G/TBT/N/USA/984  
 
17 April 2015  
(15-2061)  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 AMERICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (OEERE), 
Department of Energy (DOE) [1002] 
Name and address (including telephon e 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: ncsci@nist.gov   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10 .1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applic able, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable): Residential water 
heaters. – Instantaneous or storage water heaters, non-electric: (HS: 84191), Electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion heaters; electric space heating 
apparatus and soil heating apparatus; electro-thermic hair-dressing apparatus (for example, 
hair dryers, hair curlers, curling tong heaters) and hand dryers; electric smoothing irons; other electro-thermic appliances of a kind used for domestic purposes; electric heating 
resistors, other than those of heading 85.45. (HS: 8516). Environmental protection 
(ICS: 13.020), Domestic, commercial and indu strial heating appliances (ICS: 97.100) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Energy 
Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Definitions for Residential Water Heaters 
(12 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 and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including residential water heaters. EPCA 
also requires the U.S. Department of Energy  (DOE) to determine whether more stringent 
amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. Accordingly, DOE established amended energy 
conservation standards for several classes of residential water heaters in an April 2010 
final rule. In this notice, DOE proposes to amend its definitions pertaining to residential water heaters and to clarify the applicability of energy conservation standards for residential water heaters that are utilized as a secondary back-up heat source in solar-
thermal water heating systems. Specifically, DOE is proposing to create a definition for 
"solar-assisted fossil fuel storage water heater" and "solar-assisted electric storage water heater'' and clarify that water heaters meeting these definitions are not subject to the 
amended energy conservation standards for re sidential water heaters established by the 
April 2010 final rule.  G/TBT/N/USA/984 
 
- 2 - 
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
Protection of the environment  
8. Relevant documents:   
80 Federal Register (FR) 18784, 8 April 2015; Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
Part 430. Will appear in the Federal Register when adopted. 
 G/TBT/N/USA/508 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/F R-2009-12-11/html/E9-28774.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/F R-2009-12-11/pdf/E9-28774.pdf   
 G/TBT/N/USA/508/Add.1 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-04-16/html/2010-7611.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/F R-2010-04-16/pdf /2010-7611.pdf   
 G/TBT/N/USA/508/Add.2 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2010-04-27/html/C1-2010-7611.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2010-04-27/pdf/C 1-2010-7611.pdf   
 G/TBT/N/USA/508/Add.3 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2012-06-13/html/2012-14402.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2012-06-13/pdf/ 2012-14402.pdf   
 G/TBT/N/USA/508/Add.4 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2014-07-29/html/2014-17876.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2014-07-29/pdf/ 2014-17876.pdf   
9. Proposed date of adoption: To be determined 
Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined   
10. Final date for comments: 8 May 2015 
11. Texts available from: Nati onal enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body: 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2015-04-08/html /2015-07956.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2015-04-08/pd f/2015-07956.pdf