[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 5890]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01805]



[[Page 5890]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0500; FRL-11705-01-OMS]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Residential Sector (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the 
Residential Sector (EPA ICR Number 2193.05, OMB Control Number 2060-
0586) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a 
proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through 
January 30, 2024. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on April 18, 2023, during a 60-day comment period. 
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before February 29, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2004-0500 to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all 
comments received will be included in the public docket without change 
including any personal information provided, unless the comment 
includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI), or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zachary Shadid, Energy Star 
Residential Branch, Mail code 6202A, Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 
(202) 343-9058; fax number: (202) 343-2204; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed extension of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through January 31, 2024. An agency may not 
conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register 
on April 18, 2023 during a 60-day comment period (88 FR 23671). This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Supporting 
documents which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be 
collecting are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket 
can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA 
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit 
http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: ENERGY STAR[supreg] is a voluntary energy efficiency 
labeling and public outreach program aimed at forming public-private 
partnerships that prevent air pollution rather than control it after 
its creation. This ICR covers information collection activities under 
the ENERGY STAR program within the new residential construction and 
existing residential construction markets. ENERGY STAR promotes energy 
efficient new home construction and cost-effective energy efficiency 
improvements in existing homes.
    Form Numbers: 5900-188, 5900-266, 5900-268, 5900-269, 5900-270, 
5900-420, 5900-421, 5900-422, 5900-423, 5900- 424, 5900- 425, 5900-426, 
5900-427, 5900-428, 5900-429, 5900-446, 5900-447.
    Respondents/affected entities: Respondents in this ICR include 
ENERGY STAR partners, including home builders, multifamily high rise 
developers, manufactured home plants, verification organizations, and 
energy efficiency program sponsors. Also included are oversight 
organizations and HVAC contractors.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 1,256 (total).
    Frequency of response: Once, quarterly, annually, and on occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 208,824 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $20,656,339 (per year), includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 30,976 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This increase is due to increasing energy codes and a 
shift to more individually verified homes. EPA updated program 
technical specifications to be more rigorous in the verification 
process while trying to reduce the number of items required to verify 
homes for the ENERGY STAR label. Additionally, a natural market shift 
occurred, resulting in an increase in individually verified homes and a 
reduction in sampled homes. The sampling protocol enables partners to 
test one in seven homes in what is termed a `sample set.' ENERGY STAR 
partners have a choice when verifying homes to use a sampling or 
individually verified protocol. Due to various market forces, ENERGY 
STAR partners increasingly choose to individually verify homes instead 
of using the sampling protocol. EPA expects this trend to continue as 
ENERGY STAR partners become more Environmental, Social and Governance 
(ESG) and data-driven-focused.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Information Engagement Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-01805 Filed 1-29-24; 8:45 am]
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