G/TBT/N/USA/1257  
 
16 January 2017  
(17-0264) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original : English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member : UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved  (Article 3.2 and 7.2) : 
2. Agency responsible : Office of Energy Eff iciency and Renewable Energy (OEERE), 
Department of Energy (DOE) [1277]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification  shall be indicated if different from above : 
Please submit comments to:  USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point  
Email:  usatbtep@nist.gov   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other : 
4. Products covere d (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable) : Air conditioners and 
heat pumps . Ventilators. Fans. Air -conditioners (ICS : 23.120), Heat pumps (ICS : 27.080)  
5. Title, number of  pages  and language(s)  of the notified document : Energy 
Conservation Program : Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Central Air 
Conditioners and Heat Pumps (73 pages, in English)  
6. Description of content : The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of  1975 (EPCA), as 
amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products, 
including consumer central air conditioners and heat pumps. EPCA also requires the U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically determine whether more -stringent, amended 
standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a 
significant amount of energy. In this proposed rule, DOE proposes to amend the energy 
conservation standards for consumer central air conditioners and h eat pumps identical to 
those set forth in a direct final rule published elsewhere in this Federal Register. If DOE 
receives an adverse comment and determines that such comment may provide a 
reasonable basis for withdrawing the direct final rule, DOE will p ublish a notice withdrawing 
the direct final rule and will proceed with this proposed rule.  
7. Objective and rationale , including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : Protection of the environment  
8. Relevant documents:  
 82 Federal Register (FR ) 1608, 6 January 2017; Title 10 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) Part 430.  Will appear in the Federal Register when adopted.  
 Energy Conservation Program : Energy Conservation Standards for Residential 
Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps, Direct Final Rule published 6 January 
2017 will be notified as Add.1 : https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2017-01-
06/html/2016 -29992.htm ; https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2017-01-
06/pdf/2016 -29992.pdf  G/TBT/N/USA/1257  
 
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  9. Proposed date of adoption : To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force : To be determined   
10. Final date for comments : 26 April 2017  
11. Texts available from : National enquiry point  [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
number s and e mail and website address es, if available , of other body : 
https://members.w to.org/crnattachments/2017/TBT/USA/17_0288_00_e.pdf