh the test 
load. The clothes dryer shall not be stopped intermittently in the 
middle of the test cycle for any reason. Record the data specified 
by section 3.4 of this appendix. If the dryer automatically stops 
during a cycle because the condensation box is full of water, the 
test is stopped, and the test run is invalid, in which case the 
condensation box shall be emptied and the test re-run from the 
beginning. For ventless dryers, as defined in section 1.21 of this 
appendix, during the time between two cycles, the door of the dryer 
shall be closed except for loading (and unloading).
    3.3.2 Automatic termination control dryers. For automatic 
termination control dryers, as defined in section 1.5 of this 
appendix, a ``normal'' program shall be selected for the test cycle. 
For dryers that do not have a ``normal'' program, the cycle 
recommended by the manufacturer for drying cotton or linen clothes 
shall be selected. Where the drying temperature setting can be 
chosen independently of the program, it shall be set to the maximum. 
Where the dryness level setting can be chosen independently of the 
program, it shall be set to the ``normal'' or ``medium'' dryness 
level setting. If such designation is not provided, then the dryness 
level shall be set at the mid-point between the minimum and maximum 
settings. Any other optional cycle settings that do not affect the 
program, temperature and dryness settings shall be tested in the as-
shipped position. Operate the clothes dryer until the completion of 
the programmed cycle, including the cool down period. After the 
completion of the test cycle, remove and weigh the test load. Record 
the data specified in section 3.4 of this appendix. If the final 
moisture content is greater than 2 percent, the test shall be 
invalid and a new run shall be conducted using the highest dryness 
level setting. If the dryer automatically stops during a cycle 
because the condensation box is full of water, the test is stopped, 
and the test run is invalid, in which case the condensation box 
shall be emptied and the test re-run from the beginning. For 
ventless dryers, during the time between two cycles, the door of the 
dryer shall be closed except for loading (and unloading).
* * * * *
    3.4.7 The cycle settings selected, in accordance with section 
3.3.2 of this appendix, for the automatic termination control dryer 
test.
* * * * *
    3.6 Standby mode and off mode power. Establish the testing 
conditions set forth in Section 2 ``Testing Conditions'' of this 
appendix. For clothes dryers that take some time to enter a stable 
state from a higher power state as discussed in Section 5, Paragraph 
5.1, Note 1 of IEC 62301 (incorporated by reference; see Sec.  
430.3), allow sufficient time for the clothes dryer to reach the 
lower power state before proceeding with the test measurement. 
Follow the test procedure specified in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 of 
IEC 62301 for testing in each possible mode as described in sections 
3.6.1 and 3.6.2 of this appendix.
    3.6.1 If a clothes dryer has an inactive mode, as defined in 
section 1.13 of this appendix, measure and record the average 
inactive mode power of the clothes dryer, PIA, in watts.
    3.6.2 If a clothes dryer has an off mode, as defined in section 
1.16 of this appendix, measure and record the average off mode power 
of the clothes dryer, POFF, in watts.
    4. Calculation of Derived Results From Test Measurements
    4.1 Total per-cycle electric dryer energy consumption. Calculate 
the total electric dryer energy consumption per cycle, 
Ece, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined 
as:

Ece = Et x field use,

    For automatic termination control dryers, and,

Ece = [55.5/(Ww - Wd)] x 
Et x field use,

    For timer dryers

Where

55.5 = an experimentally established value for the percent reduction 
in the moisture content of the test load during a laboratory test 
cycle expressed as a percent.
Et = the energy recorded in section 3.4.5 of this 
appendix.
field use = field use factor
    = 1.18, the field use factor for clothes dryers with time 
termination control systems only without any automatic termination 
control functions.
    = 0.80, the field use factor for clothes dryers with automatic 
control systems that meet the requirements of the definition for 
automatic control systems in sections 1.5, 1.15 and 1.19 of this 
appendix, including those that also have a supplementary timer 
control, or that may also be manually controlled.
Ww = the moisture content of the wet test load as 
recorded in section 3.4.2 of this appendix.
Wd = the moisture content of the dry test load as 
recorded in section 3.4.3 of this appendix.

    4.2 Per-cycle gas dryer electrical energy consumption. Calculate 
the gas dryer electrical energy consumption per cycle, 
Ege, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined 
as:

Ege = Ete x field use,

    For automatic termination control dryers, and,

Ege = [55.5/(Ww -Wd)] x 
Ete x field use,

for timer dryers

Where

Ete = the energy recorded in section 3.4.6.1 of this 
appendix.
field use, 55.5, Ww, Wd as defined in section 
4.1 of this appendix

    4.3 Per-cycle gas dryer gas energy consumption. Calculate the 
gas dryer gas energy consumption per cycle, Ege. 
expressed in Btus per cycle and defined as:

Egg = Etg x field use x GEF

for automatic termination control dryers, and,

Egg=[55.5/(Ww - Wd)] x 
Etg x field use x GEF

for time dryers

Where

Etg = the energy recorded in section 3.4.6.2 of this 
appendix.
GEF = corrected gas heat value (Btu per cubic feet) as defined in 
section 3.4.6.3 of this appendix,
field use, 55.5, Ww, Wd as defined in section 
4.1 of this appendix.
* * * * *
    4.6 Per-cycle combined total energy consumption expressed in 
kilowatt-hours. Calculate the per-cycle combined total energy 
consumption, ECC, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle 
and defined for an electric clothes dryer as:

ECC = Ece + ETSO

Where:

Ece = the energy recorded in section 4.1 of this 
appendix, and
ETSO = the energy recorded in section 4.5 of this 
appendix,

and defined for a gas clothes dryer as:

ECC = Ecg + ETSO

Where:

Ecg = the energy recorded in section 4.4 of this 
appendix, and
ETSO = the energy recorded in section 4.5 of this 
appendix.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2012-30677 Filed 12-31-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P