```

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 153 (Tuesday, August 9, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49238-49273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19440]

[[Page 49237]]

Vol. 76

Tuesday,

No. 153

August 9, 2011

Part IV

Department of Energy

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10 CFR Parts 429 and 430

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

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 153 / Tuesday, August 9, 2011 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 49238]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430

[Docket No. EERE-2010-BT-TP-0021]
RIN 1904-AC08

Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential 
Clothes Washers

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

ACTION: Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: In this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR), 
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to revise its test 
procedure for residential clothes washers established under the Energy 
Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). DOE proposes to incorporate 
provisions of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 
Standard 62301, ``Household electrical appliances--Measurement of 
standby power'' (Second Edition). DOE also proposes to update the 
provisions for measuring active mode energy and water consumption.

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this 
SNOPR no later than September 8, 2011 See section V, ``Public 
Participation,'' for details.

ADDRESSES: Any comments submitted must identify the SNOPR for Test 
Procedures for residential clothes washers, and provide docket number 
EERE-2010-BT-TP-0021 and/or regulatory information number (RIN) number 
1904-AC08. Comments may be submitted using any of the following 
methods:
    1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    2. E-mail: RES-CW-2010-TP-0021@ee.doe.gov. Include the docket 
number and/or RIN 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 
CD. It is not necessary to include printed copies.
    4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Suite 
600, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. If possible, 
please submit all items on a CD. It is not necessary to include printed 
copies.
    Written comments regarding the burden-hour estimates or other 
aspects of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this 
proposed rule may be submitted to Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy through the methods listed above and by e-mail to 
Christine_J._Kymn@omb.eop.gov.
    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 http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2010-BT-TP-0021, 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 
regulations.gov index. However, not all documents listed in the index 
may be publicly available, such as information that is exempt from 
public disclosure. The 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 
regulations.gov.
    For further information on how to submit a comment or review other 
public comments and the docket, contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 
586-2945 or by e-mail: Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stephen L. Witkowski, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 
Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7463. E-mail: 
Stephen.Witkowski@ee.doe.gov.
    Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the 
General Counsel, GC-71, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-7796. E-mail: 
Elizabeth.Kohl@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Authority and Background
II. Summary of the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
    A. Standby Mode and Off Mode
    B. Current Usage Patterns and Capabilities
    C. Additional Proposals
III. Discussion
    A. Use of Proposed Test Procedure
    B. Newly Proposed Standby Mode, Off Mode, and Active Mode Test 
Procedure Provisions
    1. Incorporating by Reference IEC Standard 62301 Edition 2.0 for 
Measuring Standby Mode and Off Mode Power Consumption
    2. Calculation of Energy Use in Low-Power Modes
    3. Energy Test Cycle Definition
    4. Load Adjustment Factor
    5. Wash Time Setting
    6. Annual Energy Cost
    7. Additional Proposals
    C. Compliance With Other EPCA Requirements
    1. Test Burden
    2. Integration of Standby Mode and Off Mode Energy Consumption 
Into the Efficiency Metric
    3. Commercial Clothes Washers
    4. Certification Requirements
    D. Impact on EnergyGuide
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 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
    A. Submission of Comments
    B. Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment
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 (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309), which was 
subsequently redesignated for editorial reasons as Part A on 
codification in the U.S. Code, establishes the ``Energy Conservation 
Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles.'' These include 
residential clothes washers, the subject of today's notice. (42 U.S.C. 
6292(a)(7))
    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

[[Page 49239]]

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.

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. Test procedures must 
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)) Finally, 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))

DOE Test Procedure at Appendix J1

    The DOE test procedure for clothes washers currently being 
manufactured is found at 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix J1. DOE 
adopted appendix J1 in a 1997 final rule (hereinafter referred to as 
the August 1997 Final Rule) to correct for changes in consumer habits 
that resulted in an overstatement of average annual energy consumption 
when using the methods specified in appendix J. 62 FR 45508 (Aug. 27, 
1997). DOE added appendix J1, rather than amending appendix J, to 
accommodate continued use of appendix J until DOE amended the 
residential clothes washer conservation standards to reference the new 
appendix J1.\1\ On January 12, 2001, DOE published a final rule 
(hereinafter referred to as the January 2001 Final Rule), to amend the 
energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers. The 
January 2001 Final Rule references the efficiency metrics as defined in 
appendix J1. 66 FR 3314. Use of the amended J1 test procedure was 
required to demonstrate compliance with these amended energy 
conservation standards as of January 1, 2004. Since 1997, DOE has 
amended the test procedure in appendix J1 three times, twice 
substantively to address test cloth correlation procedures, and once to 
correct the introductory note. 63 FR 16669 (Apr. 6, 1998); 66 FR 3314, 
3330 (Jan. 12, 2001); 68 FR 62198, 62204 (Oct. 31, 2003).
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    \1\ Because appendix J applies only to clothes washers 
manufactured before January 1, 2004, appendix J is now obsolete. 10 
CFR 430 appendix J1.
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    The test procedure at appendix J1 includes provisions for 
determining the modified energy factor (MEF) for clothes washers, which 
is a function of the total energy used for each cubic foot (ft\3\) of 
clothes washer capacity. The test procedure measures the total energy 
consumption of the clothes washer and provides for calculation of the 
remaining moisture content (RMC) of the clothes at the completion of 
the machine's full cycle. The test procedure at appendix J1 does not 
address energy use in the standby or off modes.

DOE Test Procedure Updates: Authority and Regulatory Background

    EPCA requires DOE to review its test procedures at least once every 
seven years to determine whether amendments are warranted. (42 U.S.C. 
6293(b)(1)) This rulemaking satisfies EPCA's periodic review 
requirement.
    The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), 
Public Law No. 110-140 also amended EPCA to require DOE to amend its 
test procedures to integrate measures of standby mode and off mode 
energy consumption into the overall energy efficiency, energy 
consumption, or other energy descriptor for each covered product unless 
the current test procedure already fully accounts for and incorporates 
standby and off mode energy consumption or such integration is 
technically infeasible. If an integrated test procedure is technically 
infeasible, DOE must 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)) Any such amendment must consider 
the most current versions of IEC Standard 62301 and IEC Standard 62087, 
``Methods of measurement for the power consumption of audio, video, and 
related equipment.'' \2\
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    \2\ IEC standards are available online at http://www.iec.ch.
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    In evaluating amendments to its test procedure for clothes washers, 
DOE considered input from the public received in its separate 
rulemaking proceeding to consider amendments to the energy conservation 
standards applicable to residential clothes washers.\3\ On August 28, 
2009, DOE published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the 
availability of a framework document in its rulemaking to consider 
amended energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers 
(hereafter the August 2009 framework document). 74 FR 44306. In the 
August 2009 framework document, DOE requested comments on revising the 
clothes washer test procedure. DOE also held a public meeting on 
September 21, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as the September 2009 
public meeting) to discuss the issues presented in the framework 
document, including issues related to the test procedure.
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    \3\ EISA 2007 also amended EPCA, in relevant part, to revise the 
energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers. The 
revised standards established a maximum water consumption factor 
(WF) of 9.5, effective January 1, 2011. EISA 2007 further required 
that DOE publish a final rule no later than December 31, 2011 
determining whether to amend the standards in effect for clothes 
washers manufactured on or after January 1, 2015. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(g)(9)) DOE is also required to consider standby and off mode 
standards for residential clothes washers. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(gg)(2)(C).
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    DOE received comments in response to the August 2009 framework 
document stating that it should consider changes to the active mode 
test procedure for clothes washers. As a result, in addition to 
proposing amendments to its test procedure to include measures for 
standby and off mode power consumption, DOE proposed to address issues 
regarding the active mode provisions of the test procedure. As 
discussed in more detail below, the proposals were set forth in a 
notice of proposed rulemaking issued on September 21, 2010 (75 FR 
57556) (hereinafter referred to as the September 2010 NOPR) and are 
being refined in this SNOPR.
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed a number of revisions and 
additions to the test procedure at appendix J1, including: (1) 
Incorporating standby and off mode power consumption into a combined 
energy metric; (2) addressing technologies not covered by the appendix 
J1 test procedure, such as steam wash cycles and self-clean cycles; (3) 
revising the number of annual wash cycles; (4) updating use factors; 
(5) revising the procedures and specifications for test cloth; (6) 
redefining the appropriate water fill

[[Page 49240]]

level for the capacity measurement method; (7) establishing a new 
measure of water consumption; and (8) revising the definition of the 
energy test cycle. DOE requested comment on the proposals in the 
September 2010 NOPR and held a public meeting on October 28, 2010 
(hereinafter referred to as the October 2010 public meeting) to discuss 
the issues presented.
    The principal test procedure issues on which interested parties 
commented included: (1) The referenced version of IEC Standard 62301; 
(2) mode definitions; (3) inclusion of steam and self-clean cycles; (4) 
measurement of delay start and cycle finished mode; (5) calculation of 
annual energy use; (6) test cloth specifications; (7) usage patterns, 
in particular annual use cycles, wash temperatures, and load sizes, 
including a potential bias in favor of large-capacity clothes washers; 
and (8) test burden.

II. Summary of the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    The following paragraphs summarize the changes and additions to the 
September 2010 NOPR that DOE proposes in today's SNOPR. In the 
regulatory text set forth at the end of this SNOPR, DOE sets forth the 
proposed regulatory text from the September 2010 NOPR, as amended by 
today's proposals. DOE's supporting analysis and discussion for the 
portions of the proposed regulatory text not affected by this SNOPR may 
be found in the September 2010 NOPR. 75 FR 57556 (Sept. 21, 2010).

A. Standby Mode and Off Mode

    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed amendments to its clothes 
washer test procedure including incorporating by reference specific 
provisions from IEC Standard 62301, First Edition 2005-06 (``IEC 
Standard 62301 (First Edition)'' or ``First Edition'') regarding test 
conditions and test procedures for measuring standby mode and off mode 
power consumption. 75 FR 57556, 57560 (Sept. 21, 2010). DOE also 
proposed to incorporate the definitions of ``active mode,'' ``standby 
mode,'' and ``off mode'' that were based on the definitions for those 
terms provided in the most current draft at that time of an updated 
version of IEC Standard 62301 (the Committee Draft for Vote, or ``CDV'' 
version). Id. at 57560-62. Further, DOE proposed to include additional 
language that would clarify the application of clauses from IEC 
Standard 62301 (First Edition) for measuring standby mode and off mode 
power consumption.\4\ Id. at 57562-63.
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    \4\ EISA 2007 directs DOE to also consider IEC Standard 62087 
when amending its test procedure to include standby mode and off 
mode energy consumption. See 42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(A). DOE has 
considered IEC Standard 62087, which addresses the methods of 
measuring the power consumption of audio, video, and related 
equipment, and determined that it is not relevant to this proposal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In response to the September 2010 NOPR, commenters suggested that 
the draft updated version of IEC Standard 62301 would improve the mode 
definitions and testing methodology. The IEC published IEC Standard 
62301, Edition 2.0 2011-01 (``IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition)'' or 
``Second Edition'') on January 27, 2011. DOE has reviewed this updated 
test procedure and believes that it improves some measurements of 
standby mode and off mode energy use. Accordingly, DOE proposes in 
today's SNOPR to incorporate certain provisions of the IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition), along with clarifying language, into the new 
clothes washer test procedure. DOE also proposes to incorporate into 
the new test procedure definitions of ``active mode,'' ``standby 
mode,'' and ``off mode'' based on the definitions provided in IEC 
Standard 62301 Second Edition. In addition, DOE proposes to incorporate 
measures of energy consumption associated with delay start and cycle 
finished modes. Although these modes would be considered part of active 
mode, the proposed measurements and calculations for standby and off 
mode power consumption would include the energy use in such modes in a 
simplified approach to account for energy use associated with all low-
power modes by means of a single power measurement.
    Finally, DOE proposes in today's SNOPR to revise the calculations 
for per-cycle energy use and annual energy cost to incorporate non-
active washing mode energy consumption. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3); 42 
U.S.C. 6291(4), (7).

B. Current Usage Patterns and Capabilities

    The proposed test procedure would update certain values from the 
existing test procedure to reflect current usage patterns and 
capabilities. DOE received multiple comments on this issue in response 
to the August 2009 framework document, and reviewed current consumer 
data from surveys conducted in 2004 and 2005 to propose updates in the 
September 2010 NOPR. Based on this information and comments received in 
response to the September 2010 NOPR, DOE is proposing additional 
amendments to the load adjustment factor in today's SNOPR. DOE is also 
proposing in this SNOPR to update the test load sizes specified in 
appendix J1 to reflect the same test load sizes previously proposed for 
appendix J2, allowing for testing of large-capacity clothes washers to 
demonstrate compliance with existing energy conservation standards.

C. Additional Proposals

    The revised clothes washer test procedure amendments DOE is 
proposing in today's SNOPR would update the procedure to clarify the 
existing methods for determining the energy test cycle, setting the 
wash time for certain clothes washers, using the most current AHAM 
Standard detergent, and clarifying the definition of ``cold wash'' for 
clothes washers that offer both ``cold wash'' and ``tap cold wash'' 
settings. DOE is also proposing the following amendments in today's 
SNOPR: Correcting the definition of cold rinse in appendix J1; deleting 
the redundant sections 2.6.1.1-2.6.1.2.4 in appendix J1; and correcting 
the calculations proposed in the September 2010 NOPR for per-cycle 
self-clean water consumption.

III. Discussion

A. Use of Proposed Test Procedure

    The amended test procedures in 10 CFR part 430 subpart B appendix 
J1 and appendix J2 would become effective 30 days after the date of 
publication in the Federal Register of the final rule in this test 
procedure rulemaking. DOE would clarify in the published amended test 
procedures, however, that manufacturers would be required to use 
amended appendix J1 until the compliance date of any final rule 
establishing amended energy conservation standards that addresses 
standby and off mode power consumption for these products. 42 U.S.C. 
6295(gg)(2)(C). At such time, manufacturers would begin using the test 
procedures in appendix J2.

B. Newly Proposed Standby Mode, Off Mode, and Active Mode Test 
Procedure Provisions

1. Incorporating by Reference IEC Standard 62301 Edition 2.0 for 
Measuring Standby Mode and Off Mode Power Consumption
    As noted in the September 2010 NOPR, DOE considered, pursuant to 
EPCA, the most current versions of IEC Standard 62301 and IEC Standard 
62087 for measuring power consumption in standby mode and off mode. (42 
U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(A)) DOE noted that IEC

[[Page 49241]]

Standard 62301 provides for measuring standby power in electrical 
appliances, including clothes washers, and therefore, is applicable to 
the provisions included in the new clothes washer test procedure. 75 FR 
57556, 57560 (Sept. 21, 2010). DOE also noted that IEC Standard 62087, 
which applies to audio, video, and related equipment, is inapplicable 
to this rulemaking, and did not propose to include any of its 
provisions in the new test procedure. The Northwest Energy Efficiency 
Alliance (NEEA) agreed with DOE's determination that IEC Standard 62301 
is an appropriate reference standard and that IEC Standard 62087 is not 
relevant to this rulemaking. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 2).
    DOE proposed in the September 2010 NOPR to incorporate by reference 
into this test procedure all applicable provisions from Sections 4 and 
5 of IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition). Specifically, DOE proposed to 
incorporate, from section 4, (``General conditions for measurements''), 
paragraph 4.2, ``Test room;'' paragraph 4.4, ``Supply voltage 
waveform;'' paragraph 4.5, ``Power measurement accuracy;'' and from 
section 5, (``Measurements''), paragraph 5.1, ``General,'' Note 1; and 
paragraph 5.3, ``Procedure.'' 75 FR 57556, 57560 (Sept. 21, 2010). 
These clauses provide test conditions and test procedures for measuring 
average standby mode and average off mode power consumption. With 
respect to test conditions, section 4 of IEC Standard 62301 (First 
Edition) provides specifications for the test room conditions, supply 
voltage waveform, and power measurement meter tolerances to ensure 
repeatable and precise measurements of standby mode and off mode power 
consumption. With respect to test procedures, section 5 of IEC Standard 
62301 (First Edition) provides methods for measuring power consumption 
when the power measurement is stable and when it is unstable.
    DOE also proposed in the September 2010 NOPR to adopt certain 
provisions from the IEC Standard 62301 Committee Draft for Vote (CDV) 
version (an earlier draft version of the IEC 62301 revision), as well 
as the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) version (the draft 
version developed just prior to the issuance of the Second Edition). 
Specifically, DOE proposed to adopt the 30-minute stabilization and 10-
minute measurement periods as described in the CDV version and the mode 
definitions for active, standby and off mode as described in the FDIS 
version.
    DOE noted in the September 2010 NOPR and at the October 2010 public 
meeting that the IEC was developing an updated version of IEC Standard 
62301 (the Second Edition), and interested parties commented on the 
appropriate version to use for the measurement of standby mode and off 
mode energy use. Comments made at the public meeting were predicated 
upon IEC Standard 62301 Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) being 
the most current (draft) version of the updated standard. Alliance 
Laundry Systems (ALS); NEEA; Whirlpool Corporation (Whirlpool); the 
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM); BSH Home Appliances 
Corporation (BSH); and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), 
Southern California Gas Company (SCG), San Diego Gas and Electric 
(SDG&E), and Southern California Edison (SCE) (collectively, the 
``California Utilities'') commented that DOE should reference the most 
current available draft of the Second Edition at the time, IEC Standard 
62301 (FDIS). (ALS, No. 10 at p. 1; NEEA, No. 12 at p. 2; Whirlpool, 
No. 13 at pp. 1-2; AHAM, No. 14 at pp. 2-3; AHAM, Public Meeting 
Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 21-22; BSH, No. 17 at p. 3; California 
Utilities, No. 18 at p. 1) Whirlpool commented that the use of IEC 
Standard 62301 (FDIS) would support international harmonization and 
reduce manufacturer test burden. (Whirlpool, No. 13 at pp. 1-2) AHAM 
stated that combining mode definitions based on IEC Standard 62301 
(FDIS) with the test methods from IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) 
could be confusing to manufacturers, and ignores the intent of IEC 
Standard 62301 (FDIS). AHAM and Whirlpool further commented that DOE 
should not choose to reference only certain sections of IEC Standard 
62301, and that the document is meant to be used in its entirety. 
(AHAM, No. 14 at p. 3; Whirlpool, No. 13 at p. 3) BSH agreed with DOE's 
proposal to use IEC Standard 62301 as the basis for the standby and 
lower power mode definitions, and noted that the most recent version of 
the standard (i.e., IEC Standard 62301 (FDIS)) should be considered. 
(BSH, No. 17 at p. 2)
    AHAM also submitted a comment supporting the incorporation by 
reference of the Second Edition in response to a Request for 
Information (RFI) issued by DOE to implement Executive Order 13563, 
``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review. (76 FR 6123, Feb. 3, 
2011; AHAM, 4) \5\ DOE considered this comment in today's SNOPR and, as 
stated below, is proposing to incorporate by reference relevant 
portions of the Second Edition.
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    \5\ All comments on the RFI are available at http://www.gc.energy.gov/1705.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) was issued on January 27, 2011 
and is now the most current version of IEC Standard 62301. DOE has 
reviewed the FDIS and Second Edition versions of IEC Standard 62301, 
and notes that the provisions of the Second Edition are identical in 
substance to those of the FDIS version. Therefore, DOE interprets 
comments on IEC Standard 62301 (FDIS) to be equally applicable to IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition).
    DOE notes that IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) is an 
internationally accepted test procedure for measuring standby power in 
residential appliances, and that this version 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 that 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 calculate a 
maximum current ratio (MCR). 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.1 for example), so that sufficient accuracy of measurements 
is achieved 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 (FDIS), 
which showed that commonly used power measurement instruments were 
unable to meet the original requirements for certain types of loads. 
Therefore, the test burden associated with the additional measurements 
and calculations is offset by the more reasonable requirements for 
testing equipment, while maintaining acceptable measurement accuracy. 
For these reasons, DOE proposes in today's supplemental notice to 
incorporate by

[[Page 49242]]

reference the power equipment specifications in section 4, paragraph 
4.4 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition).

                       Table III.1--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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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. The First Edition required that the 
product be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's 
instructions, except if those instructions conflict with the standby 
testing, and that if no instructions are given, the factory or default 
settings shall be used. IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) added 
provisions regarding products equipped with battery recharging 
circuits, as well as instructions for testing each relevant 
configuration option identified in the product's instructions for use.
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed that the clothes washer be 
installed according to the manufacturer's instructions, but did not 
propose additional provisions to require the use of default settings 
for testing standby energy consumption because it did not have 
information regarding the likelihood that consumers will alter the 
default display settings. DOE requested comment on the suitability of 
using the manufacturer's default settings in testing standby energy 
consumption. 75 FR 57556, 57563 (Sept. 21, 2010). AHAM, ALS, NEEA, and 
Whirlpool commented that standby energy consumption should be measured 
at the manufacturer default settings. ALS and AHAM further stated that 
if no factory default setting is indicated, the clothes washer should 
be tested with the settings as shipped from the manufacturer. AHAM 
stated that this approach would yield repeatable, reproducible results 
among test laboratories. (ALS, No. 10 at p. 1; AHAM, No. 14 at pp. 5-6; 
NEEA, No. 12 at p. 6; Whirlpool, No. 13 at p. 3)
    DOE agrees with commenters that testing a clothes washer for 
standby mode energy use (and, by extension, the combined low-power mode 
energy use) at the default setting, or as shipped, if a default setting 
is not indicated, would ensure consistency of results test-to-test and 
among test laboratories. Therefore, DOE is proposing in today's SNOPR 
to incorporate by reference, with qualification as discussed below, the 
installation instructions in section 5, paragraph 5.2 of IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition). DOE is not aware of any clothes washers with a 
battery recharging circuit.
    Section 5, paragraph 5.2 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 
also states that, where instructions for use provide configuration 
options, each relevant option should be separately tested. DOE believes 
that this 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 determination, classification, 
and testing of relevant modes are not appropriate for the clothes 
washer test procedure. Accordingly, DOE is proposing qualifying 
language in the test procedure amendments in today's SNOPR 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 operated-selected time interval. DOE 
is aware of commercially available power measurement instruments that 
can perform each of these required measurements individually. However, 
DOE is 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 that it would be acceptable to measure 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. DOE 
requests comment on whether this represents an acceptable 
interpretation of the power measurement requirements of the Second 
Edition.
    The other changes in the Second Edition that relate to the 
measurement of standby mode and off mode power consumption involve the 
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. 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 those methods proposed in the 
September 2010 NOPR, which were based on IEC Standard

[[Page 49243]]

62301 (First Edition), and also to identify the most consistent and 
repeatable method for use in the DOE clothes washer test procedure.
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed to require measurement of 
standby mode and off mode power using section 5, paragraph 5.3 of IEC 
Standard 62301 (First Edition), clarified by requiring the product to 
stabilize for at least 30 minutes and using an energy use measurement 
period of not less than 10 minutes for cycle finished mode, inactive 
mode, and off mode. 75 FR 57556, 57562-63 (Sept. 21, 2010). For delay 
start mode, the September 2010 NOPR proposed to require the delay start 
time to be set to 5 hours, allowing at least a 5-minute stabilization 
period followed by a 60-minute measurement period. Id. at p. 57563. 
Further, for any clothes washer in which the power varies over a cycle, 
as described in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 of the First Edition, the 
September 2010 NOPR proposed to require the use of the average power 
approach in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2(a). Id.
    For today's supplemental notice, DOE compared the provisions of 
each edition under different scenarios of power consumption stability 
to determine the potential impacts of referencing the methodology from 
IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) rather than from the First Edition. 
Based on this analysis, DOE is proposing in today's SNOPR that the 
power measurement be made using a sampling method described in IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition). Because, for the reasons discussed in 
section III.B.2, DOE is not proposing to require separate measurement 
of power consumption in cycle finished mode and delay start mode, the 
analysis presented in the following sections is limited to measurements 
made in inactive mode and off mode.
a. Stable Power Consumption
    According to section 5, paragraph 5.3.1 of IEC Standard 62301 
(First Edition), power consumption is defined as stable if it varies by 
less than 5 percent over 5 minutes. In such a case, a direct reading 
may be made at the end of the measurement period. With the proposed 
clarifications in the September 2010 NOPR, the total test time for 
inactive mode or off mode would be a minimum of 40 minutes (comprised 
of a minimum 30-minute stabilization period, followed by a minimum 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 minimum 
30-minute stabilization period and a minimum 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 accumulated 
energy by the duration of the measurement period.
    In comparison, 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. In addition, performing the continuous linear regression 
analysis required by the Second Edition would require the use of data-
acquisition software with the capability of performing real-time 
statistical analysis, whereas the First Edition requires only simple 
data logging capabilities. DOE requests comment on the potential test 
burden for a laboratory that would be required to upgrade its data 
acquisition system to enable real-time statistical analysis 
capabilities.
    IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) additionally provides an 
alternative measurement method which may be used when the power 
consumption is stable. Section 5, paragraph 5.3.4 of IEC Standard 62301 
(Second Edition) specifies a direct reading method 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 
a minimum of 40 minutes. DOE agrees that this method likely improves 
the validity of the test results as compared to the First Edition, 
since 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. 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.
b. Unstable, Non-Cyclic Power Consumption
    Section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 from IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition), 
which DOE proposed in the September 2010 NOPR to incorporate by 
reference with clarification, specifies that either the average power 
method or accumulated energy approach could be used for measuring 
unstable, non-cyclic power consumption (described in the Second Edition 
as non-cyclic and ``varying'' power consumption). As described 
previously, the clarifications proposed in the September 2010 NOPR 
would limit total test duration to 40 minutes for inactive mode and off 
mode.
    In contrast, paragraph 5.3 of the Second Edition requires the use 
of either a sampling method or average reading method for measuring 
unstable, non-cyclic power consumption in standby mode or off mode. As 
noted previously, DOE is proposing to require the use of the sampling 
method, based on the following analysis.
    The sampling method in paragraph 5.3.2 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 test procedure does not provide an upper time limit 
for testing, possibly resulting in significantly increased measurement

[[Page 49244]]

time if the cumulative average criteria cannot be achieved after 60 
minutes.
    The average reading method in section 5, paragraph 5.3.3 in IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition) describes both an average power method 
and accumulated energy method, either of which may be selected for 
unstable, non-cyclic power. For both types of the average reading 
method, a 30-minute stabilization period is specified, followed by two 
comparison measurement periods of not less than 10 minutes each. The 
average power values, which are 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 conduct. Additionally, DOE 
believes that manufacturers could face the risk of significant 
additional test burden if the average reading method is initially 
chosen but the power measurements do not meet the threshold criteria 
with the allowable 90-minute maximum test time, requiring a subsequent 
test using the sampling method.
c. Cyclic Power Consumption
    As noted previously, DOE proposed in the September 2010 NOPR to use 
the average power approach of section 5, paragraph 5.3.2(a) in IEC 
Standard 62301 (First Edition), with a minimum 30-minute stabilization 
period and 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 comparison period. 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 test burden.
Conclusions on Incorporation of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition)
    In evaluating IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) and comparing it 
to the First Edition, DOE recognizes the considerable 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 power supply, power measuring equipment, and test methods 
specified in the Second Edition. However, DOE believes that in most 
cases for residential clothes washers this added burden on 
manufacturers is outweighed by the improved accuracy and 
representativeness of the resulting power consumption measurement. 
Furthermore, manufacturers supported DOE's use of the Second Edition. 
Therefore, DOE concludes provisionally that the application of the 
provisions of the Second Edition to all power measurements in standby 
mode and off mode for clothes washers would be an improvement over the 
First Edition and would not be unduly burdensome to conduct. Therefore, 
DOE is proposing incorporation by reference of the relevant paragraphs 
of section 4 and section 5 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) in 
the clothes washer test procedure.
    To this end, DOE is also proposing to amend the reference in 10 CFR 
430.3 to add a reference to 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 SNOPR incorporate provisions from it. There are 
also certain section numbering differences between the First Edition 
and Second Edition of IEC Standard 62301 that impact the text of the 
measurement provisions proposed for the clothes washer test procedure 
in appendix J2. DOE further notes that the mode definitions that were 
proposed in the September 2010 NOPR would not be affected by the 
reference to IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) because the 
definitions were based on IEC Standard 62301 (FDIS), which is identical 
in substance to the Second Edition.
    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 shorter than 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. The average reading method in the Second Edition 
allows the use of either the average power method or accumulated energy 
method, at the discretion of the test laboratory, which could result in 
inconsistent test results among different test laboratories. 
Furthermore, for cyclic power consumption, the Second Edition requires 
the use of the sampling method. For these reasons, DOE proposes in 
today's SNOPR to specify the use of the sampling method in IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition) section 5.3.2 for all measures of standby mode 
and off mode power consumption.
2. Calculation of Energy Use in Low-Power Modes
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed two possible approaches 
for measuring energy consumption in modes other than active washing 
mode; i.e., inactive (standby) mode, off mode, delay start mode, and 
cycle finished mode \6\ (hereafter, collectively referred to as low-
power modes).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ Delay start and cycle finished modes are considered part of 
the active mode.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For the first approach, DOE proposed allocating 295 hours per year 
to the active washing mode, 16 hours to self-clean mode (if 
applicable), 25 hours per year to delay start mode (if applicable), 15 
hours per year to cycle finished mode (if applicable), and the 
remainder to off and/or inactive mode. 75 FR 57556, 57564-65 (Sept. 21, 
2010). Using this approach, the energy use per cycle associated with 
inactive, off, delay start, and cycle finished modes would be 
calculated by (1) Calculating the product of wattage and allocated 
hours for all possible inactive, off, delay start and cycle finished 
modes; (2) summing

[[Page 49245]]

the results; (3) dividing the sum by 1,000 to convert from Wh to kWh; 
and (4) dividing by the proposed 295 use cycles per year.
    For the second ``alternate approach,'' DOE proposed measuring power 
consumption for only off and inactive modes for the purpose of 
calculating the total energy consumed in all low-power modes. Using 
this approach, separate measurements of delay start and cycle finished 
mode energy consumption would not be required; instead, all the hours 
not associated with active washing mode or self-clean mode (8,465 hours 
total) would be allocated to the inactive and off modes. DOE noted that 
delay start and cycle finished modes represent a relatively small 
number of hours at low power consumption levels. For clothes washers 
currently on the market, these levels are comparable to those for off/
inactive modes. Id.
    In evaluating the best approach for measuring energy use in low-
power modes, DOE considered comments from interested parties regarding 
the allocation of hours to modes other than active washing mode. A 
number of these comments related to the estimates DOE provided of the 
number of hours associated with each low-power mode.
    NEEA objected to DOE's proposed allocation of the time spent in 
cycle finished mode, based on an estimate of 3 minutes per cycle. NEEA 
stated that DOE relied on anecdotal data from Australia to determine 
its estimates. NEEA also noted that DOE was aware of units capable of 
operating up to 10 hours in cycle finished mode, but had no field data 
to support an assumption about what fraction of the 10 hours were used, 
nor any data that would allow an estimate of the typical cycle finished 
mode duration. NEEA recommended that DOE acquire data to provide a 
statistically valid basis for assumptions about the duration of cycle 
finished mode. NEEA further commented that there is no reason to 
exclude the measurement of the energy use of fans and motors in the 
cycle finished mode, or to arbitrarily curtail the time period for 
their measurement. (NEEA, No. 12 at pp. 3, 7; NEEA, Public Meeting 
Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 75-76)
    NEEA also commented that recent field measurements conducted for 
the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) indicate that inactive 
mode energy use can be significant, equivalent to the energy 
consumption of an additional wash load per week (not including hot 
water energy consumption). (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 3) NEEA stated that 
DOE's estimates for the time spent in the inactive mode call into 
question the need for the specified accuracy in measuring the power use 
in the inactive mode. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 7)
    The California Utilities commented that DOE should increase the 
length of time allocated to cycle finished mode in the test procedure 
calculations. The California Utilities further noted that the 
Australian study on which DOE relied for other estimates in the 
proposed test procedure showed that 20 percent of the total use time 
not allocated to active washing or delay start mode would be associated 
with the cycle finished mode. Additionally, the California Utilities 
noted that DOE's estimates were based on internal testing, although it 
is not clear if the proposed cycle finished mode duration was based on 
all machines tested, or only those having a cycle finished mode, and 
requested either a clarification or correction to this calculation. The 
California Utilities stated that it also was not clear whether DOE's 
test sample included machines providing periodic air flow or tumbling 
in the cycle finished mode, or if it only tested machines with an 
extended display operation. The California Utilities recommended that 
DOE test machines with these additional features to determine their 
typical cycle finished mode duration, which for some machines may be 
hours after completion of the wash cycle. (California Utilities, No. 18 
at pp. 2-3)
    ALS did not agree that cycle finished mode energy consumption 
should be accounted for separately from the active washing mode. (ALS, 
No. 10 at p. 1) Whirlpool commented that DOE should not measure or 
include in the test procedure cycle finished energy consumed by air 
movement fans or by periodic tumbling, as these are very limited 
application features where the measurement burden would substantially 
outweigh the value of the energy measurement. (Whirlpool, No. 13 at p. 
2) Whirlpool commented further that the significant test burden 
associated with measuring cycle finished mode results in virtually no 
consumer benefit, and these values should be dropped from the test 
procedure's calculations. (Whirlpool, No. 13 at p. 4)
    AHAM also commented in response to the RFI issued by DOE to 
implement Executive Order 13563, ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory 
Review, opposing any test procedure requirement to measure separately 
the energy use of delay start and cycle finished modes. AHAM stated 
that the additional burden that would be required to measure a de 
minimis amount of energy would not be justified. (76 FR 6123, Feb. 3, 
2011; AHAM, 5-6)
    DOE also received multiple comments from interested parties 
regarding the proposed ``alternate approach,'' which would allocate all 
the hours not associated with active washing mode to the inactive and 
off modes.
    ALS, AHAM, and BSH support the alternative calculation proposed in 
the September 2010 NOPR. (ALS, No. 10 at p. 2; AHAM, No. 14 at p. 8; 
AHAM, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 87-88; BSH, No. 17 at p. 
3) ALS and AHAM generally oppose the proposed method of separately 
allocating annual hours to delay start mode, cycle finished mode, and 
self-clean mode because they believe that DOE does not have reliable 
consumer use data for these modes. In addition, as stated above, ALS 
and AHAM stated that these modes represent insignificant energy 
consumption to justify measuring them separately. (ALS, No. 10 at p. 2; 
AHAM, No. 14 at p. 7; AHAM, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 
55-56, 73, 93) Whirlpool also commented that the test procedure should 
not include delay start mode, cycle finished mode, or off mode because 
these modes represent insignificant energy consumption. (Whirlpool, No. 
13 at p. 4).
    NEEA opposed the proposed alternative calculation method, stating 
that it would be inappropriate to ignore the delay start and cycle 
finished modes with almost no data on the actual duration and energy 
use for these modes. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 8) NEEA believes that the 
energy use in delay start mode and cycle finished mode is not 
insignificant, and should be included in the energy use calculations. 
According to NEEA, manufacturers would have no incentive to minimize 
energy used in these modes if they were not included in the 
calculations. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 8) NEEA further commented that the 
proposed calculation method for measuring each mode is sound, but could 
be simplified if the calculation simply involved active mode, with 
delay start mode and cycle finished mode folded in, and inactive mode, 
as measured for each model tested. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 7) NEEA did, 
however, comment that it might support the alternative approach if the 
active wash mode is defined for each machine to include any cycle 
finished mode, including machines with cycle finished modes with 
intermittent tumbling that can last as long as 10 hours. (NEEA, Public 
Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at p. 88)
    The Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), American Council 
for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and NRDC (hereafter referred 
to as the ``Joint Comment'') expressed support for

[[Page 49246]]

NEEA's proposal to fold delay start and cycle finished modes into a 
single energy test cycle that would also include the active wash cycle. 
The Joint Comment stated that this approach would seem to simplify the 
test, and it would ensure that any energy and/or water consumption that 
occurs after the final spin, such as the addition of steam, would be 
captured by the test procedure. (Joint Comment, No. 16 at p. 4)
    DOE acknowledges that certain clothes washers provide optional 
tumbling or air circulation features in cycle finished mode. As noted 
in the September 2010 NOPR, the number of residential clothes washers 
equipped with a periodic tumbling or air circulation feature during 
cycle finished mode represents less than 10 percent of the models 
produced by manufacturers comprising over 90 percent of the market. 75 
FR 57556, 57561 (Sept. 21, 2010). In addition, review of product 
literature for the clothes washers equipped with such features shows 
that these functions are typically consumer-selected options.
    To further support the proposal in today's SNOPR, DOE performed 
additional laboratory testing to quantify the energy consumption in 
cycle finished mode. DOE tested the residential clothes washer model 
that it identified as having the longest-duration and most energy-
intensive cycle finished feature on the market. This clothes washer 
includes a user-selectable option that provides periodic tumbling and 
air circulation for up to 10 hours following the completion of the wash 
cycle. For the duration of this cycle finished mode, the cycle finished 
indicator on the control panel remains activated, the door remains 
locked, and an additional feature indicator light on the control panel 
flashes.
    DOE measured the energy consumption of this cycle finished feature 
for the maximum possible 10 hour duration, using the warm wash/cold 
rinse energy test cycle and the average test load size as indicated by 
Table 5.1 in appendix J1, extended linearly as discussed in section 
III.B.7.a. These test parameters were chosen because they correspond to 
the highest usage factors according to the appendix J1 test procedure. 
DOE also measured the clothes washer's standby energy consumption. 
Figure III.1 shows the power consumption in W during the active washing 
mode followed by the first 45 minutes of cycle-finished mode. The 
shaded portion of the figure indicates cycle finished mode.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP09AU11.014

    Table III.2 shows the cycle finished mode energy consumption for 
the test clothes washer along with the other factors that the proposed 
Integrated Modified Energy Factor (IMEF) metric incorporates: (1) 
Machine electrical energy use in active washing mode, (2) hot water 
energy use in active washing mode, (3) energy associated with moisture 
removal (i.e., drying energy), and (4) standby (inactive) mode energy 
use.

  Table III.2--Example Comparison of Total Per-Cycle Energy Consumption
                  With and Without Cycle Finished Mode
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Per-cycle energy consumption
                                          contributors  (kWh/cycle)
               Mode                -------------------------------------
                                                         Cycle-finished
                                    Standby mode only    mode included
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Active washing mode--Machine                     0.16               0.16
 electrical energy................
Active washing mode--Hot water                   0.23               0.23
 energy...........................
Active washing mode--Drying energy               1.58               1.58
Standby mode (23 hours)...........               0.06                N/A

[[Page 49247]]

 
Cycle finished mode (10 hours)....                N/A               0.08
Standby mode (13 hours)...........                N/A               0.04
Total per-cycle energy consumption               2.03               2.09
 (kWh)............................
IMEF (ft\3\/kWh/cycle)............               1.91               1.85
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Figure III.2 shows the relative magnitude of each of the 
contributors to total per-cycle energy consumption for both scenarios.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP09AU11.015

    The cycle finished feature of this clothes washer consumes 0.08 kWh 
over the maximum 10-hour duration. After accounting for the 10 fewer 
hours in inactive mode, the cycle finished feature with intermittent 
tumbling and air circulation would add a net 0.06 kWh to the total per-
cycle energy consumption of this clothes washer, an increase of 3.0 
percent. If consumers were to select this feature for all wash cycles, 
IMEF would decrease by 3.0 percent.
    DOE recognizes that the 3.0 percent decrease in IMEF represents a 
worst-case scenario. A 3-percent increase in annual energy consumption 
would occur only if a consumer activated this feature on 100 percent of 
laundry cycles and if the cycle-finished activity persisted for the 
full 10 hours after every cycle. While DOE lacks consumer usage data of 
this cycle finished feature, DOE believes it is reasonable that 
consumers would activate this feature less than 100 percent of the 
time, and that, on average, the cycle finished activity would persist 
for less than the full 10 hours. For illustrative purposes, if a 
consumer selected the cycle finished option on 50 percent of all wash 
cycles, and, on average, the cycle finished activity persisted for 50 
percent of the maximum allowable time (i.e., for 5 hours), total annual 
energy consumption would increase by only 0.75 percent.
    Based on the results of the data presented here, DOE believes that 
including a specific measurement of energy use of a cycle finished 
feature that incorporates intermittent tumbling and air circulation 
would not significantly impact the total annual energy consumption. 
Furthermore, measuring the energy use over the entire duration of cycle 
finished mode would increase the test duration by up to 10 hours, 
depending on the maximum duration of cycle finished mode provided on 
the clothes washer under test. DOE believes this would represent a 
significant increase in test burden that would not be warranted by the 
minimal additional energy use captured by measuring cycle finished mode 
separately or as part of the active washing mode.
    Therefore, in consideration of the data and estimates previously 
presented in the September 2010 NOPR, the

[[Page 49248]]

additional energy consumption estimates presented in this SNOPR, the 
uncertainty regarding consumer usage patterns, and the additional test 
burden required, DOE is not proposing to adopt provisions to measure 
cycle finished mode separately or as part of the active washing mode. 
In the absence of a compelling reason to treat cycle finished mode 
separately, DOE believes that its assumption set forth in the September 
2010 NOPR that the power consumption in each low-power mode is similar 
remains valid, and that in such a case, measuring power consumption of 
each mode separately would introduce significant test burden without a 
corresponding improvement in a representative measure of annual energy 
use. Therefore, DOE is proposing in today's SNOPR to adopt the 
``alternate approach'' for measuring total energy consumption, in which 
all low-power mode hours are allocated to the inactive and off modes, 
and the low-power mode power consumption is measured only in the 
inactive and off modes, depending on which of these modes is present.
3. Energy Test Cycle Definition
    The energy test cycle is the cycle currently used in determining 
the modified energy factor (MEF) and water factor (WF) for a clothes 
washer, and proposed to be used for determining integrated modified 
energy factor (IMEF) and integrated water consumption factor (IWF). The 
energy test cycle is defined in section 1.7 of the current clothes 
washer test procedure based on (A) The cycle recommended by the 
manufacturer for washing cotton or linen clothes, which includes all 
wash/rinse temperature selections and water levels offered in that 
cycle; and (B) other cycles that may include other temperature or water 
level options if they contribute to an accurate representation of 
energy consumption. In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed to amend 
part (B) of the energy test cycle definition to provide clarity in 
determining whether to test temperature options available only on cycle 
settings other than that defined in part (A) of the definition. 
Specifically, DOE proposed modifying part (B) as follows:

    ``* * * (B) if the cycle described in (A) does not include all 
wash/rinse temperature settings available on the clothes washer and 
required for testing as described in this test procedure, the energy 
test cycle shall also include the portions of a cycle setting 
offering these wash/rinse temperature settings with agitation/tumble 
operation, spin speed(s), wash times, and rinse times that are 
largely comparable to those for the cycle recommended by the 
manufacturer for washing cotton or linen clothes. Any cycle under 
(A) or (B) shall include the default agitation/tumble operation, 
soil level, spin speed(s), wash times, and rinse times applicable to 
that cycle, including water heating time for water heating clothes 
washers.'' 75 FR 57556, 57575-76 (Sept. 21, 2010).

    In testing conducted since the September 2010 NOPR, DOE has 
observed that some clothes washers retain in memory the most recent 
options selected for a cycle setting the next time that cycle is run. 
To ensure repeatability of test results, particularly for cycles under 
part (B) of the energy test cycle definition, DOE proposes in today's 
SNOPR to further clarify that the manufacturer default conditions for 
each cycle setting shall be used, except for the temperature selection, 
if necessary. For example, if the extra hot temperature selection was 
only available on the ``whites'' cycle, the manufacturer would use the 
whites cycle to test that temperature setting. Because the default 
temperature setting for the whites cycle may be warm or hot, however, 
the manufacturer would have to manually adjust the temperature to get 
to extra hot. For certification testing in such cases, the manufacturer 
would use the default settings on the whites cycle for all options 
except the temperature setting, which would be manually adjusted to 
achieve the desired temperature.
    In addition, DOE proposes to delete ``and required for testing as 
described in this test procedure'' from part (B) as redundant and 
unnecessary.
    AHAM commented that DOE's proposal in the September 2010 NOPR to 
amend Part B of the energy test cycle definition was vague, undefined, 
and included a significant amount of variability. AHAM noted that 
variability in a test procedure has substantial consequences for 
manufacturers, and that the test procedure must be clear and be 
uniformly understood to avoid serious consequences in variations in 
testing across laboratories or technicians. (AHAM, No. 14 at p. 15) DOE 
believes that the proposed modification to part (B) provides additional 
specificity on the wash cycle settings (i.e., agitation/tumble 
operation, spin speed(s), wash times, and rinse times) that, if 
comparable to those for the cycle recommended by the manufacturer for 
washing cotton or linen clothes, must be considered under part (B) of 
the energy test cycle definition.
4. Load Adjustment Factor
    The clothes washer test procedure relies on use factors to weight 
different consumer behaviors in the overall energy and water 
consumption calculations. The factors are based on consumer use data 
and represent the fraction of all cycles that are run with certain 
settings or characteristics. The Load Adjustment Factor (LAF) 
represents the ratio of maximum load size to average load size. This 
ratio is used in the calculation of the energy required to remove 
moisture from the test load (i.e., drying energy). The RMC value used 
in this calculation is based only on tests using the maximum test 
load--the LAF is used to scale this value down to the average load 
size. In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE noted that it lacked information 
warranting adjusting this value or changing it from a fixed value to 
one that varies as a function of average load size, and therefore did 
not propose to amend the LAF in the test procedure. 75 FR 57556, 57572 
(Sept. 21, 2010).
    AHAM and ALS support DOE's proposal to retain the existing LAF in 
the test procedure. (AHAM, No. 14 at p. 13; ALS, No. 10 at p. 4) BSH, 
The California Utilities, Energy Solutions (ES), NEEA, Natural 
Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Joint Comment stated that it 
is an inconsistency in the test procedure to have a single LAF that 
does not correlate with the load usage factors. (BSH, Public Meeting 
Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 149-150; California Utilities, No. 18 at p. 
4; ES, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at p. 150; Joint Comment, No. 
16 at pp. 5-6; NEEA, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at p. 149) ASAP 
commented that an average load size value that depends on capacity does 
not represent consumer usage. (ASAP, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 
at pp. 151-152) ES stated that the ratio of average load size to 
maximum load size is 70-75 percent for small clothes washers but is 
closer to 50-55 percent for larger clothes washers. (ES, Public Meeting 
Transcript, No. 20 at p. 150) The California Utilities recommended that 
RMC be measured by testing with minimum, average, and maximum test load 
sizes, with the average test load size calculated as 65 percent of the 
maximum load size. The California Utilities further commented that the 
results from each test load size should be weighted using the same load 
usage factors as those used for the energy test cycle. (California 
Utilities, No. 18 at p. 4) NRDC stated that a single LAF could be 
calculated from the three weighting values assigned to the load usage 
factors. (NRDC, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 142-145, 148-
149) NEEA and the Joint Comment doubted that the relationship between

[[Page 49249]]

tested RMC values and load size is linear for most clothes washers. 
According to the Joint Comment, the Bern Clothes Washer Study found 
that RMC decreases with increasing load size and that this effect is 
more significant for top-loaders than for front-loaders. Due to this 
finding, the Joint Comment believes that measuring RMC at a maximum 
load size and assuming that the same RMC would apply to an ``average'' 
load size likely underestimates actual RMC and therefore dryer energy 
consumption for an ``average'' load size. Instead, the Joint Comment 
suggested that RMC be measured for minimum, maximum, and average load 
sizes and that dryer energy consumption be calculated for each load 
size using the corresponding measured RMC. A weighted-average dryer 
energy consumption could then be calculated using the load usage 
factors. The Joint Comment stated that, although this approach would 
slightly increase test burden, it believes the increased burden would 
be insignificant because tests with the different load sizes are 
already required to be run in the current test procedure. Therefore, 
the Joint Comment stated that the only addition would be an RMC 
measurement for each of the different load size test cycles rather than 
just for the maximum load test cycle. (Joint Comment, No. 16 at pp. 7-
8) NEEA also noted that there is no average test load size for manual 
fill models, but three different load sizes for adaptive fill models. 
According to NEEA, a weighted-average value for LAF is more 
appropriate, but even better would be to conduct RMC tests at various 
load sizes, and use the load usage factors to obtain weighted-average 
results. (NEEA, No. 12 at pp. 12-13)
    DOE notes that both the LAF and load usage factors are intended to 
adjust test results measured at discrete load sizes to values that are 
representative of real-world consumer use. The LAF, however, is also 
intended to capture the dependence of RMC on load size because the RMC 
test is conducted using only the maximum load size.
    As observed by the California Utilities, data collected as part of 
the Bern Clothes Washer Study suggest that an RMC test conducted at 
maximum load size would produce a different RMC than a test conducted 
at the average load size. Because the LAF must account for two 
effects--the percentage of times that users select different load sizes 
and the variation of measured RMC with load size--it would be expected 
to differ somewhat from any of the load usage factors, which capture 
only the consumer load size selection effect. For the August 1997 Final 
Rule, however, DOE obtained information that, when averaged with data 
provided by interested parties, showed that the relationship between 
load size and RMC was almost non-existent. For this reason, DOE 
concluded in the August 1997 Final Rule that it was acceptable to test 
RMC using only the maximum load size. DOE does not believe that 
conducting multiple RMC measurements at different load sizes would 
improve the calculation of drying energy use. Additionally, DOE 
believes that the Bern Study is inconclusive with respect to the LAF 
because (1) The relationship between RMC and load size was not 
demonstrated for individual machines, and (2) the test load composition 
was not controlled.
    In light of the available data suggesting that load size does not 
affect the RMC measurement, the remaining trend that the LAF is 
intended to capture is the pattern of consumer selection of load size, 
which is already incorporated in the test procedure via the load usage 
factors. This suggests that the LAF is duplicative of, yet inconsistent 
with, the load usage factors. Therefore, DOE proposes in today's SNOPR 
that, for consistency with the rest of the test procedure, the 
representative load size calculation in the equation for drying energy 
should incorporate the load usage factors rather than a separate LAF. 
In the current drying energy calculation, the representative load size 
is calculated by multiplying the fixed value of LAF by the maximum load 
size. DOE proposes that this representative load size be replaced by a 
weighted-average load size calculated by multiplying the minimum, 
average, and maximum load usage factors by the minimum, average, and 
maximum load sizes, respectively, and summing the products.
5. Wash Time Setting
    The current test procedure specifies the wash time setting to be 
used in the energy test cycle. If only one wash time is prescribed in 
the energy test cycle, that wash setting is to be used; otherwise, the 
wash time setting is required to be the higher of either the minimum 
wash time or 70 percent of the maximum wash time available in the 
energy test cycle. DOE has recently become aware that, for certain 
clothes washers equipped with an electromechanical dial to control wash 
time, the dial may yield different results for the same setting 
depending on the direction in which the dial is turned to reach the 
desired setting. DOE believes that consistency in setting the wash time 
in such cases may be achieved by resetting the dial to the minimum wash 
time and then turning it in the direction of increasing wash time to 
reach the desired setting. If the desired setting is passed, the dial 
should not be turned in the direction of decreasing wash time to reach 
the setting. Instead, the dial should be returned to the minimum wash 
time and then turned in the direction of increasing wash time until the 
desired setting is reached. DOE, therefore, proposes to add these 
clarifications to the wash time setting provisions in both appendix J1 
and appendix J2. DOE believes that this clarification would not affect 
the energy and water use measurements, but would help ensure 
consistency when determining compliance with energy conservation 
standards. To provide further consistency, DOE also proposes the 
further clarification that the conditions stated in the case of more 
than one wash time setting--that the wash time setting shall be the 
higher of either the minimum, or 70 percent of the maximum wash time 
available in the energy test cycle--shall apply regardless of the 
labeling of suggested dial locations.
6. Annual Energy Cost
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE considered whether to amend the 
estimated annual operating cost calculation in 10 CFR 430.23 to include 
the cost of energy consumed in the non-active washing modes, but did 
not propose such amendments for the following reasons:
     DOE believed that the cost of energy consumed in self-
clean, standby, off, delay start, and cycle finished modes is small 
relative to the total annual energy cost for clothes washers, and 
therefore, would make little difference in the estimated annual 
operating cost calculation.
     The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) EnergyGuide Label 
for clothes washers uses the estimated annual operating cost as its 
primary indicator of product energy efficiency, compared to a range of 
annual operating costs of similar products. Appendix F1 to 16 CFR part 
305. An estimated annual operating cost incorporating self-clean, 
standby, off, delay start, and cycle finished mode energy use would no 
longer be directly comparable to the minimum and maximum energy costs 
prescribed for the EnergyGuide label.

75 FR 57556, 57567 (Sept. 21, 2010).

    ALS and AHAM supported DOE's proposal to maintain the existing 
energy cost calculation. (ALS, No. 10 at p. 3; AHAM, No. 14 at p. 9) 
AHAM and Whirlpool commented, however, that DOE's proposal to exclude 
non-active

[[Page 49250]]

washing modes from the annual energy cost calculation is inconsistent 
with the proposal to include these modes in the IMEF calculation. 
(Whirlpool, No. 13 at p.5; AHAM, No. 14 at p. 9).
    NEEA disagreed with DOE's assertion that the cost of energy 
consumed in non-active washing modes would make little difference in 
the estimated annual operating cost calculation. NEEA noted that no 
publicly available data exists on which to base such an assertion, but 
that end-use data from the field suggests that standby energy could 
constitute as much as 5 to 10 percent of total clothes washer energy 
use, not including drying energy use. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 8)
    EPCA requires that 180 days after the amended test procedure is 
prescribed, all representations related to the energy use, efficiency, 
or cost of energy consumed for residential clothes washers must reflect 
the results of testing according to the amended test procedure, which 
will include provisions for measuring standby and off mode energy use. 
(42 U.S.C. 6293(c)(2)) Additionally, EPCA requires that any revisions 
to the labels for residential clothes washers include disclosure of the 
estimated annual operation cost (determined in accordance with DOE's 
test procedures prescribed under section 6293 of EPCA), unless the 
Secretary determines that disclosure of annual operating cost is not 
technologically feasible, or if the FTC determines that such disclosure 
is not likely to assist consumers in making purchasing decisions or is 
not economically feasible. (42 U.S.C. 6294(c)(1))
    For these reasons, DOE agrees that the annual energy cost 
calculations in 10 CFR 430.23 for residential clothes washers should be 
amended to include the cost of energy consumed in non-active washing 
modes. Therefore, DOE proposes to amend the clothes washer test 
procedure to revise the estimated annual operating cost calculation to 
integrate energy use in standby, off and self-clean modes. The 
estimated annual operating cost would be obtained by multiplying the 
295 average number of annual use cycles by: (1) When electrically 
heated water is used: (total per-cycle machine electrical energy 
consumption + per-cycle hot water energy consumption + per-cycle self-
clean energy consumption + per-cycle ``combined low-power'' mode energy 
consumption) x (the representative average unit cost in dollars per 
kWh, as provided by the Secretary); or (2) when gas-heated or oil-
heated water is used: [(per-cycle machine electrical energy consumption 
+ per-cycle self-clean machine electrical energy consumption + per-
cycle combined low-power mode energy consumption) x (the representative 
average unit cost in dollars per kWh, as provided by the Secretary)] + 
[(per-cycle water energy consumption for gas-heated or oil-heated water 
+ per-cycle self-clean water energy consumption for gas-heated or oil-
heated water) x (representative average unit cost in dollars per Btu 
for oil or gas, as appropriate, as provided by the Secretary)]. The 
estimated annual operating cost would be rounded off to the nearest 
dollar per year. To provide for the appropriate per-cycle electrical 
and water heating measures used in the annual energy cost calculation, 
DOE proposes new calculations of per-cycle self-clean electrical, hot 
water, and overall energy consumption in today's SNOPR.
7. Additional Proposals
a. Extension of Test Load Size Table
    The clothes washer test procedure at appendix J1 specifies test 
load size for the active washing mode energy tests based on the clothes 
washer's container volume. The table specifying the test load sizes, 
Table 5.1, currently covers clothes washer container volumes up to only 
3.8 ft 3. DOE stated in the September 2010 NOPR that it was 
aware of multiple clothes washers available on the market that have 
clothes container volumes exceeding 3.8 ft,3 and proposed to 
revise Table 5.1 in the amended test procedure in appendix J2 to 
establish test load size specifications for clothes washer container 
volumes up to 6.0 ft 3. The proposed extension was based on 
a continuation of the linear relationship between test load size and 
clothes washer container volume in the DOE clothes washer test 
procedure at appendix J1. 75 FR 57556, 57570-71 (Sept. 21, 2010).
    DOE also received petitions for waiver from the current clothes 
washer test procedure from a number of manufacturers for clothes 
washers that they produce with clothes container volumes greater than 
3.8 ft 3. DOE granted waivers to these manufacturers, all of 
which contained alternate test procedures based on similar linear 
extensions of Table 5.1.
    DOE proposes to extend Table 5.1 in appendices J1 and J2 based on 
the extended version of Table 5.1 proposed in the September 2010 NOPR 
for appendix J2, with some minor adjustments. In the September 2010 
NOPR, DOE presented inconsistent decimal places in the minimum, 
average, and maximum load sizes in Table 5.1. This subsequently 
affected the calculation of some of the average load size values in the 
table. In today's SNOPR, DOE proposes to amend the extension to Table 
5.1 in appendices J1 and J2 by specifying each load size value to the 
hundredths decimal place.
b. Correction to Cold Rinse Definition
    After the publication of the September 2010 NOPR, DOE became aware 
of an error in the definition of cold rinse in the test procedure at 
appendix J1. Specifically, cold rinse is defined in section 1.22 of 
appendix J1 as ``the coldest rinse temperature available on the machine 
(and should be the same rinse temperature selection tested in 3.7 of 
this appendix).'' However, section 3.7 of appendix J1 contains 
provisions for testing warm rinse, which instruct that such tests be 
conducted with the hottest rinse temperature available. Thus, section 
3.7 is inapplicable to the definition of cold rinse in section 1.22. 
DOE proposes in today's SNOPR to remove reference to section 3.7 in the 
definition of cold rinse in both section 1.22 of appendix J1 and 
proposed section 1.7 of appendix J2.
c. Deletion of Redundant Test Cloth Specifications
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed deleting the redundant 
sections 2.6.1.1-2.6.1.2.4 from appendix J2. These sections pertain to 
test cloth specifications and preconditioning and were made obsolete in 
the 2001 Final Rule, which added sections 2.6.3 through 2.6.7.2 into 
appendix J1. 66 FR 3314. In today's SNOPR, DOE proposes to remove these 
redundant sections from appendix J1 as well. Consistent with the 
proposal in the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposes to use in section 
2.6.4.3 the thread count specification from deleted section 2.6.1.1(A), 
of 65 x 57 per inch (warp x fill), based on supplier data. 
Additionally, DOE proposes to maintain a shrinkage limit, relocated 
from section 2.6.1.1(B) to new section 2.6.4.7, but to increase the 
current 4 percent limit to 5 percent. DOE also proposes to require the 
cloth shrinkage to be measured as per the American Association of 
Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Test Method 135-2010, 
``Dimensional Changes of Fabrics after Home Laundering.'' These 
revisions are also supported by supplier data, according to AHAM. 
(AHAM, No. 15 at p. 15).
d. Detergent Specifications for Test Cloth Preconditioning
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed amending the clothes 
washer test procedure to specify the use of AHAM standard test 
detergent Formula

[[Page 49251]]

3 in test cloth preconditioning, at a dosing of 27.0 g + 4.0 g/lb. DOE 
proposed incorporating this amendment into the proposed appendix J2 
test procedure.
    ALS supported DOE's proposal to specify the use of AHAM standard 
detergent Formula 3 in test cloth preconditioning as well as the 
proposal to follow the instructions included with the detergent, 
because it is makes the dosing common with the Dryer Test Load 
preconditioning procedure. (ALS, No. 10 at p. 5) NEEA stated that it 
foresees no problem with, and some benefit from, adopting the AHAM 
detergent specification. (NEEA, No. 12 at p. 14) Whirlpool stated that 
the proposed detergent formulation and dosage changes are consistent 
with AHAM Standard HLD-1-2009, which Whirlpool supports. (Whirlpool, 
No. 13 at p. 14) AHAM supported DOE's proposal to amend the test 
procedure to specify the use of AHAM standard test detergent Formula 3 
in test cloth preconditioning at a dosing of 27.0g +4.0g/lb (AHAM, No. 
14 at p. 15; Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at pp. 194-195).
    In today's SNOPR, DOE proposes to amend the appendix J1 and J2 test 
procedures to require the use of the current AHAM standard test 
detergent formula for test cloth preconditioning, at a dosing of 27.0g 
+4.0g/lb. The current AHAM standard test detergent is Formula 3.
e. Cold Wash Temperature Selection
    DOE has observed multiple clothes washer models that offer a ``tap 
cold'' wash temperature setting in addition to a ``cold'' wash 
temperature setting. DOE proposes to clarify how to classify these 
temperature selections in appendix J1 and appendix J2.
    Section 3.6 of appendix J1 defines the cold wash selection as ``the 
coldest wash temperature selection available.'' Additionally, section 
1.18 of Appendix J1 defines ``warm wash'' as ``all wash temperature 
selections below the hottest hot, less than 135 [deg]F, and above the 
coldest cold temperature selection.'' In some cases with these models, 
DOE has observed that the ``cold'' setting mixes in hot water to raise 
the temperature above the cold water supply temperature, as defined in 
section 2.3 of Appendix J1. In such cases, DOE proposes that the 
manufacturer specified ``cold'' setting should be considered a warm 
wash, as defined in section 1.18; and that the ``tap cold'' setting 
should be considered the cold wash, as defined in section 3.6. In cases 
where the ``cold'' setting does not add any hot water for any of the 
test loads required for the energy test cycle, the ``cold'' setting 
should be considered the cold wash; and the ``tap cold'' setting would 
not be required for testing. DOE requests comment on the 
appropriateness of this clarification.
f. Correction to Per-Cycle Self-Clean Water Consumption Calculation
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE proposed incorporating per-cycle 
self-clean hot water energy consumption (section 4.1.8) into the 
calculation for IMEF, as well as total per-cycle self-clean water 
consumption (section 4.2.14) into the calculation for IWF in appendix 
J2. The proposed calculations in section 4.1.8 and section 4.2.14 did 
not contain the numeric multipliers required to apportion the total 
annual self-clean water consumption over the 295 representative average 
number of clothes washer cycles in a year. In today's SNOPR, DOE 
proposes to adjust the calculations in section 4.1.8 and 4.2.14 by 
including a multiplier of 12/295, where 12 represents the average 
number of clothes washer self-clean cycles in a year, and 295 
represents the average number of clothes washer cycles in a year.

C. Compliance With Other EPCA Requirements

1. Test Burden
    EPCA requires that any test procedures prescribed or amended under 
this section 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. Test procedures must also not be unduly burdensome to 
conduct.'' (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)).
    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE noted that the proposed amendments 
to the residential clothes washer test procedure would incorporate a 
test standard that is accepted internationally for measuring power 
consumption in standby mode and off mode (IEC Standard 62301). DOE 
analyzed the available versions of IEC Standard 62301 at that time--IEC 
Standard 62301 (First Edition), IEC Standard 62301 (CDV), and IEC 
Standard 62301 (FDIS)--and determined that the proposed amendments to 
the residential clothes washer test procedure would produce standby 
mode and off mode average power consumption measurements that are 
representative of an average use cycle. DOE also determined that the 
test methods and equipment that the amendments would require for 
measuring standby mode and off mode power in these products would not 
be substantially different from the test methods and equipment required 
in the current DOE test. Thus, DOE tentatively concluded that the 
proposed test procedure amendments would not require manufacturers to 
make significant investments in test facilities and new equipment. In 
sum, DOE tentatively concluded in the September 2010 NOPR that the 
amended test procedures 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. 
75 FR 57556, 57578 (Sept. 21, 2010).
    DOE also noted in the September 2010 NOPR that the proposed active 
mode amendments may require some manufacturers to incur equipment 
purchases on the order of hundreds of dollars, and would require 
testing additional cycles that could increase the total test time for 
certain clothes washers by approximately 25 percent. DOE tentatively 
concluded, however, that including these additional cycles in the test 
procedure would provide for a more representative measurement of 
machine energy efficiency and water use, and that the time commitment 
required to test these additional cycles would not represent a 
significant burden on manufacturers since the current test procedure 
already requires multiple energy test cycles. Id.
    Today's supplemental proposed amendments to the DOE test procedures 
are based on an updated version of IEC Standard 62301, IEC Standard 
62301 (Second Edition). As discussed in section III.B.1 of this notice, 
DOE believes that the provisions of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 
that it proposes to incorporate by reference in today's SNOPR provide a 
means to measure power consumption with greater accuracy and 
repeatability than the provisions from IEC Standard 62301 (First 
Edition) that were originally proposed in the December 2010 NOPR. For 
this reason, DOE concludes that today's supplemental proposed 
amendments would also provide measurements representative of average 
consumer use of the residential clothes washer under test. DOE further 
believes these new provisions in the applicable sections of IEC 
Standard 62301 (Second Edition) improve test results without undue 
testing burden. DOE also believes that the potential for increased test 
burden for certain power consumption measurements is offset by more 
reasonable requirements for testing equipment, while maintaining 
acceptable measurement accuracy.

[[Page 49252]]

Thus, DOE tentatively concludes that the amended test procedures newly 
proposed in today's SNOPR 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.
    The active mode provisions newly proposed in today's SNOPR consist 
of clarifications to test conduct and revised calculations, and would 
not require any additional investment, equipment purchases, or test 
time beyond those described in the September 2010 NOPR. Therefore, 
DOE's retains its tentative conclusion that the proposed active mode 
amendments would not impose a significant burden on manufacturers.
2. Integration of Standby Mode and Off Mode Energy Consumption Into the 
Efficiency Metric
    Section 325(gg)(2)(A) of EPCA requires that standby mode and off 
mode energy consumption be integrated into the overall energy 
efficiency, energy consumption, or other energy descriptor for each 
covered product unless the current test procedures already fully 
account for the standby mode and off mode energy consumption or if an 
integrated test procedure is technically infeasible. (42 U.S.C. 
6295(gg)(2)(A))
    Today's SNOPR incorporates the clothes washer standby and off mode 
energy consumption into a ``combined low-power mode'' energy 
consumption, expressed in kWh, and converted into an IMEF, as discussed 
in section III.B.2 of this notice.
    EPCA provides that test procedure amendments adopted to comply with 
the new EPCA requirements for standby and off mode energy consumption 
will not determine compliance with previously established standards. 
(42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(C)) Because DOE is incorporating these changes 
in a new appendix J2 to 10 CFR part 430 subpart B that manufacturers 
would not be required to use until the compliance date of amended 
energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers, the test 
procedure amendments pertaining to standby mode and off mode energy 
consumption that DOE proposes to adopt in this rulemaking would not 
apply to, and would have no effect on, existing standards.
3. Commercial Clothes Washers
    The test procedure for commercial clothes washers is required to be 
the same test procedure established for residential clothes washers. 
(42 U.S.C. 6314(a)(8)) Thus, the test procedure set forth in appendix 
J1 of subpart B of 10 CFR part 430 is also currently used to test 
commercial clothes washers. (10 CFR part 431.154)
    DOE noted in the September 2010 NOPR that the impacts to testing 
commercial clothes washers would be limited to the proposed amendments 
associated with active washing mode because commercial clothes washer 
standards are based on MEF and WF. Among others, these include proposed 
changes to the test load size specification, temperature use factors, 
dryer usage factor (DUF), capacity measurement, and water supply 
pressure specification, all of which could affect the measured energy 
and water efficiencies of a commercial clothes washer. DOE believed 
that the most significant impacts could be associated with the proposed 
amendments for capacity measurement and usage factors, but did not have 
information to evaluate any impacts for commercial clothes washers. 75 
FR 57556, 57578 (Sept. 21, 2010).
    In response, DOE received several comments on potential impacts of 
an amended clothes washer test procedure on commercial clothes washers. 
In today's SNOPR, DOE addresses those comments that pertain to the 
revised proposal.
    ALS commented that the most significant impact of the proposed 
amended test procedure on commercial clothes washers is the standby 
power measurement, because unlike most residential clothes washers, 
commercial clothes washers are vended and have lighted displays to 
invite customers to use them and provide instructions for use. 
According to ALS, the inclusion of standby power would significantly 
impact the ability for existing commercial clothes washers to meet more 
stringent minimum energy conservation standards without requiring a 
ready-to-use vended clothes washer to power down the display. ALS 
stated that a powered-down display would cause a potential customer to 
think the washer is not operational or ready to use, and thus 
discourage its use. (ALS, No. 10 at pp. 5-6).
    ALS also commented that the next most significant impact of the 
proposed amended test procedure would be the clothes container capacity 
measurement method, which would reduce the existing capacity rating. 
This would significantly reduce an already smaller tub used in 
commercial markets to even less volume measured, making it more 
difficult to achieve the minimum required energy efficiency standard. 
(ALS, No. 10 at p. 6)
    Whirlpool commented that the nature of use for commercial clothes 
washers would preclude the existence of delay start mode, cycle 
finished mode, and steam cycles. Whirlpool stated that the clothes 
washer test procedure should ignore those features if they are not on 
the unit under test. Whirlpool also expressed concern regarding the 
capacity measurement and modified temperature use factors. Whirlpool 
stated that the proposed IMEF and IWF calculations are suitable for 
commercial clothes washers. (Whirlpool, No. 13 at p. 14).
    In response to these comments, and as stated above, the impacts to 
testing commercial clothes washers would be limited to the proposed 
amendments associated with active washing mode because commercial 
clothes washer standards are based on MEF and WF. Because commercial 
clothes washer standards do not include standby and off mode, the 
addition of procedures to measure the energy use in standby and off 
modes would be inapplicable to and would not affect the standards for 
commercial clothes washers pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6293(e). For the 
active mode provisions of the proposed test procedure that could affect 
the measured energy and water efficiencies of a commercial clothes 
washer, DOE notes that 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(3) provides the following: 
models of covered products in use before the date on which an amended 
energy conservation standard (developed using the amended test 
procedure pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2)) becomes effective that 
comply with the energy conservation standard applicable to such covered 
products on the day before such date are deemed to comply with the 
amended standard. The same is true of revisions of such models that 
come into use after such date and have the same energy efficiency, 
energy use or water use characteristics.
    DOE concurs that commercial clothes washers would not be affected 
by any provisions for measuring delay start mode, cycle finished mode, 
or steam cycles. Under the proposal in today's SNOPR, the energy use 
for delay start and cycle finished modes would be included in the test 
results pursuant to the ``alternate method'' for measuring standby mode 
and off mode energy use, described in section III.B.2, and any such 
energy use is not included in the MEF and WF metrics used for 
commercial clothes washers.
4. Certification Requirements
    Sections 6299-6305 and 6316 of EPCA authorize DOE to enforce 
compliance with the energy and water

[[Page 49253]]

conservation standards established for certain consumer products and 
commercial equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6299-6305 (consumer products), 6316 
(commercial equipment)) 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 
residential clothes washers. 76 FR 12422. These regulations for 
residential clothes washers are codified in 10 CFR part 429.20.
    The certification requirements for residential clothes washers 
consist of a sampling plan for selection of units for testing and 
requirements for certification reports. Because the proposed amendments 
to the test procedure would not revise the current energy conservation 
standards, DOE is not proposing any amendments to the certification 
reporting requirements for these products. However, because DOE 
proposes in today's SNOPR to introduce two new metrics (IMEF and IWF), 
DOE proposes amended provisions in the sampling plan in 10 CFR part 
429.20(a)(2) that would include IMEF along with the existing measure of 
MEF, and IWF along with the existing measure of WF.

D. Impact on EnergyGuide

    In the September 2010 NOPR, DOE determined that the proposed test 
procedure amendments would not affect the FTC EnergyGuide labeling 
program because DOE did not propose to amend the estimated annual 
operating cost calculation in 10 CFR 430.23.
    NEEA commented that the energy use and annual energy cost 
information on the Energy Guide label is supposed to represent a 
reasonably accurate estimate of the annual energy use and energy cost 
associated with the use of the labeled product. NEEA stated that it 
would be nearly impossible to justify any rules associated with the 
accuracy of such representations if whole categories of annual energy 
use and cost are ignored. NEEA stated that Congress intended to account 
for the energy use of every appliance in its inactive mode and to make 
the results known to consumers. (NEEA, No.12 at p. 8)
    NEEA also noted that the ratings of many models may change as a 
result of the revised test procedure. NEEA commented that the 
EnergyGuide labels for individual models tested under appendix J1 and 
appendix J2 will exist in the marketplace together for a short time, 
raising the likelihood of consumer confusion when this happens. 
According to NEEA, there has been considerable consumer confusion in 
the past when new models arrive with energy use and annual cost numbers 
that are lower (or higher) than the lowest (or highest) numbers in the 
range on the EnergyGuide label. (NEEA, No. 12 at pp.15-16).
    The Joint Comment stated that the EnergyGuide label is designed to 
communicate to consumers the estimated average annual operating cost of 
a given product. Since the annual operating cost for a washer that a 
consumer will incur includes the cost of energy consumed in all modes 
including self-clean, standby, off, delay start, and cycle finished 
modes, the operating costs of all modes should be included in the 
annual operating cost calculation. (Joint Comment, No. 16 at p. 2).
    In addition, the Joint Comment stated that the cost of energy 
consumed in the additional non-active modes for many products will 
likely be significant compared to the total energy cost, which DOE 
estimates could consume as much as 48 kWh/year. The Joint Commenters 
noted that the EnergyGuide label includes only the cost of the machine 
energy and the water heating energy, and does not include the cost of 
the energy required to remove the remaining moisture from the clothes, 
which makes the cost of energy consumed in non-active-washing modes 
more significant. According to the Joint Comment, the most efficient 
washers listed by the FTC with a capacity greater than 3 cubic feet 
only use about 110-130 kWh/year, and, therefore, the energy consumed in 
modes other than the active washing mode could represent up to about 40 
percent of total annual energy use, which is significant. (Joint 
Comment, No. 16 at pp. 2-3).
    Whirlpool objected to measuring additional energy use in non-active 
modes but not reporting them on the EnergyGuide tag, stating that this 
would be inconsistent. (Whirlpool, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 20 at 
pp. 95-96).
    ASAP commented that when the new standards go into effect, the 
minimum and maximum operating costs on the EnergyGuide label would have 
to be revised anyway to take into account the new standards, and that 
the additional annual operating costs could be incorporated at that 
point. ASAP stated that it supports incorporating all energy use, 
including energy use in non-active modes. (ASAP, Public Meeting 
Transcript, No. 20 at p. 96).
    As discussed in section III.B.6, DOE proposes in today's SNOPR to 
amend the estimated annual operating cost by incorporating the cost of 
energy consumed in the non-active washing modes. DOE also proposed in 
the September 2010 NOPR to update the number of annual use cycles. This 
will affect the estimated annual operating cost disclosed on the 
EnergyGuide label. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6294, the FTC may revise the 
EnergyGuide label for residential clothes washers when the amended test 
procedure becomes effective.

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 an initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IFRA) 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 DOE rulemaking process. 68 FR 7990. DOE has made 
its procedures and policies available on the Office of the General 
Counsel's Web site: http://www.gc.doe.gov.
    DOE reviewed today's supplemental proposed rule under the 
provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and the procedures and 
policies published on February 19, 2003. DOE tentatively concluded that 
the September 2010 NOPR would not have a significant impact on a 
substantial number of small entities, and today's SNOPR contains no 
revisions to that proposal that would result a significant impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. The factual basis for this 
certification is as follows:
    The Small Business Administration (SBA) considers a business entity 
to be

[[Page 49254]]

small business, if, together with its affiliates, it employs less than 
a threshold number of workers specified in 13 CFR part 121. These size 
standards and codes are established by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS). The threshold number for NAICS 
classification code 335224, which applies to household laundry 
equipment manufacturers and includes clothes washer manufacturers, is 
1,000 employees. Searches of the SBA Web site \7\ to identify clothes 
washer manufacturers within these NAICS codes identified, out of 
approximately 17 manufacturers supplying clothes washers in the United 
States, only one small business. This small business manufactures 
laundry appliances, including clothes washers. The other manufacturers 
supplying clothes washers are large multinational corporations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ A searchable database of certified small businesses is 
available online at: http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The proposed rule would amend DOE's test procedure by incorporating 
testing provisions to address active mode, standby mode, and off mode 
energy and water consumption that will be used to demonstrate 
compliance with energy conservation standards. The proposed test 
procedure amendments for measuring standby and off mode power 
consumption using the ``alternative method'' involve measuring power 
input when the clothes washer is in inactive mode or off mode, or both 
if both modes are available on the clothes washer under test, as a 
proxy for measuring power consumption in all low power modes. These 
tests can be conducted in the same facilities used for the current 
energy testing of these products, so it is anticipated that 
manufacturers would not incur any additional facilities costs as a 
result of the proposed test procedure amendments. The power meter 
required for these tests might require greater accuracy than the power 
meter used for current energy testing, but the investment required for 
a possible instrumentation upgrade is expected to be approximately a 
few thousand dollars. The duration of each non-active washing mode test 
period is expected to be roughly 30-45 minutes, depending on stability 
of the power consumption, using the alternative approach described 
previously. This is comparable to approximately one-half to two-thirds 
the time required to conduct a single energy test cycle. Each clothes 
washer tested requires, on average, approximately 15 test cycles for 
energy testing, which equates to about 3 days of testing. Using the 
alternative approach proposed in today's SNOPR, DOE estimates roughly a 
3-percent increase in total test period duration. This represents a 
significant reduction compared to the 11 percent increase DOE estimated 
in the September 2010 NOPR, which was based on the proposal to measure 
inactive, off, delay start, and cycle finished modes separately. DOE 
notes that the provisions from IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 
proposed to incorporate by reference in today's SNOPR would require 
longer test durations in the event that the threshold stability 
criteria of the power measurement are not met. DOE believes that the 
likelihood of such a longer test being required is very small, based on 
the observations during testing for the September 2010 NOPR.
    DOE also estimates that it costs a manufacturer approximately $2300 
on average, including the cost of consumables, to conduct energy 
testing for a particular clothes washer. DOE further estimates that the 
cost of additional testing for non-active washing modes using the 
proposed alternative approach would average $75 per machine, a 3-
percent increase over current test costs. This represents a significant 
reduction compared to the 9 percent increase ($200) DOE estimated in 
the September 2010 NOPR, which was based on the proposal to measure 
inactive, off, delay start, and cycle finished modes separately. For 
the same reason as discussed above, DOE does not believe it is likely 
that these test costs will be higher due to extended test times 
required by IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) in the event that the 
threshold stability criteria of the power measurement are not met.
    DOE believes these additional requirements for equipment and time 
and additional cost to conduct the proposed non-active washing mode 
test would not be expected to impose a significant economic burden on 
entities subject to the applicable testing requirements. Although the 
small business has significantly lower sales than other manufacturers 
over which to amortize these additional costs, it produces only a 
single platform which would be subject to the proposed non-active 
washing mode tests.
    DOE does not believe that the proposed test procedure amendments 
for the active washing mode discussed in today's SNOPR would increase 
test burden because they comprise revisions to calculations rather than 
additional, longer, or more complex methodology. For standby mode and 
off mode, as described in section III.B.1, certain provisions in 
section 5 of IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition could require additional 
testing time compared to the First Edition. However, DOE expects the 
large majority of clothes washers to require less than one hour of 
testing time to perform the standby power test under the proposed 
alternative approach. Therefore, DOE does not believe these proposed 
amendments would have a significant impact on a substantial number of 
small entities.
    For these reasons, DOE tentatively concludes and certifies that the 
September 2010 NOPR, as modified by today's SNOPR, 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 has previously transmitted 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). DOE seeks comment on the 
updated certification set forth above.

C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    Manufacturers of residential clothes washers 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 washers, 
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 residential clothes washers. 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.

[[Page 49255]]

D. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

    In this proposed rule, DOE proposes test procedure amendments that 
it expects will be used to develop and implement future energy 
conservation standards for residential clothes washers. 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. Public Law 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 UMRA. 62 FR 12820; also available 
at http://www.gc.doe.gov. 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 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.

[[Page 49256]]

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 regulatory action to amend the test procedure for measuring 
the energy efficiency of residential clothes washers 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 Department of Energy Organization Act 
(Pub. L. 95-91; 42 U.S.C. 7101), DOE must comply with section 32 of the 
Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, as amended by the Federal 
Energy Administration Authorization Act of 1977. (15 U.S.C. 788; FEAA) 
Section 32 essentially provides in relevant part that, where a proposed 
rule authorizes or requires use of commercial standards, the notice of 
proposed 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 FTC concerning the impact 
of the commercial or industry standards on competition.
    The proposed modifications to the test procedure addressed by this 
action incorporate testing methods contained in the commercial 
standard, IEC Standard 62301, Edition 2.0 2011-01, ``Household 
electrical appliances--Measurement of standby power.'' 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, before prescribing a 
final rule.

V. Public Participation

A. 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 http://www.regulations.gov. The http://www.regulations.gov web page will require you to provide your name and 
contact information. Your contact information will be viewable to DOE 
Building Technologies staff only. 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. Persons viewing comments will see only first and last names, 
organization names, correspondence containing comments, and any 
documents submitted with the comments.
    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.
    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 e-mail, hand delivery, or mail. Comments 
and documents submitted via e-mail, 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, e-
mail 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 
e-mail, postal mail, or hand delivery two well-marked copies: one copy 
of the document marked confidential including all the

[[Page 49257]]

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 e-mail 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).

B. 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 concerning the following issues:
    (1) Incorporation by reference of certain provisions of IEC 62301 
(Second Edition), and the accompanying impacts on measurement 
improvement and test burden (see section III.B.1);
    (2) 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;
    (3) The potential test burden that would be required for a 
laboratory to upgrade its data acquisition system to enable real-time 
statistical analysis capabilities;
    (4) The alternate method for measuring energy use in low-power 
modes by means of measuring power consumption only in the inactive mode 
and off mode (see section III.B.2);
    (5) The proposed clarification of the energy test cycle definition 
(see section III.B.3);
    (6) The proposed use of a weighted-average load size based on the 
load usage factors and the minimum, average, and maximum load sizes 
rather than the product of the LAF and maximum load size in the drying 
energy calculation (see section III.B.4); and
    (7) The proposed clarification of how to classify the wash 
temperature settings for clothes washers with both a ``cold'' wash 
setting and a ``tap cold'' wash setting.
    (8) DOE's tentative conclusion and certification that the September 
2010 NOPR, as modified by today's SNOPR, would not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

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, Energy conservation, 
Household appliances, Incorporation by reference, Small businesses.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2011.
Kathleen Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, DOE proposes 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

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

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

    2. Section 429.20 is amended by revising paragraphs (a)(2)(i) 
introductory text and (a)(2)(ii) introductory text to read as follows:

Sec.  429.20  Residential clothes washers.

    (a) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (i) Any represented value of the water factor, integrated water 
factor, the estimated annual operating cost, the energy or water 
consumption, or other measure of energy or water consumption of a basic 
model for which consumers would favor lower values shall be greater 
than or equal to the higher of:
* * * * *
    (ii) Any represented value of the modified energy factor, 
integrated modified energy factor, or other measure of energy or water 
consumption of a basic model for which consumers would favor higher 
values shall be less than or equal to the lower of:
* * * * *

PART 430--ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS

    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.

    4. Section 430.3 is amended by:
    a. Redesignating paragraphs (c) through (o) as paragraphs(d) 
through (p);
    b. Adding new paragraph (c);
    c. Revising newly designated paragraph (m)(2).
    The additions read as follows:

Sec.  430.3  Materials incorporated by reference.

* * * * *
    (c) AATCC. American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, 
P.O. Box 1215, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, 919-549-8141, or go to 
http://www.aatcc.org.
    (1) AATCC Test Method 79-2010, Absorbency of Bleached Textiles,, 
IBR approved for Appendix J1 and Appendix J2.
    (2) AATCC Test Method 118-2007, Oil Repellency: Hydrocarbon 
Resistance Test,, IBR approved for Appendix J1 and Appendix J2.
    (3) AATCC Test Method 135-2010, Dimensional Changes of Fabrics 
after Home Laundering, IBR approved for Appendix J1 and Appendix J2.
* * * * *
    (m) * * *
    (2) IEC Standard 62301 (``IEC 62301''), Household electrical 
appliances--Measurement of standby power (Edition 2.0, 2011-01), IBR 
approved for Appendix J2.
* * * * *
    5. Section 430.23 is amended by revising paragraph (j) to read as 
follows:

Sec.  430.23  Test procedures for the measurement of energy and water 
consumption.

* * * * *
    (j) Clothes washers. (1) The estimated annual operating cost for 
automatic and semi-automatic clothes washers must be rounded off to the 
nearest dollar per year and is defined as follows:

[[Page 49258]]

    (i) Before use of appendix J2 becomes mandatory,
    (A) When electrically heated water is used,

(N1 x ETE1 x CKWH)

Where,

N1 = the representative average residential clothes 
washer use of 392 cycles per year according to appendix J1,
ETE1 = the total per-cycle energy consumption when 
electrically heated water is used, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, 
determined according to section 4.1.7 of appendix J1, and
CKWH = the representative average unit cost, in dollars 
per kilowatt-hour, as provided by the Secretary.

    (B) When gas-heated or oil-heated water is used,

(N1 x ((MET1 x CKWH) + 
(HETG1 x CBTU)))

Where,

N1 and CKWH are defined in paragraph 
(j)(1)(i)(A) of this section,
MET1 = the total weighted per-cycle machine electrical 
energy consumption, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, determined 
according to section 4.1.6 of appendix J1,
HETG1 = the per-cycle hot water energy consumption using 
gas-heated or oil-heated water, in Btu per cycle, determined 
according to section 4.1.4 of appendix J1, and
CBTU = the representative average unit cost, in dollars 
per Btu for oil or gas, as appropriate, as provided by the 
Secretary.

    (ii) After use of appendix J2 becomes mandatory (see the note at 
the beginning of appendix J2),
    (A) When electrically heated water is used,

(N2 x (ETE2 + ETSC + ETSO) 
x CKWH)

Where,

N2 = the representative average residential clothes 
washer use of 295 cycles per year according to appendix J2,
ETE2 = the total per-cycle energy consumption, in 
kilowatt-hours per cycle, determined according to section 4.1.7 of 
appendix J2,
ETSC = the per-cycle self-clean energy consumption, in 
kilowatt-hours per cycle, determined according to section 4.5 of 
appendix J2,
ETSO = the per-cycle combined low-power mode energy 
consumption, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, determined according to 
section 4.4 of appendix J2, and
CKWH is defined in paragraph (j)(1)(i)(A) of this 
section.

    (B) When gas-heated or oil-heated water is used,

(N2 x ((MET2 + MESC + ETSO) 
x CKWH) + ((HETG2 + HESCG) x 
CBTU))

Where,

N2 and ETSO are defined in (j)(1)(ii)(A) of 
this section,
MET2 = the total weighted per-cycle machine electrical 
energy consumption, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, determined 
according to section 4.1.6 of appendix J2,
MESC = the per-cycle self-clean machine electrical energy 
consumption, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, determined according to 
section 4.1.10 of appendix J2,
CKWH is defined in (j)(1)(i)(A) of this section,
HETG2 = the per-cycle hot water energy consumption using 
gas-heated or oil-heated water, in Btu per cycle, determined 
according to section 4.1.4 of appendix J2,
HESCG = the per-cycle self-clean hot water energy 
consumption using gas-heated or oil-heated water, in Btu per cycle, 
determined according to section 4.1.9 of appendix J2, and
CBTU is defined in (j)(1)(i)(B) of this section.

    (2)(i) The modified energy factor for automatic and semi-automatic 
clothes washers is determined in accordance with section 4.4 of 
appendix J1 before appendix J2 becomes mandatory and section 4.6 of 
appendix J2 when appendix J2 becomes mandatory. The result shall be 
rounded off to the nearest 0.01 cubic foot per kilowatt-hour per cycle.
    (ii) The integrated modified energy factor for automatic and semi-
automatic clothes washers is determined in accordance with section 4.7 
of appendix J2 when appendix J2 becomes mandatory. The result shall be 
rounded off to the nearest 0.01 cubic foot per kilowatt-hour per cycle.
    (3) Other useful measures of energy consumption for automatic or 
semi-automatic clothes washers shall be those measures of energy 
consumption which the Secretary determines are likely to assist 
consumers in making purchasing decisions and which are derived from the 
application of appendix J1 before the date that appendix J2 becomes 
mandatory or appendix J2 upon the date that appendix J2 becomes 
mandatory. In addition, the annual water consumption of a clothes 
washer can be determined by the product of:
    (i) Before appendix J2 becomes mandatory, the representative 
average-use of 392 cycles per year and the total weighted per-cycle 
water consumption for cold wash in gallons per cycle determined 
according to section 4.2.2 of appendix J1. The water consumption factor 
can be determined in accordance with section 4.2.3 of appendix J1. The 
remaining moisture content can be determined in accordance with section 
3.8 of appendix J1.
    (ii) After appendix J2 becomes mandatory, the representative 
average-use of 295 cycles per year and the total weighted per-cycle 
water consumption for all wash cycles in gallons per cycle determined 
according to section 4.2.13 of appendix J2. The water consumption 
factor can be determined in accordance with section 4.2.15 of appendix 
J2. The integrated water consumption factor can be determined in 
accordance with section 4.2.16 of appendix J2. The remaining moisture 
content can be determined in accordance with section 3.8 of appendix 
J2.
* * * * *

Appendix J--[Removed]

    6. Appendix J to subpart B of part 430 is removed.

Appendix J1--[Amended]

    7. Appendix J1 to subpart B of part 430 is amended by:
    a. Revising the introductory text;
    b. Revising section 1.22;
    c. Removing sections 2.6.1.1 through 2.6.1.2.4;
    d. Revising section 2.6.3.1;
    e. Revising section 2.10;
    f. Revising section 3.6;
    g. Revising section 4.1.4, and
    h. Revising section 5.
    The revisions read as follows:

Appendix J1 to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Automatic and Semi-automatic Clothes Washers

    Appendix J1 is effective until the compliance date of any 
amended standards for residential clothes washers. After this date, 
all residential clothes washers shall be tested using the provisions 
of Appendix J2 of this appendix.
* * * * *
    1.22 Cold rinse means the coldest rinse temperature available on 
the machine.
* * * * *
    2.6.3.1 Perform 5 complete normal wash-rinse-spin cycles, the 
first two with AHAM Standard detergent Formula 3 and the last three 
without detergent. Place the test cloth in a clothes washer set at 
the maximum water level. Wash the load for ten minutes in soft water 
(17 ppm hardness or less) using 27.0 grams + 4.0 grams per lb of 
cloth load of AHAM Standard detergent Formula 3. The wash 
temperature is to be controlled to 135 [deg]F  5 [deg]F 
(57.2 [deg]C  2.8 [deg]C) and the rinse temperature is 
to be controlled to 60 [deg]F  5 [deg]F (15.6 [deg]C 
 2.8 [deg]C). Repeat the cycle with detergent and then 
repeat the cycle three additional times without detergent, bone 
drying the load between cycles (total of five wash and rinse 
cycles).
* * * * *
    2.10 Wash time setting. If one wash time is prescribed in the 
energy test cycle, that shall be the wash time setting; otherwise, 
the wash time setting shall be the higher of either the minimum or 
70 percent of the maximum wash time available in the energy test 
cycle, regardless of the labeling of suggested dial locations. If 
the clothes washer is equipped with an electromechanical dial 
controlling wash time, reset the dial to the minimum wash time and 
then turn it in the direction of increasing wash time to reach the

[[Page 49259]]

appropriate setting. If the appropriate setting is passed, return 
the dial to the minimum wash time and then turn in the direction of 
increasing wash time until the setting is reached.
* * * * *
    3.6 ``Cold Wash'' (Minimum Wash Temperature Selection). Water 
and electrical energy consumption shall be measured for each water 
fill level or test load size as specified in sections 3.6.1 through 
3.6.3 of this Appendix for the coldest wash temperature selection 
available. For a clothes washer that offers two or more wash 
temperature settings labeled as cold, such as ``Cold'' and ``Tap 
Cold'', the setting with the minimum wash temperature shall be 
considered the cold wash. If any of the other cold wash temperature 
settings add hot water to raise the wash temperature above the cold 
water supply temperature, as defined in section 2.3 of this 
Appendix, those setting(s) shall be considered warm wash setting(s), 
as defined in section 1.18 of this Appendix. If none of the cold 
wash temperature settings add hot water for any of the water fill 
levels or test load sizes required for the energy test cycle, the 
wash temperature setting labeled as ``Cold'' shall be considered the 
cold wash, and the other wash temperature setting(s) labeled as cold 
shall not be required for testing.
* * * * *

4. Calculation of Derived Results From Test Measurements.

* * * * *
    4.1.4 Total per-cycle hot water energy consumption using gas-
heated or oil-heated water. Calculate for the energy test cycle the 
per-cycle hot water consumption, HETG, using gas-heated 
or oil-heated water, expressed in Btu per cycle (or megajoules per 
cycle) and defined as:

HETG = HET x 1/e x 3412 Btu/kWh or 
HETG = HET x 1/e x 3.6 MJ/kWh
where:

e = Nominal gas or oil water heater efficiency = 0.75.
HET=As defined in 4.1.3.
* * * * *

5. Test Loads

                                           Table 5.1--Test Load Sizes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Container volume                     Minimum load          Maximum load          Average load
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Cu. ft.                  Liter
-----------------------------------------------     Lb         kg         lb         kg         lb         Kg
             >= = 0.10 lbs (0.05 kg).

    8. Add a new Appendix J2 to subpart B of part 430 to read as 
follows:

Appendix J2 to Subpart B of Part 430--Uniform Test Method for Measuring 
the Energy Consumption of Automatic and Semi-Automatic Clothes Washers

    Appendix J1 is effective until the compliance date of any amended 
standards for residential clothes washers. After this date, all 
residential clothes washers shall be tested using the provisions of 
Appendix J2.

1. Definitions and Symbols

    1.1 Active mode means a mode in which the clothes washer is 
connected to a mains power source, has been activated, and is 
performing one or more of the main functions of washing, soaking, 
tumbling, agitating, rinsing, and/or removing water from the clothing, 
or is involved in functions necessary for these main functions, such as 
admitting water into the washer or pumping water out of the washer. 
Active mode also includes delay start, cycle finished, and self-clean 
modes.
    1.2 Active washing mode means a mode in which the clothes washer is 
performing any of the operations included in a complete cycle intended 
for washing a clothing load, including the main functions of washing, 
soaking, tumbling, agitating, rinsing, and/or removing water from the 
clothing.
    1.3 Adaptive control system means a clothes washer control system, 
other than an adaptive water fill control system, which is capable of 
automatically adjusting washer operation or washing conditions based on 
characteristics of the clothes load placed in the clothes container, 
without allowing or requiring consumer intervention or actions. The 
automatic adjustments may, for example, include automatic selection, 
modification, or control of any of the following: Wash water 
temperature, agitation or tumble cycle time, number of rinse cycles, 
and spin speed. The characteristics of the clothes load, which could 
trigger such adjustments, could, for example, consist of or be 
indicated by the presence of either soil, soap, suds, or any other 
additive laundering substitute or complementary product.

    Note: Appendix J2 does not provide a means for determining the 
energy consumption of a clothes washer with an adaptive control 
system. A waiver must be obtained pursuant to 10 CFR 430.27 to 
establish an acceptable test procedure for each such clothes washer.

    1.4 Adaptive water fill control system means a clothes washer water 
fill control system which is capable of automatically adjusting the 
water fill level based on the size or weight of the clothes load placed 
in the clothes container, without allowing or requiring consumer 
intervention or actions.
    1.5 Bone-dry means a condition of a load of test cloth 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.
    1.6 Clothes container means the compartment within the clothes 
washer that holds the clothes during the operation of the machine.
    1.7 Cold rinse means the coldest rinse temperature available on the 
machine.
    1.8 Combined low-power mode means the aggregate of available modes 
other than active washing mode and self-clean mode, including inactive 
mode, off mode, delay start mode, and cycle finished mode.
    1.9 Compact means a clothes washer which has a clothes container 
capacity of less than 1.6 ft\3\ (45 L).
    1.10 Cycle finished mode means an active mode which provides 
continuous status display following operation in active washing mode.
    1.11 Deep rinse cycle means a rinse cycle in which the clothes 
container is filled with water to a selected level and the clothes load 
is rinsed by agitating it or tumbling it through the water.
    1.12 Delay start mode means an active mode in which activation of 
active washing mode is facilitated by a timer.
    1.13 Energy test cycle for a basic model means (A) The cycle 
recommended by the manufacturer for washing cotton or linen clothes, 
and includes all wash/rinse temperature selections and water levels 
offered in that cycle, and (B) if the cycle described in (A) does not 
include all wash/rinse temperature settings available on the clothes 
washer, the energy test cycle shall also include the portions of a 
cycle setting offering these wash/rinse temperature settings with 
agitation/tumble operation, spin speed(s), wash times, and rinse times 
that are largely comparable to those for the cycle recommended by the 
manufacturer for washing cotton or linen clothes. Any cycle under (A) 
or (B) shall include the manufacturer's default agitation/tumble 
operation, soil level, spin speed(s), wash times, and rinse times 
applicable to that cycle, including water heating time for water 
heating clothes washers.
    1.14 IEC 62301 means the test standard published by the 
International Electrotechnical Commission, entitled ``Household 
electrical appliances--Measurement of standby power,'' Publication 
62301 Edition 2.0 2011-01 (incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3).
    1.15 Inactive mode means a standby mode that facilitates the 
activation of active mode by remote switch (including remote control), 
internal sensor, or timer, or that provides continuous status display.
    1.16 Integrated modified energy factor means the quotient of the 
cubic foot (or liter) capacity of the clothes container divided by the 
total clothes washer energy consumption per cycle, with such energy 
consumption expressed as the sum of:
    (a) The machine electrical energy consumption;
    (b) The hot water energy consumption;
    (c) The energy required for removal of the remaining moisture in 
the wash load;

[[Page 49261]]

    (d) The combined low-power mode energy consumption; and
    (e) The self-clean energy consumption, as applicable.
    1.17 Integrated water consumption factor means the quotient of the 
total clothes washer water consumption per cycle in gallons, with such 
water consumption expressed as the sum of the total weighted per-cycle 
water consumption and the per-cycle self-clean water consumption, 
divided by the cubic foot (or liter) capacity of the clothes washer.
    1.18 Load use factor means the percentage of the total number of 
wash loads that a user would wash a particular size (weight) load.
    1.19 Manual control system means a clothes washer control system 
which requires that the consumer make the choices that determine washer 
operation or washing conditions, such as, for example, wash/rinse 
temperature selections, and wash time before starting the cycle.
    1.20 Manual water fill control system means a clothes washer water 
fill control system which requires the consumer to determine or select 
the water fill level.
    1.21 Modified energy factor means the quotient of the cubic foot 
(or liter) capacity of the clothes container divided by the total 
clothes washer energy consumption per cycle, with such energy 
consumption expressed as the sum of the machine electrical energy 
consumption, the hot water energy consumption, and the energy required 
for removal of the remaining moisture in the wash load.
    1.22 Non-water-heating clothes washer means a clothes washer which 
does not have an internal water heating device to generate hot water.
    1.23 Off mode means a mode in which the clothes washer is connected 
to a mains power source and is not providing any active or standby mode 
function, and where the mode may persist for an indefinite time. An 
indicator that only shows the user that the product is in the off 
position is included within the classification of an off mode.
    1.24 Self-clean mode means an active clothes washer operating mode 
that is:
    (a) Dedicated to cleaning, deodorizing, or sanitizing the clothes 
washer by eliminating sources of odor, bacteria, mold, and mildew;
    (b) Recommended to be run intermittently by the manufacturer; and
    (c) Separate from clothes washing cycles.
    1.25 Spray rinse cycle means a rinse cycle in which water is 
sprayed onto the clothes for a period of time without maintaining any 
specific water level in the clothes container.
    1.26 Standard means a clothes washer which has a clothes container 
capacity of 1.6 ft\3\ (45 L) or greater.
    1.27 Standby mode means any modes in which the clothes washer is 
connected to a mains power source and offers one or more of the 
following user oriented or protective functions that may persist for an 
indefinite time:
    (a) To facilitate the activation of other modes (including 
activation or deactivation of active mode) by remote switch (including 
remote control), internal sensor, or timer;
    (b) Continuous functions, including information or status displays 
(including clocks) or sensor-based functions. A timer is a continuous 
clock function (which may or may not be associated with a display) that 
provides regular scheduled tasks (e.g., switching) and that operates on 
a continuous basis.
    1.28 Steam cycle means a wash cycle in which steam is injected into 
the clothes container.
    1.29 Symbol usage. The following identity relationships are 
provided to help clarify the symbology used throughout this procedure.

E--Electrical Energy Consumption;
H--Hot Water Consumption;
C--Cold Water Consumption;
R--Hot Water Consumed by Warm Rinse;
TUF--Temperature Use Factor;
HE--Hot Water Energy Consumption;
F--Load Usage Factor;
Q--Total Water Consumption;
ME--Machine Electrical Energy Consumption;
RMC--Remaining Moisture Content;
WI--Initial Weight of Dry Test Load;
WC--Weight of Test Load After Extraction;
P--Power;
S--Annual Hours;
s--Steam Wash;
m--Extra Hot Wash (maximum wash temp. > 135 [deg]F (57.2 [deg]C));
h--Hot Wash (maximum wash temp. x = ``Electrical Energy Consumption'' for an ``Extra Hot 
Wash'' and ``Maximum Test Load''.
Ra = ``Hot Water Consumed by Warm Rinse'' for the ``Average 
Test Load''.
TUFm = ``Temperature Use Factor'' for an ``Extra Hot Wash''.
HEmin = ``Hot Water Energy Consumption'' for the ``Minimum 
Test Load''.
Qsc = ``Total Water Consumption'' for ``Self Clean''.
Pia = ``Power'' in ``Inactive Mode''.
So = ``Annual Hours'' in ``Off Mode''.

    1.30 Temperature use factor means, for a particular wash/rinse 
temperature setting, the percentage of the total number of wash loads 
that an average user would wash with that setting.
    1.31 Thermostatically controlled water valves means clothes washer 
controls that have the ability to sense and adjust the hot and cold 
supply water.
    1.32 Uniformly distributed warm wash temperature selection(s) means 
(A) Multiple warm wash selections for which the warm wash water 
temperatures have a linear relationship with all discrete warm wash 
selections when the water temperatures are plotted against equally 
spaced consecutive warm wash selections between the hottest warm wash 
and the coldest warm wash. If the warm wash has infinite selections, 
the warm wash water temperature has a linear relationship with the 
distance on the selection device (e.g. dial angle or slide movement) 
between the hottest warm wash and the coldest warm wash. The criteria 
for a linear relationship as specified above is that the difference 
between the actual water temperature at any warm wash selection and the 
point where that temperature is depicted on the temperature/selection 
line formed by connecting the warmest and the coldest warm selections 
is less than  5 percent. In all cases, the mean water 
temperature of the warmest and the coldest warm selections must 
coincide with the mean of the ``hot wash'' (maximum wash temperature  3.8 [deg]F ( 2.1 
[deg]C); or (B) on a clothes washer with only one warm wash temperature 
selection, a warm wash temperature selection with a water temperature 
that coincides with the mean of the ``hot wash'' (maximum wash 
temperature  3.8 [deg]F 
( 2.1 [deg]C).
    1.33 Warm rinse means the hottest rinse temperature available on 
the machine.

[[Page 49262]]

    1.34 Warm wash means all wash temperature selections that are below 
the maximum wash temperature 240, 
or 120/208Y volts as applicable to the particular terminal block wiring 
system and within 2 percent of the nameplate frequency as specified by 
the manufacturer. If the clothes washer has a dual voltage conversion 
capability, conduct test at the highest voltage specified by the 
manufacturer.
    2.2.2 Supply voltage waveform. For the combined low-power 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 Supply Water.
    2.3.1 Clothes washers in which electrical energy consumption or 
water energy consumption are affected by the inlet water temperature. 
(For example, water heating clothes washers or clothes washers with 
thermostatically controlled water valves.). The temperature of the hot 
water supply at the water inlets shall not exceed 135 [deg]F (57.2 
[deg]C) and the cold water supply at the water inlets shall not exceed 
60 [deg]F (15.6 [deg]C). A water meter shall be installed in both the 
hot and cold water lines to measure water consumption.
    2.3.2 Clothes washers in which electrical energy consumption and 
water energy consumption are not affected by the inlet water 
temperature. The temperature of the hot water supply shall be 
maintained at 135 [deg]F  5 [deg]F (57.2 [deg]C  2.8 [deg]C) and the cold water supply shall be maintained at 60 
[deg]F  5 [deg]F (15.6 [deg]C  2.8 [deg]C). A 
water meter shall be installed in both the hot and cold water lines to 
measure water consumption.
    2.4 Water pressure. The static water pressure at the hot and cold 
water inlet connection of the clothes washer shall be maintained at 35 
pounds per square inch gauge (psig) 2.5 psig (241.3 kPa 
 17.2 kPa) when the water is flowing. The static water 
pressure for a single water inlet connection shall be maintained at 35 
psig  2.5 psig (241.3 kPa  17.2 kPa) when the 
water is flowing. A water pressure gauge shall be installed in both the 
hot and cold water lines to measure water pressure.
    2.5 Instrumentation. Perform all test measurements using the 
following instruments as appropriate:
    2.5.1 Weighing scales.
    2.5.1.1 Weighing scale for test cloth. The scale shall have a 
resolution of no larger than 0.2 oz (5.7 g) and a maximum error no 
greater than 0.3 percent of the measured value.
    2.5.1.2 Weighing scale for clothes container capacity measurement. 
The scale should have a resolution no larger than 0.50 lbs (0.23 kg) 
and a maximum error no greater than 0.5 percent of the measured value.
    2.5.2 Watt-hour meter. The watt-hour meter shall have a resolution 
no larger than 1 Wh (3.6 kJ) and a maximum error no greater than 2 
percent of the measured value for any demand greater than 50 Wh (180.0 
kJ).
    2.5.3 Watt meter. The watt meter used to measure combined low-power 
mode power consumption shall comply with 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.
    2.5.4 Temperature measuring device. The device shall have an error 
no greater than  1 [deg]F ( 0.6 [deg]C) over 
the range being measured.
    2.5.5 Water meter. The water meter shall have a resolution no 
larger than 0.1 gallons (0.4 liters) and a maximum error no greater 
than 2 percent for the water flow rates being measured.
    2.5.6 Water pressure gauge. The water pressure gauge shall have a 
resolution of 1 pound per square inch gauge (psig) (6.9 kPa) and shall 
have an error no greater than 5 percent of any measured value.
    2.6 Test cloths.
    2.6.1 Energy Test Cloth. The energy test cloth shall be made from 
energy test cloth material, as specified in section 2.6.4 of this 
Appendix, that is 24  \1/2\ inches by 36  \1/2\ 
inches (61.0  1.3 cm by 91.4  1.3 cm) and has 
been hemmed to 22  \1/2\ inches by 34  \1/2\ 
inches (55.9  1.3 cm by 86.4  1.3 cm) before 
washing. The energy test cloth shall be clean and shall not be used for 
more than 60 test runs (after preconditioning as specified in 2.6.3 of 
this appendix). All energy test cloth must be permanently marked 
identifying the lot number of the material. Mixed lots of material 
shall not be used for testing the clothes washers.
    2.6.2 Energy Stuffer Cloth. The energy stuffer cloth shall be made 
from energy test cloth material, as specified in section 2.6.4 of this 
Appendix, and shall consist of pieces of material that are 12  \1/4\ inches by 12  \1/4\ inches (30.5  
0.6 cm by 30.5  0.6 cm) and have been hemmed to 10  \1/4\ inches by 10  \1/4\ inches (25.4  
0.6 cm by 25.4  0.6 cm) before washing. The energy stuffer 
cloth shall be clean and shall not be used for more than 60 test runs 
(after preconditioning as specified in section 2.6.3 of this Appendix). 
All energy stuffer cloth must be permanently marked identifying the lot 
number of the material. Mixed lots of material shall not be used for 
testing the clothes washers.
    2.6.3 Preconditioning of Test Cloths. The new test cloths, 
including energy test cloths and energy stuffer cloths, shall be pre-
conditioned in a clothes washer in the following manner:
    2.6.3.1 Perform 5 complete normal wash-rinse-spin cycles, the first 
two with current AHAM Standard detergent Formula 3 and the last three 
without detergent. Place the test cloth in a clothes washer set at the 
maximum water level. Wash the load for ten minutes in soft water (17 
ppm hardness or less) using 27.0 grams + 4.0 grams per lb of cloth load 
of AHAM Standard detergent Formula 3. The wash temperature is to be 
controlled to 135 [deg]F  5 [deg]F (57.2 [deg]C  2.8 [deg]C) and the rinse temperature is to be controlled to 60 
[deg]F  5 [deg]F (15.6 [deg]C  2.8 [deg]C). 
Repeat the cycle with detergent and then repeat the cycle three 
additional times without detergent, bone drying the load between

[[Page 49263]]

cycles (total of five wash and rinse cycles).
    2.6.4 Energy test cloth material. The energy test cloths and energy 
stuffer cloths shall be made from fabric meeting the following 
specifications. The material should come from a roll of material with a 
width of approximately 63 inches and approximately 500 yards per roll. 
However, other sizes may be used if they fall within the 
specifications.
    2.6.4.1 Nominal fabric type. Pure finished bleached cloth made with 
a momie or granite weave, which is nominally 50 percent cotton and 50 
percent polyester.
    2.6.4.2 The fabric weight specification shall be 5.60  
0.25 ounces per square yard (190.0  8.4 g/m\2\).
    2.6.4.3 The thread count shall be 65 x 57 per inch (warp x fill), 
2 percent.
    2.6.4.4 The warp yarn and filling yarn shall each have fiber 
content of 50 percent  4 percent cotton, with the balance 
being polyester, and be open end spun, 15/1  5 percent 
cotton count blended yarn.
    2.6.4.5 Water repellent finishes, such as fluoropolymer stain 
resistant finishes shall not be applied to the test cloth. The absence 
of such finishes shall be verified by:
    2.6.4.5.1 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists 
(AATCC) Test Method 118-2007, Oil Repellency: Hydrocarbon Resistance 
Test (incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3), of each new lot of 
test cloth (when purchased from the mill) to confirm the absence of 
Scotchguard\TM\ or other water repellent finish (required scores of 
``D'' across the board).
    2.6.4.5.2 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists 
(AATCC) Test Method 79-2010, Absorbency of Bleached Textiles 
(incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3), of each new lot of test 
cloth (when purchased from the mill) to confirm the absence of 
Scotchguard\TM\ or other water repellent finish (time to absorb one 
drop should be on the order of 1 second).
    2.6.4.6 The moisture absorption and retention shall be evaluated 
for each new lot of test cloth by the Standard Extractor Remaining 
Moisture Content (RMC) Test specified in section 2.6.5 of this 
Appendix.
    2.6.4.6.1 Repeat the Standard Extractor RMC Test in section 2.6.5 
of this Appendix three times.
    2.6.4.6.2 An RMC correction curve shall be calculated as specified 
in section 2.6.6 of this Appendix.
    2.6.4.7 The maximum shrinkage after preconditioning shall not be 
more than 5 percent on the length and width. Measure per AATCC Test 
Method 135-2010, Dimensional Changes of Fabrics After Home Laundering 
(incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3).
    2.6.5 Standard Extractor RMC Test Procedure. The following 
procedure is used to evaluate the moisture absorption and retention 
characteristics of a lot of test cloth by measuring the RMC in a 
standard extractor at a specified set of conditions. Table 2.6.5 of 
this Appendix is the matrix of test conditions. When this matrix is 
repeated 3 times, a total of 60 extractor RMC test runs are required. 
For the purpose of the extractor RMC test, the test cloths may be used 
for up to 60 test runs (after preconditioning as specified in section 
2.6.3 of this Appendix).

                              Table 2.6.5--Matrix of Extractor RMC Test Conditions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Warm soak                         Cold soak
                                             -------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                15 min. spin     4 min. spin      15 min. spin     4 min. spin
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
100.........................................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............
200.........................................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............
350.........................................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............
500.........................................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............
650.........................................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2.6.5.1 The standard extractor RMC tests shall be run in a North 
Star Engineered Products Inc. (formerly Bock) Model 215 extractor 
(having a basket diameter of 19.5 inches, length of 12 inches, and 
volume of 2.1 ft\3\), with a variable speed drive (North Star 
Engineered Products, P.O. Box 5127, Toledo, OH 43611) or an equivalent 
extractor with same basket design (i.e., diameter, length, volume, and 
hole configuration) and variable speed drive.
    2.6.5.2 Test Load. Test cloths shall be preconditioned in 
accordance with section 2.6.3 of this Appendix. The load size shall be 
8.4 lbs, consistent with section 3.8.1 of this Appendix.
    2.6.5.3 Procedure.
    2.6.5.3.1 Record the ``bone-dry'' weight of the test load (WI).
    2.6.5.3.2 Prepare the test load for soak by grouping four test 
cloths into loose bundles. Bundles are created by hanging four cloths 
vertically from one corner and loosely wrapping the test cloth onto 
itself to form the bundle. Bundles are then placed into the water for 
soak. Eight to nine bundles will be formed depending on the test load. 
The ninth bundle may not equal four cloths but can incorporate energy 
stuffer cloths to help offset the size difference.
    2.6.5.3.3 Soak the test load for 20 minutes in 10 gallons of soft 
( 5[deg]F (38 [deg]C  3 [deg]C)
    2.6.5.3.4 Remove the test load and allow each of the test cloth 
bundles to drain over the water bath for a maximum of 5 seconds.
    2.6.5.3.5 Manually place the test cloth bundles in the basket of 
the extractor, distributing them evenly by eye. The draining and 
loading process should take less than 1 minute. Spin the load at a 
fixed speed corresponding to the intended centripetal acceleration 
level (measured in units of the acceleration of gravity, g)  1g for the intended time period  5 seconds.
    2.6.5.3.6 Record the weight of the test load immediately after the 
completion of the extractor spin cycle (WC).
    2.6.5.3.7 Calculate the RMC as (WC-WI)/WI.
    2.6.5.3.8 It is not necessary to drain the soak tub if the water 
bath is corrected for water level and temperature before the next 
extraction.
    2.6.5.3.9 It is not necessary to dry the test load in between 
extraction runs. However, the bone dry weight shall be checked after 
every 12 extraction runs to make sure the bone dry weight is within 
tolerance (8.4  0.1 lb).
    2.6.5.3.10 The RMC of the test load shall be measured at five g 
levels: 100 g, 200 g, 350 g, 500 g, and 650 g, using two different spin 
times at each g level: 4 minutes and 15 minutes.
    2.6.5.4 Repeat section 2.6.5.3 of this Appendix using soft ( 5 [deg]F.

[[Page 49264]]

    2.6.6 Calculation of RMC Correction Curve.
    2.6.6.1 Average the values of 3 test runs and fill in Table 2.6.5 
of this Appendix. Perform a linear least-squares fit to relate the 
standard RMC (RMCstandard) values (shown in Table 2.6.6.1 of 
this Appendix) to the values measured in section 2.6.5 of this 
Appendix:

(RMCcloth): RMCstandard - A x RMCcloth 
+ B

where A and B are coefficients of the linear least-squares fit.

                                       Table 2.6.6.1--Standard RMC Values
                                                 [RMC Standard]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                          RMC percentage
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
                   ``g Force''                               Warm soak                       Cold soak
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   15 min. spin     4 min. spin    15 min. spin     4 min. spin
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
100.............................................            45.9            49.9            49.7            52.8
200.............................................            35.7            40.4            37.9            43.1
350.............................................            29.6            33.1            30.7            35.8
500.............................................            24.2            28.7            25.5            30.0
650.............................................            23.0            26.4            24.1            28.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2.6.6.2 Perform an analysis of variance test using two factors, 
spin speed and lot, to check the interaction of speed and lot. Use the 
values from Table 2.6.5 and Table 2.6.6.1 of this Appendix in the 
calculation. The ``P'' value in the variance analysis shall be greater 
than or equal to 0.1. If the ``P'' value is less than 0.1, the test 
cloth is unacceptable. ``P'' is a theoretically based probability of 
interaction based on an analysis of variance.
    2.6.7 Application of the RMC correction curve.
    2.6.7.1 Using the coefficients A and B calculated in section 
2.6.6.1 of this Appendix:

RMCcorr = A x RMC + B

    2.6.7.2 Substitute RMCcorr values in calculations in 
section 3.8 of this Appendix.
    2.7 Test Load Sizes. Maximum, minimum, and, when required, average 
test load sizes shall be determined using Table 5.1 of this Appendix 
and the clothes container capacity as measured in sections 3.1.1 
through 3.1.5 of this Appendix. Test loads shall consist of energy test 
cloths, except that adjustments to the test loads to achieve proper 
weight can be made by the use of energy stuffer cloths with no more 
than 5 stuffer cloths per load.
    2.8 Use of Test Loads. Table 2.8 of this Appendix defines the test 
load sizes and corresponding water fill settings which are to be used 
when measuring water and energy consumptions. Adaptive water fill 
control system and manual water fill control system are defined in 
section 1 of this Appendix:

                           Table 2.8--Test Load Sizes and Water Fill Settings Required
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Manual water fill control system                        Adaptive water fill control system
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Test load size                Water fill setting         Test load size         Water fill setting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max..................................  Max....................  Max....................  As determined by the
Min..................................  Min....................  Avg....................   Clothes Washer.
                                                                Min....................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2.8.1 The test load sizes to be used to measure RMC are specified 
in section 3.8.1 of this Appendix.
    2.8.2 Test loads for energy and water consumption measurements 
shall be bone dry prior to the first cycle of the test, and dried to a 
maximum of 104 percent of bone dry weight for subsequent testing.
    2.8.3 Load the energy test cloths by grasping them in the center, 
shaking them to hang loosely and then put them into the clothes 
container prior to activating the clothes washer.
    2.9 Pre-Conditioning.
    2.9.1 Non-water-heating clothes washer. If the clothes washer has 
not been filled with water in the preceding 96 hours, pre-condition it 
by running it through a cold rinse cycle and then draining it to ensure 
that the hose, pump, and sump are filled with water.
    2.9.2 Water-heating clothes washer. If the clothes washer has not 
been filled with water in the preceding 96 hours, or if it has not been 
in the test room at the specified ambient conditions for 8 hours, pre-
condition it by running it through a cold rinse cycle and then draining 
it to ensure that the hose, pump, and sump are filled with water.
    2.10 Wash time setting. If one wash time is prescribed in the 
energy test cycle, that shall be the wash time setting; otherwise, the 
wash time setting shall be the higher of either the minimum or 70 
percent of the maximum wash time available in the energy test cycle, 
regardless of the labeling of suggested dial locations. If the clothes 
washer is equipped with an electromechanical dial controlling wash 
time, reset the dial to the minimum wash time and then turn it in the 
direction of increasing wash time to reach the appropriate setting. If 
the appropriate setting is passed, return the dial to the minimum wash 
time and then turn in the direction of increasing wash time until the 
setting is reached.
    2.11 Test room temperature.
    2.11.1 Non-water-heating clothes washer. For combined low-power 
mode testing, maintain room ambient air temperature conditions as 
specified in Section 4, Paragraph 4.2 of IEC 62301 (incorporated by 
reference; see Sec.  430.3).
    2.11.2 Water-heating clothes washer. Maintain the test room ambient 
air temperature at 75[deg]F  5[deg]F (23.9[deg]C  2.8[deg]C). For combined low-power mode testing, maintain room 
ambient air temperature conditions as specified in Section 4, Paragraph 
4.2 of IEC 62301 (incorporated by reference; see Sec.  430.3).

[[Page 49265]]

    2.12 Bone dryer temperature. The dryer used for bone drying must 
heat the test cloth and energy stuffer cloths above 210 [deg]F (99 
[deg]C).

3. Test Measurements

    3.1 Clothes container capacity. Measure the entire volume which a 
dry clothes load could occupy within the clothes container during 
washer operation according to the following procedures:
    3.1.1 Place the clothes washer in such a position that the 
uppermost edge of the clothes container opening is leveled 
horizontally, so that the container will hold the maximum amount of 
water.
    3.1.2 Line the inside of the clothes container with 2 mil (0.051 
mm) plastic sheet. All clothes washer components which occupy space 
within the clothes container and which are recommended for use with the 
energy test cycle shall be in place and shall be lined with 2 mil 
(0.051 mm) plastic sheet to prevent water from entering any void space.
    3.1.3 Record the total weight of the machine before adding water.
    3.1.4 Fill the clothes container manually with either 60 [deg]F 
 5 [deg]F (15.6 [deg]C  2.8 [deg]C) or 100 
[deg]F  10 [deg]F (37.8 [deg]C  5.5 [deg]C) 
water, with the door open. For a top-loading, vertical-axis clothes 
washer, fill the clothes container to the uppermost edge of the 
rotating portion, including any balance ring. For a front-loading, 
horizontal-axis clothes washer, fill the clothes container to the 
uppermost edge that is in contact with the door seal. For all clothes 
washers, any volume which cannot be occupied by the clothing load 
during operation must be excluded from the measurement. Measure and 
record the weight of water, W, in pounds.
    3.1.5 The clothes container capacity is calculated as follows:

C = W/d

Where:

C = Capacity in cubic feet (liters).
W = Mass of water in pounds (kilograms).
d = Density of water (62.0 lbs/ft\3\ for 100 [deg]F (993 kg/m\3\ for 
37.8 [deg]C) or 62.3 lbs/ft\3\ for 60 [deg]F (998 kg/m\3\ for 15.6 
[deg]C)).

    3.2 Procedure for measuring water and energy consumption values on 
all automatic and semi-automatic washers. All energy consumption tests 
shall be performed under the energy test cycle(s), unless otherwise 
specified. Table 3.2 of this Appendix defines the sections below which 
govern tests of particular clothes washers, based on the number of 
wash/rinse temperature selections available on the model, and also, in 
some instances, method of water heating. The procedures prescribed are 
applicable regardless of a clothes washer's washing capacity, loading 
port location, primary axis of rotation of the clothes container, and 
type of control system.
    3.2.1 Inlet water temperature and the wash/rinse temperature 
settings.
    3.2.1.1 For automatic clothes washers set the wash/rinse 
temperature selection control to obtain the wash water temperature 
selection control to obtain the wash water temperature desired (extra 
hot, hot, warm, or cold) and cold rinse, and open both the hot and cold 
water faucets.
    3.2.1.2 For semi-automatic washers:
    (1) For hot water temperature, open the hot water faucet completely 
and close the cold water faucet;
    (2) For warm inlet water temperature, open both hot and cold water 
faucets completely;
    (3) For cold water temperature, close the hot water faucet and open 
the cold water faucet completely.
    3.2.1.3 Determination of warm wash water temperature(s) to decide 
whether a clothes washer has uniformly distributed warm wash 
temperature selections. The wash water temperature, Tw, of each warm 
water wash selection shall be calculated or measured.
    (1) For non-water heating clothes washers, calculate Tw as follows:

Tw([deg]F) = ((Hw x 135 [deg]F) + (Cw x 60 [deg]F))/(Hw+Cw)
or

Tw([deg]C) = ((Hw x 57.2 [deg]C) + (Cw x 15.6 [deg]C))/(Hw + Cw)
Where:

Hw = Hot water consumption of a warm wash.
Cw = Cold water consumption of a warm wash.

    (2) For water-heating clothes washers, measure and record the 
temperature of each warm wash selection after fill.
    3.2.2 Total water consumption during the energy test cycle shall be 
measured, including hot and cold water consumption during wash, deep 
rinse, and spray rinse.
    3.2.3 Clothes washers with adaptive water fill/manual water fill 
control systems
    3.2.3.1 Clothes washers with adaptive water fill control system and 
alternate manual water fill control systems. If a clothes washer with 
an adaptive water fill control system allows consumer selection of 
manual controls as an alternative, then both manual and adaptive modes 
shall be tested and, for each mode, the energy consumption 
(HET, MET, and DE) and water 
consumption (QT), values shall be calculated as set forth in 
section 4 of this Appendix. Then the average of the two values (one 
from each mode, adaptive and manual) for each variable shall be used in 
section 4 of this Appendix for the clothes washer.
    3.2.3.2 Clothes washers with adaptive water fill control system.
    3.2.3.2.1 Not user adjustable. The maximum, minimum, and average 
water levels as defined in the following sections shall be interpreted 
to mean that amount of water fill which is selected by the control 
system when the respective test loads are used, as defined in Table 2.8 
of this Appendix. The load usage factors which shall be used when 
calculating energy consumption values are defined in Table 4.1.3 of 
this Appendix.
    3.2.3.2.2 User adjustable. Four tests shall be conducted on clothes 
washers with user adjustable adaptive water fill controls which affect 
the relative wash water levels. The first test shall be conducted with 
the maximum test load and with the adaptive water fill control system 
set in the setting that will give the most energy intensive result. The 
second test shall be conducted with the minimum test load and with the 
adaptive water fill control system set in the setting that will give 
the least energy intensive result. The third test shall be conducted 
with the average test load and with the adaptive water fill control 
system set in the setting that will give the most energy intensive 
result for the given test load. The fourth test shall be conducted with 
the average test load and with the adaptive water fill control system 
set in the setting that will give the least energy intensive result for 
the given test load. The energy and water consumption for the average 
test load and water level shall be the average of the third and fourth 
tests.
    3.2.3.3 Clothes washers with manual water fill control system. In 
accordance with Table 2.8 of this Appendix, the water fill selector 
shall be set to the maximum water level available on the clothes washer 
for the maximum test load size and set to the minimum water level for 
the minimum test load size. The load usage factors which shall be used 
when calculating energy consumption values are defined in Table 4.1.3 
of this Appendix.

[[Page 49266]]

                                        Table 3.2--Test Section Reference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Max. Wash Temp. Available                   135 [deg]F (57.2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       [deg]C) \**\
                                                                                       -------------------------
        Number of Wash Temp. Selections               1            2            >2           3            >3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test Sections Required to be Followed..........  ...........  ...........  ...........          3.3          3.3
                                                 ...........          3.4          3.4  ...........          3.4
                                                 ...........  ...........          3.5          3.5          3.5
                                                         3.6          3.6          3.6          3.6          3.6
                                                 ...........  ...........         *3.7         *3.7         *3.7
                                                         3.8          3.8          3.8          3.8          3.8
                                                 ...........  ...........  ...........  [dagger]3.9  [dagger]3.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ Only applicable to machines with warm rinse.
\**\ Only applicable to water heating clothes washers on which the maximum wash temperature available exceeds
  135 [deg]F (57.2 [deg]C).
[dagger] Only applicable to machines equipped with a steam cycle.

    3.3 ``Extra Hot Wash'' (Max Wash Temp  135 [deg]F (57.2 
[deg]C)) for water heating clothes washers only. Water and electrical 
energy consumption shall be measured for each water fill level and/or 
test load size as specified in sections 3.3.1 through 3.3.3 of this 
Appendix for the hottest wash setting available.
    3.3.1 Maximum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hmx), cold water consumption (Cmx), and 
electrical energy consumption (Emx) shall be measured for an 
extra hot wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with the controls set for 
the maximum water fill level. The maximum test load size is to be used 
and shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.3.2 Minimum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hmn), cold water consumption (Cmn), and 
electrical energy consumption (Emn) shall be measured for an 
extra hot wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with the controls set for 
the minimum water fill level. The minimum test load size is to be used 
and shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.3.3 Average test load and water fill. For clothes washers with an 
adaptive water fill control system, measure the values for hot water 
consumption (Hma), cold water consumption (Cma), 
and electrical energy consumption (Ema) for an extra hot 
wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with an average test load size as 
determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.4 ``Hot Wash'' (Max Wash Temp x), cold water consumption (Chx), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ehx) shall be measured for a 
hot wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with the controls set for the 
maximum water fill level. The maximum test load size is to be used and 
shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.4.2 Minimum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hhn), cold water consumption (Chn), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ehn) shall be measured for a 
hot wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with the controls set for the 
minimum water fill level. The minimum test load size is to be used and 
shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.4.3 Average test load and water fill. For clothes washers with an 
adaptive water fill control system, measure the values for hot water 
consumption (Hha), cold water consumption (Cha), 
and electrical energy consumption (Eha) for a hot wash/cold 
rinse energy test cycle, with an average test load size as determined 
per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.5 ``Warm Wash.'' Water and electrical energy consumption shall be 
determined for each water fill level and/or test load size as specified 
in sections 3.5.1 through 3.5.2.3 of this Appendix for the applicable 
warm water wash temperature(s) with a cold rinse.
    3.5.1 Clothes washers with uniformly distributed warm wash 
temperature selection(s). The reportable values to be used for the warm 
water wash setting shall be the arithmetic average of the measurements 
for the hot and cold wash selections. This is a calculation only, no 
testing is required.
    3.5.2 Clothes washers that lack uniformly distributed warm wash 
temperature selections. For a clothes washer with fewer than four 
discrete warm wash selections, test all warm wash temperature 
selections. For a clothes washer that offers four or more warm wash 
selections, test at all discrete selections, or test at 25 percent, 50 
percent, and 75 percent positions of the temperature selection device 
between the hottest hot (x), cold water consumption (Cwx), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ewx) shall be measured with 
the controls set for the maximum water fill level. The maximum test 
load size is to be used and shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this 
Appendix.
    3.5.2.2 Minimum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hwn), cold water consumption (Cwn), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ewn) shall be measured with 
the controls set for the minimum water fill level. The minimum test 
load size is to be used and shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this 
Appendix.
    3.5.2.3 Average test load and water fill. For clothes washers with 
an adaptive water fill control system, measure the values for hot water 
consumption (Hwa), cold water consumption (Cwa), 
and electrical energy consumption (Ewa) with an average test 
load size as determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.6 ``Cold Wash'' (Minimum Wash Temperature Selection). Water and 
electrical energy consumption shall be measured for each water fill 
level or test load size as specified in sections 3.6.1 through 3.6.3 of 
this Appendix for the coldest wash temperature selection available. For 
a clothes washer that offers two or more wash temperature settings 
labeled as cold, such as ``Cold'' and ``Tap Cold'', the setting with 
the minimum wash temperature shall be considered the cold wash. If any 
of the other cold wash temperature settings add hot water to raise the 
wash temperature above the cold water supply temperature, as defined in

[[Page 49267]]

section 2.3 of this Appendix, those setting(s) shall be considered warm 
wash setting(s), as defined in section 1.34 of this Appendix. If none 
of the cold wash temperature settings add hot water for any of the 
water fill levels or test load sizes required for the energy test 
cycle, the wash temperature setting labeled as ``Cold'' shall be 
considered the cold wash, and the other wash temperature setting(s) 
labeled as cold shall not be required for testing.
    3.6.1 Maximum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hcx), cold water consumption (Ccx), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ecx) shall be measured for a 
cold wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with the controls set for the 
maximum water fill level. The maximum test load size is to be used and 
shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.6.2 Minimum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hcn), cold water consumption (Ccn), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ecn) shall be measured for a 
cold wash/cold rinse energy test cycle, with the controls set for the 
minimum water fill level. The minimum test load size is to be used and 
shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.6.3 Average test load and water fill. For clothes washers with an 
adaptive water fill control system, measure the values for hot water 
consumption (Hca), cold water consumption (Cca), 
and electrical energy consumption (Eca) for a cold wash/cold 
rinse energy test cycle, with an average test load size as determined 
per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.7 ``Warm Wash/Warm Rinse.'' Water and electrical energy 
consumption shall be determined for each water fill level and/or test 
load size as specified in sections 3.7.2.1 through 3.7.2.3 of this 
Appendix for the applicable warm wash temperature selection as 
described in section 3.7.1 or 3.7.2 of this Appendix and the hottest 
available rinse temperature selection.
    3.7.1 Clothes washers with uniformly distributed warm wash 
temperature selection(s). Test the warm wash/warm rinse cycle at the 
wash temperature selection with the temperature selection device at the 
50 percent position between the hottest hot (x), cold water consumption (Cwwx), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ewwx) shall be measured with 
the controls set for the maximum water fill level. The maximum test 
load size is to be used and shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this 
Appendix.
    3.7.2.2 Minimum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hwwn), cold water consumption (Cwwn), and 
electrical energy consumption (Ewwn) shall be measured with 
the controls set for the minimum water fill level. The minimum test 
load size is to be used and shall be determined per Table 5.1 of this 
Appendix.
    3.7.2.3 Average test load and water fill. For clothes washers with 
an adaptive water fill control system, measure the values for hot water 
consumption (Hwwa), cold water consumption 
(Cwwa), and electrical energy consumption (Ewwa) 
with an average test load size as determined per Table 5.1 of this 
Appendix.
    3.8 Remaining Moisture Content:
    3.8.1 The wash temperature will be the same as the rinse 
temperature for all testing. Use the maximum test load as defined in 
Table 5.1 and section 3.1 of this Appendix for testing.
    3.8.2 For clothes washers with cold rinse only:
    3.8.2.1 Record the actual ``bone dry'' weight of the test load 
(WImax), then place the test load in the clothes washer.
    3.8.2.2 Set water level selector to maximum fill.
    3.8.2.3 Run the energy test cycle.
    3.8.2.4 Record the weight of the test load immediately after 
completion of the energy test cycle (WCmax).
    3.8.2.5 Calculate the remaining moisture content of the maximum 
test load, RMCmax, expressed as a percentage and defined as:

RMCmax = ((WCmax - WImax)/
WImax) x 100%

    3.8.3 For clothes washers with cold and warm rinse options:
    3.8.3.1 Complete sections 3.8.2.1 through 3.8.2.4 of this Appendix 
for cold rinse. Calculate the remaining moisture content of the maximum 
test load for cold rinse, RMCCOLD, expressed as a percentage 
and defined as:

RMCCOLD = ((WCmax- WImax)/
WImax) x 100%

    3.8.3.2 Complete sections 3.8.2.1 through 3.8.2.4 of this Appendix 
for warm rinse. Calculate the remaining moisture content of the maximum 
test load for warm rinse, RMCWARM, expressed as a percentage 
and defined as:

RMCWARM = ((WCmax - WImax)/
WImax) x 100%

    3.8.3.3 Calculate the remaining moisture content of the maximum 
test load, RMCmax, expressed as a percentage and defined as:

RMCmax = RMCCOLD x (1 - TUFr) + 
RMCWARM x (TUFr)

where:

    TUFr is the temperature use factor for warm rinse as 
defined in Table 4.1.1 of this Appendix.
    3.8.4 Clothes washers that have options such as multiple selections 
of spin speeds or spin times that result in different RMC values and 
that are available in the energy test cycle, shall be tested at the 
maximum and minimum extremes of the available options, excluding any 
``no spin'' (zero spin speed) settings, in accordance with requirements 
in section 3.8.2 or 3.8.3 of this Appendix. The calculated 
RMCmax,max extraction and RMCmax,min extraction 
at the maximum and minimum settings, respectively, shall be combined as 
follows and the final RMC to be used in section 4.3 of this Appendix 
shall be:

RMC = 0.75 x RMCmax,max extraction + 0.25 x 
RMCmax,min extraction

    3.9 ``Steam Wash'' for clothes washers equipped with a steam cycle. 
Water and electrical energy consumption shall be measured for each 
water fill level and/or test load size as specified in sections 3.9.1 
through 3.9.3 of this Appendix for the hottest wash setting available 
with steam.
    3.9.1 Maximum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hsx), cold water consumption (Csx), and 
electrical energy consumption (Esx) shall be measured for a 
steam energy test cycle, with the controls set for the maximum water 
fill level. The maximum test load size is to be used and shall be 
determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.9.2 Minimum test load and water fill. Hot water consumption 
(Hsn), cold water consumption (Csn), and 
electrical energy consumption (Esn) shall be measured for a 
steam energy test cycle, with the controls set for the minimum

[[Page 49268]]

water fill level. The minimum test load size is to be used and shall be 
determined per Table 5.1 of this Appendix.
    3.9.3 Average test load and water fill. For clothes washers with an 
adaptive water fill control system, measure the values for hot water 
consumption (Hsa), cold water consumption (Csa), 
and electrical energy consumption (Esa) for a steam energy 
test cycle using an average test load size as determined per Table 5.1 
of this Appendix.
    3.10 Self-clean. Set the controls to obtain the self-clean cycle. 
Hot water consumption (Hsc), cold water consumption 
(Csc), and electric energy consumption (Esc) 
shall be measured for the self-clean cycle. Do not use a test load.
    3.11 Combined low-power mode power. Connect the clothes washer to a 
watt meter as specified in section 2.5.3 of this Appendix. Establish 
the testing conditions set forth in sections 2.1, 2.2 and 2.11 of this 
Appendix. For clothes washers 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 washer to reach the lower power 
state before proceeding with the test measurement. Follow the test 
procedure for the sampling method specified in Section 5, Paragraph 
5.3.2 of IEC 62301 for testing in each possible mode as described in 
sections 3.11.1 and 3.11.2 of this Appendix.
    3.11.1 If a clothes washer has an inactive mode as defined in 
section 1.15 of this Appendix, measure and record the average inactive 
mode power of the clothes washer, Pia, in watts.
    3.11.2 If a clothes washer has an off mode as defined in section 
1.23 of this Appendix, measure and record its average off mode power, 
Po, in watts.

4. Calculation of Derived Results From Test Measurements

    4.1 Hot water and machine electrical energy consumption of clothes 
washers.
    4.1.1 Per-cycle temperature-weighted hot water consumption for 
maximum, average, and minimum water fill levels using each appropriate 
load size as defined in section 2.8 and Table 5.1 of this Appendix. 
Calculate for the cycle under test the per-cycle temperature weighted 
hot water consumption for the maximum water fill level, Vhx, 
the average water fill level, Vha, and the minimum water 
fill level, Vhn, expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters 
per cycle) and defined as:

(a) Vhx = [Hsx x TUFs] + 
[Hmx x TUFm] + [Hhx x TUFh] 
+ [Hwx x TUFw] + [Hwwx x 
TUFww] + [Hcx x TUFc]
(b) Vha = [Hsa x TUFs] + 
[Hma x TUFm] + [Hha x TUFh] 
+ [Hwa x TUFw] + [Hwwa x 
TUFww] + [Hca x TUFc]
(c) Vhn = [Hsn x TUFs] + 
[Hmn x TUFm] + [Hhn x TUFh] 
+ [Hwn x TUFw] + [Hwwn x 
TUFww] + [Hcn x TUFc]

Where:

Hsx, Hsa, and Hsn, are reported hot 
water consumption values, in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), 
at maximum, average, and minimum water fill, respectively, for the 
steam cycle with the appropriate test loads as defined in section 2.8 
of this Appendix.
Hmx, Hma, and Hmn, are reported hot 
water consumption values, in gallons per-cycle (or liters per cycle), 
at maximum, average, and minimum water fill, respectively, for the 
extra hot wash cycle with the appropriate test loads as defined in 
section 2.8 of this Appendix.
Hhx, Hha, and Hhn, are reported hot 
water consumption values, in gallons per-cycle (or liters per cycle), 
at maximum, average, and minimum water fill, respectively, for the hot 
wash cycle with the appropriate test loads as defined in section 2.8 of 
this Appendix.
Hwx, Hwa, and Hwn, are reported hot 
water consumption values, in gallons per-cycle (or liters per cycle), 
at maximum, average, and minimum water fill, respectively, for the warm 
wash cycle with the appropriate test loads as defined in section 2.8 of 
this Appendix.
Hwwx, Hwwa, and Hwwn, are reported hot 
water consumption values, in gallons per-cycle (or liters per cycle), 
at maximum, average, and minimum water fill, respectively, for the warm 
wash/warm rinse cycle with the appropriate test loads as defined in 
section 2.8 of this Appendix.
Hcx, Hca, and Hcn, are reported hot 
water consumption values, in gallons per-cycle (or liters per cycle), 
at maximum, average, and minimum water fill, respectively, for the cold 
wash cycle with the appropriate test loads as defined in section 2.8 of 
this Appendix.
TUFs, TUFm, TUFh, TUFw, 
TUFww, and TUFc are temperature use factors for 
steam wash, extra hot wash, hot wash, warm wash, warm wash/warm rinse, 
and cold wash temperature selections, respectively, and are as defined 
in Table 4.1.1 of this Appendix.

                                                          Table 4.1.1--Temperature Use Factors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  135 [deg]F  >135 [deg]F
                                                              -------------    [deg]F       [deg]F   --------------------------
                   Max wash temp available                                 --------------------------                              Steam        Steam
                                                                  (57.2        (57.2        (57.2        (57.2        (57.2
                                                                 [deg]C)      [deg]C)      [deg]C)      [deg]C)      [deg]C)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. Wash Temp Selections.....................................       Single      2 Temps     >2 Temps      3 Temps     >3 Temps      3 Temps     >3 Temps
TUFs (steam).................................................           NA           NA           NA           NA           NA         0.02         0.02
TUFm (extra hot).............................................           NA           NA           NA         0.14         0.05         0.12         0.03
TUFh (hot)...................................................           NA         0.63         0.14           NA         0.09           NA         0.09
TUFww (warm/warm)............................................           NA           NA        *0.27        *0.27        *0.27        *0.27        *0.27
TUFw (warm)..................................................           NA           NA         0.22         0.22         0.22         0.22         0.22
TUFc (cold)..................................................         1.00         0.37         0.37         0.37         0.37         0.37         0.37
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Only applicable to machines offering a warm/warm cycle. For machines with no warm/warm cycle, this value should be zero and TUFw (warm) should be
  0.49.

    4.1.2 Total per-cycle hot water energy consumption for all maximum, 
average, and minimum water fill levels tested. Calculate the total per-
cycle hot water energy consumption for the maximum water fill level, 
HEmax, the minimum water fill level, HEmin, and 
the average water fill level, HEavg, expressed in kilowatt-
hours per cycle and defined as:

(a) HEmax = [Vhx x T x K] = Total energy when a 
maximum load is tested.
(b) HEavg = [Vha x T x K] = Total energy when an 
average load is tested.

[[Page 49269]]

(c) HEmin = [Vhn x T x K] = Total energy when a 
minimum load is tested.

Where:

T = Temperature rise = 75 [deg]F (41.7 [deg]C).
K = Water specific heat in kilowatt-hours per gallon degree F = 0.00240 
(0.00114 kWh/L-[deg]C).
Vhx, Vha, and Vhn are as defined in 
section 4.1.1 of this Appendix.

    4.1.3 Total weighted per-cycle hot water energy consumption. 
Calculate the total weighted per-cycle hot water energy consumption, 
HET, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined as:

HET = [HEmax x Fmax] + 
[HEavg x Favg] + HEmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

HEmax, HEavg, and HEmin are as defined 
in section 4.1.2 of this Appendix.

Fmax, Favg, and Fmin are the load 
usage factors for the maximum, average, and minimum test loads based on 
the size and type of the control system on the washer being tested. The 
values are as shown in Table 4.1.3 of this Appendix.

                     Table 4.1.3--Load Usage Factors
------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Water fill control system               Manual      Adaptive
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fmax =........................................     \1\ 0.72     \2\ 0.12
Favg =........................................  ...........     \2\ 0.74
Fmin =........................................     \1\ 0.28     \2\ 0.14
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Reference 3.2.3.3.
\2\ Reference 3.2.3.2.

    4.1.4 Total per-cycle hot water energy consumption using gas-heated 
or oil-heated water. Calculate for the energy test cycle the per-cycle 
hot water consumption, HETG, using gas-heated or oil-heated 
water, expressed in Btu per cycle (or megajoules per cycle) and defined 
as:

HETG = HET x 1/e x 3412 Btu/kWh or 
HETG = HET x 1/e x 3.6 MJ/kWh

Where:

e = Nominal gas or oil water heater efficiency = 0.75.
HET = As defined in section 4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.1.5 Per-cycle machine electrical energy consumption for all 
maximum, average, and minimum test load sizes. Calculate the total per-
cycle machine electrical energy consumption for the maximum water fill 
level, MEmax, the average water fill level, 
MEavg, and the minimum water fill level, MEmin, 
expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined as:

(a) MEmax = [Esx x TUFs] + 
[Emx x TUFm] + [Ehx x TUFh] 
+ [Ewx x TUFw] + [Ewwx x 
TUFww] + [EcxxTUFc]
(b) MEavg = [Esa x TUFs] + 
[Ema x TUFm] + [Eha x TUFh] 
+ [Ewa x TUFw] + [Ewwa x 
TUFww] + [Eca x TUFc]
(c) MEmin = [Esn x TUFs] + 
[Emn x TUFm] + [Ehn x TUFh] 
+ [Ewn x TUFw] + [Ewwn x 
TUFww] + [Ecn x TUFc]

Where:

Esx, Esa, and Esn, are reported 
electrical energy consumption values, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, at 
maximum, average, and minimum test loads, respectively, for the steam 
cycle.
Emx, Ema, and Emn, are reported 
electrical energy consumption values, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, at 
maximum, average, and minimum test loads, respectively, for the extra 
hot wash cycle.
Ehx, Eha, and Ehn, are reported 
electrical energy consumption values, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, at 
maximum, average, and minimum test loads, respectively, for the hot 
wash cycle.
Ewx, Ewa, and Ewn, are reported 
electrical energy consumption values, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, at 
maximum, average, and minimum test loads, respectively, for the warm 
wash cycle.
Ewwx, Ewwa, and Ewwn, are reported 
electrical energy consumption values, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, at 
maximum, average, and minimum test loads, respectively, for the warm 
wash/warm rinse cycle.
Ecx, Eca, and Ecn, are reported 
electrical energy consumption values, in kilowatt-hours per cycle, at 
maximum, average, and minimum test loads, respectively, for the cold 
wash cycle.
TUFs, TUFm, TUFh, TUFw, 
TUFww, and TUFc are as defined in Table 4.1.1 of 
this Appendix.

4.1.6 Total weighted per-cycle machine electrical energy consumption. 
Calculate the total per-cycle load size weighted energy consumption, 
MET, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined as:

MET = [MEmax x Fmax] + 
[MEavg x Favg] + [MEmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

MEmax, MEavg, and MEmin are as defined 
in section 4.1.5 of this Appendix.

Fmax, Favg, and Fmin are as defined in 
Table 4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.1.7 Total per-cycle energy consumption when electrically heated 
water is used. Calculate for the energy test cycle the total per-cycle 
energy consumption, ETE, using electrically heated water, 
expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined as:
ETE = HET + MET

Where:

MET = As defined in section 4.1.6 of this Appendix.

HET = As defined in section 4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.1.8 Per-cycle self-clean hot water energy consumption when 
electrically heated water is used. Calculate the per-cycle self-clean 
hot water energy consumption, HEsc, expressed in kilowatt-
hours per cycle, and defined as:

HEsc = [Hsc x T x K] x 12/295

Where:

Hsc = reported hot water consumption value, in gallons per-
cycle, for the self-clean cycle as defined in section 3.10 of this 
Appendix.

T = Temperature rise = 75 [deg]F (41.7 [deg]C).
K = Water specific heat in kilowatt-hours per gallon degree F = 0.00240 
(0.00114 kWh/L-[deg]C).
12 = Representative average number of clothes washer self-clean cycles 
in a year.
295 = Representative average number of clothes washer cycles in a year.

    4.1.9 Per-cycle self-clean hot water energy consumption using gas-
heated or oil-heated water. Calculate the per-cycle self-clean hot 
water energy consumption, HESCG, using gas-heated or oil-
heated water, expressed in Btu per cycle (or megajoules per cycle) and 
defined as:

HESCG = [HESC x 1/e x 3412 Btu/kWh] x 12/295 or 
HESCG = [HET x 1/e x 3.6 MJ/kWh] x 12/295

Where:

e = Nominal gas or oil water heater efficiency = 0.75.
HEsc = As defined in section 4.1.8 of this Appendix.
12 = Representative average number of clothes washer self-clean cycles 
in a year.
295 = Representative average number of clothes washer cycles in a year.

    4.1.10 Per-cycle self-clean machine electrical energy consumption. 
Calculate the per-cycle self-clean machine electrical energy 
consumption, MEsc, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle, 
and defined as:

MEsc = Esc x 12/295

Where:

Esc = Reported electrical energy consumption value, in 
gallons per-cycle, for the self-clean cycle as defined in section 3.10 
of this Appendix.

[[Page 49270]]

12 = Representative average number of clothes washer self-clean cycles 
in a year.

295 = Representative average number of clothes washer cycles in a year.

    4.2 Water consumption of clothes washers.
    4.2.1 Per-cycle water consumption for steam wash. Calculate the 
maximum, average, and minimum total water consumption, expressed in 
gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), for the steam cycle and 
defined as:

Qsmax = [Hsx + Csx]
Qsavg = [Hsa + Csa]
Qsmin = [Hsn + Csn]

Where:

Hsx, Csx, Hsa, Csa, 
Hsn, and Csn are defined in section 3.9 of this 
Appendix.

    4.2.2 Per-cycle water consumption for extra hot wash. Calculate the 
maximum, average, and minimum total water consumption, expressed in 
gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), for the extra hot wash cycle 
and defined as:

Qmmax = [Hmx + Cmx]
Qmavg = [Hma + Cma]
Qmmin = [Hmn + Cmn]

Where:

Hmx, Cmx, Hma, Cma, 
Hmn, and Cmn are defined in section 3.3 of this 
Appendix.

    4.2.3 Per-cycle water consumption for hot wash. Calculate the 
maximum, average, and minimum total water consumption, expressed in 
gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), for the hot wash cycle and 
defined as:

Qhmax = [Hhx + Chx]
Qhavg = [Hha + Cha]
Qhmin = [Hhn + Chn]

Where:

Hhx, Chx, Hha, Cha, 
Hhn, and Chn are defined in section 3.4 of this 
Appendix.

    4.2.4 Per-cycle water consumption for warm wash with cold rinse. 
Calculate the maximum, average, and minimum total water consumption, 
expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), for the warm 
wash/cold rinse cycle and defined as:

Qwmax = [Hwx + Cwx]
Qwavg = [Hwa + Cwa]
Qwmin = [Hwn + Cwn]

Where:

Hwx, Cwx, Hwa, Cwa, 
Hwn, and Cwn are defined in section 3.5 of this 
Appendix.

    4.2.5 Per-cycle water consumption for warm wash with warm rinse. 
Calculate the maximum, average, and minimum total water consumption, 
expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), for the warm 
wash/warm rinse cycle and defined as:
Qwwmax = [Hwwx + Cwwx]
Qwwavg = [Hwwa + Cwwa]
Qwwmin = [Hwwn + Cwwn]

Where:

Hwwx, Cwwx, Hwwa, Cwwa, 
Hwwn, and Cwwn are defined in section 3.7 of this 
Appendix.

    4.2.6 Per-cycle water consumption for cold wash. Calculate the 
maximum, average, and minimum total water consumption, expressed in 
gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle), for the cold wash cycle and 
defined as:

Qcmax = [Hcx + Ccx]
Qcavg = [Hca + Cca]
Qcmin = [Hcn + Ccn]

Where:

Hcx, Ccx, Hca, Cca, 
Hcn, and Ccn are defined in section 3.6 of this 
Appendix.

    4.2.7 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for steam wash. 
Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, QsT, 
expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) and defined as:

QsT = [Qsmax x Fmax] + 
[Qsavg x Favg] + [Qsmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

Qsmax, Qsavg, Qsmin are defined in 
section 4.2.1 of this Appendix.
Fmax, Favg, Fmin are defined in Table 
4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.2.8 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for extra hot 
wash. Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, 
QmT, expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) 
and defined as:
QmT = [Qmmax x Fmax] + 
[Qmavg x Favg] + [Qmmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

Qmmax, Qmavg, Qmmin are defined in 
section 4.2.2 of this Appendix.
Fmax, Favg, Fmin are defined in Table 
4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.2.9 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for hot wash. 
Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, QhT, 
expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) and defined as:

QhT = [Qhmax x Fmax] + 
[Qhavg x Favg] + [Qhmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

Qhmax, Qhavg, Qhmin are defined in 
section 4.2.3 of this Appendix.
Fmax, Favg, Fmin are defined in Table 
4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.2.10 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for warm wash 
with cold rinse. Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, 
QwT, expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) 
and defined as:
QwT = [Qwmax x Fmax] + 
[Qwavg x Favg] + [Qwmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

Qwmax, Qwavg, Qwmin are defined in 
section 4.2.4 of this Appendix.
Fmax, Favg, Fmin are defined in Table 
4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.2.11 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for warm wash 
with warm rinse. Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, 
QwT, expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) 
and defined as:

QwwT = [Qwwmax x Fmax] + 
[Qwwavg x Favg] + [Qwwmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

Qwwmax, Qwwavg, Qwwmin are defined in 
section 4.2.5 of this Appendix.
Fmax, Favg, Fmin are defined in Table 
4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.2.12 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for cold wash. 
Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, QcT, 
expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) and defined as:

QcT = [Qcmax x Fmax] + 
[Qcavg x Favg] + [Qcmin x 
Fmin]

Where:

Qcmax, Qcavg, Qcmin are defined in 
section 4.2.6 of this Appendix.
Fmax, Favg, Fmin are defined in Table 
4.1.3 of this Appendix.

    4.2.13 Total weighted per-cycle water consumption for all wash 
cycles. Calculate the total weighted per cycle consumption, 
QT, expressed in gallons per cycle (or liters per cycle) and 
defined as:

QT = [QsT x TUFs] + [QmT x 
TUFm] + [QhT x TUFh] + [QwT 
x TUFw] + [QwwT x TUFww] + 
[QcT x TUFc]

Where:

QsT, QmT, QhT, QwT, 
QwwT, and QcT are defined in sections 4.2.7 
through 4.2.12 of this Appendix.
TUFs, TUFm, TUFh, TUFw, 
TUFww, and TUFc are defined in Table 4.1.1 of 
this Appendix.

    4.2.14 Per-cycle self-clean water consumption. Calculate the total 
per-cycle self-clean water consumption, Qsc, in gallons per 
cycle (or liters per cycle) and defined as:

Qsc = [Hsc + Csc] x12/295

Where:

Hsc = As defined in section 3.10 of this Appendix.
Csc = As defined in 3.10 of this Appendix.
12 = Representative average number of clothes washer self-clean cycles 
in a year.
295 = Representative average number of clothes washer cycles in a year.

[[Page 49271]]

    4.2.15 Water consumption factor. Calculate the water consumption 
factor, WCF, expressed in gallons per cycle per cubic feet (or liter 
per cycle per liter), as:

WCF = QcT/C

Where:

QcT = As defined in section 4.2.12 of this Appendix.
C = As defined in section 3.1.5 of this Appendix.

    4.2.16 Integrated water consumption factor. Calculate the 
integrated water consumption factor, IWF, expressed in gallons per 
cycle per cubic feet (or liter per cycle per liter), as:

IWF = [QT + Qsc]/C

Where:

QT = As defined in section 4.2.13 of this Appendix.
Qsc = As defined in section 4.2.14 of this Appendix.
C = As defined in section 3.1.5 of this Appendix.

    4.3 Per-cycle energy consumption for removal of moisture from test 
load. Calculate the per-cycle energy required to remove the moisture of 
the test load, DE, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and 
defined as:

DE = [(Fmax x Maximum test load weight) + 
(Favg x Average test load weight) + (Fmin x 
Minimum test load weight)] x (RMC-4%) x (DEF) x (DUF)

Where:

Fmax, Favg, and Fmin are as defined in 
Table 4.1.3 of this Appendix.
Maximum, average, and minimum test load weights are as defined in Table 
5.1 of this Appendix.
RMC = As defined in section 3.8.2.5, 3.8.3.3, or 3.8.4 of this 
Appendix.
DEF = Nominal energy required for a clothes dryer to remove moisture 
from clothes = 0.5 kWh/lb (1.1 kWh/kg).
DUF = Dryer usage factor, percentage of washer loads dried in a clothes 
dryer = 0.91.
    4.4 Per-cycle combined low-power mode energy consumption. Calculate 
the clothes washer combined low-power mode energy consumption per 
cycle, ETLP, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and 
defined as:

ETLP = [(Pia x Sia) + (Po x 
So)] x Kp/295

Where:

Pia = Washer inactive mode power, in watts, as defined in 
section 3.11.1 of this Appendix for clothes washers capable of 
operating in inactive mode; otherwise, Pia = 0.
Po = Washer off mode power, in watts, as defined in section 
3.11.2 of this Appendix for clothes washers capable of operating in off 
mode; otherwise, Po = 0.
Sia = Annual hours in inactive mode as defined as 
Soi if no off mode is possible, [Soi/2] if both 
inactive mode and off mode are possible, and 0 if no inactive mode is 
possible.
So = Annual hours in off mode as defined as Soi 
if no inactive mode is possible, [Soi/2] if both inactive 
mode and off mode are possible, and 0 if no off mode is possible.
Soi = Combined annual hours for off and inactive mode = 
8,465.
Kp = Conversion factor of watt-hours to kilowatt-hours = 
0.001.
295 = Representative average number of clothes washer cycles in a year.

    4.5 Per-cycle self-clean energy consumption. Calculate the clothes 
washer self-clean energy per cycle, ETSC, expressed in 
kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined as:

ETSC = HEsc + MEsc

Where:

HEsc = As defined in section 4.1.8 of this Appendix.
MEsc = As defined in section 4.1.10 of this Appendix.

    4.6 Modified energy factor. Calculate the modified energy factor, 
MEF, expressed in cubic feet per kilowatt-hour per cycle (or liters per 
kilowatt-hour per cycle) and defined as:

MEF = C/(ETE + DE)
Where:

C = As defined in section 3.1.5 of this Appendix.
ETE = As defined in section 4.1.7 of this Appendix.
DE = As defined in section 4.3 of this Appendix.

    4.7 Integrated modified energy factor. Calculate the integrated 
modified energy factor, IMEF, expressed in cubic feet per kilowatt-hour 
per cycle (or liters per kilowatt-hour per cycle) and defined as:

IMEF = C/(ETE + DE + ETLP + 
ETSC)

Where:

C = As defined in section 3.1.5 of this Appendix.
ETE = As defined in section 4.1.7 of this Appendix.
DE = As defined in section 4.3 of this Appendix.
ETLP = As defined in section 4.4 of this Appendix.
ETSC = As defined in section 4.5 of this Appendix.

5. Test Loads

                                                               Table 5.1--Test Load Sizes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Container volume                                        Minimum load          Maximum load            Average load
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Cu. ft.                                     Liter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     lb         kg         Lb         kg         lb         Kg
                      >= = 0.10 lbs (0.05 kg).

6. Waivers and Field Testing

    6.1 Waivers and Field Testing for Nonconventional Clothes Washers. 
Manufacturers of nonconventional clothes washers, such as clothes 
washers with adaptive control systems, must submit a petition for 
waiver pursuant to 10 CFR 430.27 to establish an acceptable test 
procedure for that clothes washer if the washer cannot be tested 
pursuant to the DOE test procedure or the DOE test procedure yields 
results that are so unrepresentative of the clothes washer's true 
energy consumption characteristics as to provide materially inaccurate 
comparative data. In such cases, field testing may be appropriate for 
establishing an acceptable test procedure. The following are guidelines 
for field testing which may be used by manufacturers in support of 
petitions for waiver. These guidelines are not mandatory and the 
Department may determine that they do not apply to a particular model. 
Depending upon a manufacturer's approach for conducting field testing, 
additional data may be required. Manufacturers are encouraged to 
communicate with the Department prior to the commencement of field 
tests which may be used to support a petition for waiver. Section 6.3 
of this Appendix provides an example of field testing for a clothes 
washer with an adaptive water fill control system. Other features, such 
as the use of various spin speed selections, could be the subject of 
field tests.
    6.2 Nonconventional Wash System Energy Consumption Test. (1) The 
field test may consist of a minimum of 10 of the nonconventional 
clothes washers (``test clothes washers'') and 10 clothes washers 
already being distributed in commerce (``base clothes washers''). The 
tests should include a minimum of 50 energy test cycles per clothes 
washer. The test clothes washers and base clothes washers should be 
identical in construction except for the controls or systems being 
tested. Equal numbers of both the test clothes washer and the base 
clothes washer should be tested simultaneously in comparable settings 
to minimize seasonal or consumer laundering conditions or variations. 
The clothes washers should be monitored in such a way as to accurately 
record the total energy consumption per cycle. At a minimum, the 
following should be measured and recorded throughout the test period 
for each clothes washer: Hot water usage in gallons (or liters), 
electrical energy usage in kilowatt-hours, and the cycles of usage.
    (2) The field test results would be used to determine the best 
method to correlate the rating of the test clothes washer to the rating 
of the base clothes washer. If the base clothes washer is rated at A 
kWh per year, but field tests at B kWh per year, and the test clothes 
washer field tests at D kWh per year, the test unit would be rated as 
follows:

[[Page 49273]]

A x (D/B) = G kWh per year

    6.3 Adaptive water fill control system field test. (1) Section 
3.2.3.1 of this Appendix defines the test method for measuring energy 
consumption for clothes washers which incorporate control systems 
having both adaptive and alternate cycle selections. Energy consumption 
calculated by the method defined in section 3.2.3.1 of this Appendix 
assumes the adaptive cycle will be used 50 percent of the time. This 
section can be used to develop field test data in support of a petition 
for waiver when it is believed that the adaptive cycle will be used 
more than 50 percent of the time. The field test sample size should be 
a minimum of 10 test clothes washers. The test clothes washers should 
be representative of the design, construction, and control system that 
will be placed in commerce. The duration of field testing in the user's 
house should be a minimum of 50 energy test cycles, for each unit. No 
special instructions as to cycle selection or product usage should be 
given to the field test participants, other than inclusion of the 
product literature pack which would be shipped with all units, and 
instructions regarding filling out data collection forms, use of data 
collection equipment, or basic procedural methods. Prior to the test 
clothes washers being installed in the field test locations, baseline 
data should be developed for all field test units by conducting 
laboratory tests as defined by section 1 through section 5 of this 
Appendix to determine the energy consumption, water consumption, and 
remaining moisture content values. The following data should be 
measured and recorded for each wash load during the test period: Wash 
cycle selected, the mode of the clothes washer (adaptive or manual), 
clothes load dry weight (measured after the clothes washer and clothes 
dryer cycles are completed) in pounds, and type of articles in the 
clothes load (e.g., cottons, linens, permanent press). The wash loads 
used in calculating the in-home percentage split between adaptive and 
manual cycle usage should be only those wash loads which conform to the 
definition of the energy test cycle.
    Calculate:

T = The total number of energy test cycles run during the field 
test.
Ta = The total number of adaptive control energy test 
cycles.
Tm = The total number of manual control energy test 
cycles.

    The percentage weighting factors:

Pa = (Ta/T) x 100 (the percentage weighting 
for adaptive control selection)
Pm = (Tm/T) x 100 (the percentage weighting 
for manual control selection)

    (2) Energy consumption (HET, MET, and 
DE) and water consumption (QT), values 
calculated in section 4 of this Appendix for the manual and adaptive 
modes, should be combined using Pa and Pm as 
the weighting factors.

[FR Doc. 2011-19440 Filed 8-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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