[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 97 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 28850-28851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12221]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 97 / Wednesday, May 20, 2015 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 28850]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429, 430, and 431

[Docket Number EERE-2015-BT-TP-0007]
RIN 1904-AC91


Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products and Certain 
Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Test Procedures for Consumer and 
Commercial Water Heaters

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

ACTION: Reopening of the public comment period and announcement of 
public meeting.

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SUMMARY: On April 14, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 
published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking 
(NOPR) that proposes mathematical conversion factors for converting 
from the current efficiency metrics (i.e., energy factor for 
residential water heaters, and thermal efficiency and standby loss for 
commercial water heaters) to the uniform efficiency descriptor (i.e., 
uniform energy factor metric). The comment period for the NOPR 
pertaining to the test procedures for water heaters was scheduled to 
end May 14, 2015. After receiving a request for additional time to 
comment for stakeholders, DOE is reopening the comment period for the 
NOPR for the Conversion Factor for Test Procedures for Consumer and 
Certain Commercial Water Heaters to June 15, 2015. Additionally, at the 
request of stakeholders, DOE is announcing a public meeting to discuss 
the conversion factors for consumer and commercial water heaters.

DATES: Comments: The comment period for the NOPR for the Conversion 
Factor for Test Procedures for Consumer and Certain Commercial Water 
Heaters published on April 14, 2015 (80 FR 20116), is reopened. DOE 
will accept comments, data, and information regarding this NOPR before 
and after the public meeting, but no later than June 15, 2015.
    Meeting: DOE will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 28, 2015 
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in Washington, DC. The meeting will also 
be broadcast as a webinar.

ADDRESSES: Meeting: The meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of 
Energy, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, Room 7140, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, 
DC 20585. If you plan to attend the public meeting, please notify Ms. 
Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 or [email protected]. For 
further details, see the ``Public Participation'' section near the end 
of this document.
    Comments: All comments submitted must identify the NOPR for the 
Conversion Factor for Test Procedures for Consumer and Certain 
Commercial Water Heaters, and provide docket number EERE-2015-BT-TP-
0007 and/or RIN 1904-AC91. Interested persons are encouraged to submit 
comments using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Alternatively, 
interested persons may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include 
the docket number and/or RIN in the subject line of the message. Submit 
electronic comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or ASCII file 
format, and avoid the use of special characters or any form of 
encryption.
     Postal Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 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.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., 6th 
Floor, 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.
    No telefacsimilies (faxes) will be accepted. For detailed 
instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the 
rulemaking process, see section V (Public Participation) of the April 
14, 2015 NOPR for the Conversion Factor for Test Procedures for 
Consumer and Certain Commercial Water Heaters. 80 FR 20116.
    Docket: The docket is available for review at www.regulations.gov, 
including Federal Register notices, 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;D=EERE-2015-BT-TP-0007. This Web 
page contains a link to the docket for this notice of proposed 
rulemaking on the www.regulations.gov site. The www.regulations.gov Web 
page contains simple instructions on how to access all documents, 
including public comments, in the docket. See section V, ``Public 
Participation,'' of the April 14, 2015 NOPR for information on how to 
submit comments through www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Ms. Ashley Armstrong, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Office, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-6590. Email: 
[email protected].
    Mr. Eric Stas, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, GC-33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 586-9507. Email: [email protected].
    For information on how to submit a comment, to review other public 
comments and the docket, or to attend the public meeting, contact Ms. 
Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 or by email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 
1975 (EPCA), as amended by the American Energy Manufacturing Technical 
Corrections Act (AEMTCA), Public Law 112-210, requires that DOE 
establish a uniform efficiency descriptor and accompanying test methods 
for covered residential water heaters and commercial water heating 
equipment within one year of the enactment of AEMTCA. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(e)(5)(B)) Further, beginning one year after the

[[Page 28851]]

date of publication of DOE's final rule establishing the uniform 
descriptor, EPCA requires that the efficiency standards for covered 
water heaters to be denominated according to the uniform efficiency 
descriptor established in the final rule (42 U.S.C. 6295(e)(5)(D)) and 
that DOE develop a mathematical conversion factor for converting the 
measurement of efficiency for covered water heaters from the test 
procedures and metrics currently in effect to the new uniform energy 
descriptor. (42 U.S.C. 6295(e)(5)(E)(i)-(ii)). On July 11, 2014, DOE 
published a final rule amending the test procedure for residential and 
certain commercial water heaters that satisfied the AEMTCA requirements 
to develop a uniform efficiency descriptor to replace the existing 
energy factor, thermal efficiency, and standby loss metrics. 79 FR 
40542. Use of the amended test procedure is required beginning on July 
13, 2015, for new testing. All representations must be based on the 
amended test procedure as of one year after the publication of a final 
rule that establishes a mathematical conversion factor. On April 14, 
2015, DOE published a NOPR proposing mathematical conversion factors 
for converting from the current efficiency metrics (i.e., energy factor 
for residential water heaters, and thermal efficiency and standby loss 
for commercial water heaters) to the uniform efficiency descriptor 
(i.e., uniform energy factor metric). 80 FR 20116 (April 14, 2015).
    In response to the NOPR for the Conversion Factor for Test 
Procedures for Consumer and Certain Commercial Water Heaters, the Air-
Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) requested a 
60-day extension to the comment period, a public meeting, and a delay 
in compliance date for the test procedure. AHRI stated in its request 
that it needed additional time to analyze the specific conversion 
factors and underlying analysis, review the water heater tests 
conducted by DOE to assess to what extent those tests reflected the 
range of models covered by the test procedure, and evaluate the 
validity of the conclusions derived from the testing conducted by DOE 
as provided in the conversion factors and translated energy 
conservation standards. After careful consideration of this request, 
DOE has determined that extending the public comment period by 
reopening to allow additional time for interested parties to submit 
comments and that convening a public meeting are appropriate based on 
the foregoing reasons. Accordingly, DOE is granting approximately 30-
day comment period extension and announcing a public meeting. In this 
document, DOE is reopening the comment period for the NOPR for the 
Conversion Factor for Test Procedures for Consumer and Certain 
Commercial Water Heaters to midnight of June 15, 2015 and will deem any 
comments received by that time to be timely submitted. Also, DOE will 
host a public meeting on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Additional details on 
the public meeting are provided in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections of 
this document.
    DOE is not extending the compliance dates, which were set by 
statute based on the completion of various rulemakings. The test method 
will have been final for a year, and manufacturers should be able to 
test any new basic models using that test method. Furthermore, because 
the energy conservation standards for residential water heaters changed 
earlier this year, DOE expects that very few, new basic models will be 
introduced in the interim between July 13, 2015, and when the 
conversion factor final rule is effective.

Public Participation

    All participants will undergo security processing upon building 
entry. Any participant with a laptop computer or similar device (e.g., 
tablets), must undergo additional screening. Note that any foreign 
national who requests to participate in the public meeting is subject 
to advance security screening prior to the date of the public meeting, 
and such persons should contact Ms. Brenda Edwards as soon as possible 
at (202) 586-2945 to commence the necessary procedures.
    Due to the REAL ID Act implemented by the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS), there have been recent changes regarding identification 
(ID) requirements for individuals wishing to enter Federal buildings 
from specific States and U.S. territories. As a result, driver's 
licenses from the following States or territory will not be accepted 
for building entry, and instead, one of the alternate forms of ID 
listed below will be required.
    DHS has determined that regular driver's licenses (and ID cards) 
from the following jurisdictions are not acceptable for entry into DOE 
facilities: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Louisiana, Maine, 
Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, and Washington.
    Acceptable alternate forms of Photo-ID include: U.S. Passport or 
Passport Card; an Enhanced Driver's License or Enhanced ID-Card issued 
by the States of Minnesota, New York or Washington (Enhanced licenses 
issued by these States are clearly marked Enhanced or Enhanced Driver's 
License); a military ID or other Federal government-issued Photo-ID 
card.
    In addition, you can attend the public meeting via webinar. Webinar 
registration information, participant instructions, and information 
about the capabilities available to webinar participants at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7036563622426238210 Participants are 
responsible for ensuring their systems are compatible with the webinar 
software.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2015.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2015-12221 Filed 5-19-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P