55FR13184

13184 Federal Register / Vol. 55, No. 68 / Monday, April 9, 1990 / Notices

I

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products; Application for

Interim Waiver and Petition for Waiver

of Furnace Test Procedures From HeilQuaker Corporation (F-021)

AGENCY: Conservation and Renewable

Energy Office, Department pf Energy.

SUMMARY: Today's notice publishes a

letter granting an Interim Waiver to

Heil-Quaker Corporation (Heil-Quaker)

from the existing Department of Energy

(DOE) test procedures for furnaces

regarding blower time delay for HeilQuaker's series NUGK(-), NDGK(+),

NUGS(-) condensing gas furnaces and

NUGE(-), NDGE(-) induced draft gas

furnaces.

Today's notice also publishes a

"Petition for Waiver" from Heil-Quaker.

Heil-Quaker's Petition for Waiver

requests DOE to grant relief from the

DOE test procedures relating to the

blower time delay specification. HeilQuaker seeks to test using a blower

delay time of 30 seconds instead of the

specified 1.5 minute delay between

burner on-time and blower on-time.

DOE is soliciting comments, data, and

information respecting the Petition for

Waiver.

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data,

and information not later than May 9,

1990.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

statements shall be sent to: Department

of Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Case No. F-021, Mail

Stop CE-132, Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Mail station CE132, Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9127.

Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department

of Energy, Office of General Counsel,

Mail Station GC-12, Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202)

586-9507.

Background

. The Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products (other than

automobiles) was established pursuant

to the Energy Policy and Conservation

Act (EPCA), Public Law 94-163, 89 Stat.

917, as amended by the National Energy

Conservation Policy Act (NECPA),

Public Law 95-619, 92 Stat. 3266, the

National Appliance Energy

Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA),

Public Law 100-12, and the National

Appliance Energy Conservation

Amendments of 1988 (NAECA 1988),

Public Law 100-357, which requires DOE

to prescribe standardized test

procedures to measure the energy

consumption of certain consumer

products, including furnaces. The intent

of the test procedures is to provide a

comparable measure of energy

consumption that will assist consumers

in making purchasing decisions. These

test procedures appear at 10 CFR part

430, subpart B.

DOE has amended the prescribed test

procedures by adding 10 CFR 430.27 on

September 26, 1980, creating the waiver

process. 45 FR 84108. DOE further

amended the Department's appliance

test procedure waiver process to allow

the Assistant Secretary for Conservattoon

and Renewable Energy (Assistant

Secretary) to grant an interim waiver

from test procedure requirements to

manufacturers that have petitioned DOE

for a waiver of such prescribed test

procedures. 51 FR 42823, November 26,

1986.

The waiver process allows the

Assistant Secretary to waive

temporarily test procedures for a

particular basic model when a petitioner

shows that the basic model contains one

or more design characteristics which

prevent testing according to the

prescribed test procedures or when the

prescribed test procedures may evaluate

the basic model in a manner so

unrepresentative of its true energy

consumption as to provide materially

inaccurate comparative data. Waivers

generally remain in effect until final test

procedure amendments become

effective, resolving the problem that is

the subject of a waiver.

The interim waiver provisions, addec

by the 1986 amendment, allow the

Assistant Secretary to grant an interim

waiver when it is determined that the

applicant will experience economic

hardship if the Application for Interim

Waiver is denied, if it appears likely

that the petition for waiver will be

granted, and/or the Assistant Secretary

determined that it would be desirable

for public policy reasons to grant

immediate relief pending a

determination on the petition for waiver.

On January 4,1990, Heil-Quaker filed

an Application for an Interim Waiver

regarding blower time delay. HeilQuaker's application seeks an interim

waiver from the DOE test provisions

that require a 1.5 minute time delay

between the ignition of the burner and

starting of the circulating air blower.

Instead, Heil-Quaker's requests the

allowance to test using a 30 second

blower time delay when testing its

series NUGK(-), NDGK(+), NUGS(-)

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 37
55FR1 3184

Federal Register / Vol. 55, No. 68, / Monday, April 9, 1990 / Notices

condensing gas furnaces and NUGE(-).

NDGE(-) induced draft gas furnaces.

Heil-Quaker states that the 30 second

delay is indicative of how these

furnaces actually operate. Such a delay

results in an energy savings of

approximately 1.0 percent. Since current

DOE test procedures do not address this

variable blower time delay, Heil-Quaker

asks that the interim waiver be granted.

Previous waivers for this type of

timed blower delay control have been

granted by the Department to the

Coleman Company, 50 FR 2710, January

18, 1985, the Magic Chef Company, 50 FR

41553, October 11, 1985, the Rheem

Manufacturing Company. 53 FR 48574,

December 1, 198& and the Trane

Company, 54 FR 19926, May 4, 1989.

Thus, it appears likely that the Petition

for Waiver will be granted for blower

time delay.

The Department finds that it would be

desirable for public policy reasons to

grant Heil-Quaker's Application for

Interim Waiver.

Specifically, in those instances where

the likely success of the petition for

waiver has been demonstrated based

upon DOE having granted a waiver for a

similar product design, it is in the

public's interest to have the similar

products tested and rated for energy

consumption on a comparable basis.

Pursuant to paragraph (b) of 10 CFR

430.27, DOE is hereby publishing the

"Petition for Waivers" in its entirety.

The.petition contains no confidential

information, DOE solicits comments,

data, and information respecting the

petition.

In addition, pursuant to paragraph (e)

of § 430.27 of the Code of Federal

Regulations, the following letter granting

the Application for Interim Waiver was

issued to Heil-Quaker Corporation.

Issued in Washington, DC,

1. Michael Davis,

Assistant Secretary, Conservation and

Renewable Energy.

Department of Energy

March 29, 1990.

Mr. W. E. Dalton. Vice President Engineering,

Hell-QuakerCorporation, 1136

Heil-Q:rakerBlvd., P.O. Box 3005, Lavergne.

Tr?r 37086-1985.

Dear Mr. Dalton: This is in response to

your January 4.1990, Application for Interim

Waiver and Petition for Waiver from the

Department of Energy (DOE) test procedures

for furnaces when testing Heil-Quaker

Corporation NUGK(-), NDGK(+). NUGS(-)

condensing gas furnaces, and NUDE(-).

NDGE(:) induced draft gas furnaces regarding

blower time delay.

Pursuant to the Energy Policy and

Conservation Act, as amended, the

Department has prescribed test procedures to

mer _-e the energy consumption of certain

major household appliances, including

furnaces, The intent of the test procedures is

to provide a comparable measure of energy

consumption that will assist consumers in

making purchase decisions. These test

procedures appear In the Code of Federal

Regulations at 10 CFR part 430, subpart B.

DOE amended the test procedure

regulations on September 28, 1980 [45 FR

841081 and November 26, 1988. [51 FR 42823)

by adding paragraph 430.27. These provisions

allow the Assistant Secretary for

Conservation and Renewable Energy to

waive temporarily test procedures for a

particular basic model when a peitioner

shows that the basic model contains one or

more design characteristics which prevent

testing of the basic model according to the

prescribed test procedures or when the

prescribed test procedures may evaluate the

basic model in a manner so unrepresentative

of its true energy consumption characteristics

as to provide materially inadequate

comparative data. The 1986 amendments

added provisions allowing the Assistant

Secretary to grant an interim waiver for a

particular basic model when a petitioner

demonstrates the likely success of the

petition for waiver, it is determined that the

applicant will experience economic hardship

if the Applicaiton for Interim Waiver is

denied and/or the Assistant Secretary

determines that it would be desirable for

public policy reasons to grant immediate

relief pending a determination on the petition

for waiver.

Previous waivers for timed blower delay

control have been granted to the Coleman

Company, 50 FR 2710, January 16, 19M, Magic

Chef Company, 50 FR 41553, October 11, 1985,

Rheem Manufacturing Company, 53 FR 48574,

December 1, 1988, and the Trane Company,

54 FR 19228, May 4,1989.

Heil-Quaker's Application for Interim

Waiver does not provide sufficient

information for the Department to evaluate

what, if any, economic impact or competitive

disadvantage Heil-Quaker will likely

experience absent a favorable determination

on the application for interim waiver. HeilQuaker feels that its competitive position in

the marketplace would be compromised if

this Application for Interim Waiver is not

granted. However, the Department finds that

it would be desirable for public policy

reasons to grant Heil-Quaker's Application

for Interim Waiver. Specifically, in those

instances where the likely success of the

petition for wavier has been demonstrated

based upon DOE having granted a waiver for

a similar product design, it is in the public's

interest to have the similar products tested

and rated for energy consumption on a

comparable basis.

Therefore, Heil-Quaker's Application for an

Interim Waiver requesting a change from the

DOE test procedures for its NUGK(-),

NDGK(+), NUGS(-) condensing gas

furnaces and NUGE(-J, NDGE(-) induced

draft gas furnaces regarding blower time

delay Is granted.

Heil-Quaker shall be permitted to test its

series NUGK(-), NDGK(+), NUGS(-)

condensing gas furnaces and NUGE(-),

NDGE(-) induced draft gas furnaces on thebasis of the test procedures specified in 10

13185

CFR Part 430, with the modification set forth

below.

(I) Section 9.3.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE

Standard 103-1982 is deleted and replaced

with the following paragraph:

Gas- and Oil-Fueled Central Furnaces.

After equilibrium conditions are achieved

following the cool-down test and the required

measurements performed, turn on the furnace

and measure the flue gas temperature, using

the thermocouple grid described above, at 0.5

and 2.5 minutes after the main burner(s)

comes on. After the burner start-up. delay the

blower start-up by 1.5 minutes (t-), unless:

(1) the funace employs a single motor to drive

the power burner and the indoor air

circulation blower, in which case the burner

and blower shall be started together; (2) the

furnace is designed to operate using an

unvarying delay time that is other than 1.5

minutes, in which case the fan control shall

be permitted to start the blower, or (3) the

delay time results in the activation of a

temperature safety device which shuts off the

burner, in which case the fan control shall be

permitted to start the blower. In the latter

case, if the fan control is adjustable, set it to

start the blower at the highest temperature. If

the fan control is permitted to start the

blower, measure time delay, (t-), using a

stop watch. Record the measured

temperatures. During the heat-up test for oilfueled furnaces, maintain the draft in the flue

pipe with -± 0.01 inch of water gauge of the

manufacturer's recommended on-period

draft.

This interim waiver is based upon the

presumed validity of statements and all

allegations submitted by the company. This

interim waiver may be revoked or modified

at any time upon a determination that the

factual basis underlying the application is

incorrect.

The interim waiver shall remain in effect -

until the Department of Energy issues a

determination on Heil-Quaker's Petition for

Waiver.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Davis, RE..

Assistant Secretary. Conservation and

Renewable Energy.

January 4,1990

Assistant Secretary, Conservation and

Renewable Energy, United States

Department of Energy, 1000

Independence A venue, SIV., Washington.

DC 20585

Gentlemen: Please consider this Petition for

Waiver and Application for Interim Waiver

pursuant to title 10 CFR 430.27.

Waiver is requested from the test

procedures covering gas furnaces found at

Appendix N to Subpart B of 10 CFR part 430.

The current Heat-Up Test procedure requires

a 1.5 minute time delay between burner and

blower startup. Hell-Quaker is requesting to

use 30 seconds instead of 1.5 minutes for

condensing gas furnace families NUGK(-),

NDGK(+), NUGS(-) and induced draft gas

furnace series NUGE(-), NDGE(-). These

models will employ an unvarying electronic

timing control which will start the blower in

approximately 30 seconds. This will reduce

lost energy out the vent system and can

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 37
55FR13184

13186 Federal Register / Vol. 55, No. 68 / Monday, April 9, 1990 / Notices

improve energy savings approximately I

percent.

An Interim Waiver is requested. Several

other manufacturers of similar furnaces have

been granted the waiver to use reduced

blower start up times. Known manufacturers

of similar furnaces as shown in Attachment

A have been sent a copy of our petition.

Respectfully yours,

Heil-Quaker Corporation.

W.E. Dalton,

Vice President Engineering.

[FR Doc. 90-5115 Filed 4-8-90; 8:45 am]

BILUNG CODE 6456-01-M

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 37