Federal Register / Vol. 48, No. 111 Wednesday, June 8, 1983 / `Notices 26527

Office of Conservation and Renewable

Energy

[Case No. F-009]

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products; Petition for

Waiver of Furnace Test Procedures

From Hydrotherm, Inc.

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

SUMMARY: Today's notice publishes a

"Petition for Waiver" from Hydrotherm,

Inc. (Hydrotherm), requesting a waiver

from the existing Department of Energy

(DOE) test procedures for furnaces.

The petition requests DOE to grant

relief from the furnace test procedure

requirements relating to determination

of annual fuel utilization efficiency

(AFUE). Specifically, the petitioner

requests the use of an alternate test

proedeure developed by the National

Bureau of Standards in lieu of DOE's

currently prescribed procedures. DOE is

soliciting comments, date, and

information respecting the petition.

DATE DOE will accept comments, data,

and information not later than July 8,

1983.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

statements shall be sent to: Department

of Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Case No. F-009, Mail

Stop CE-113.1, Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael J. McCabe, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy Mail Station CE113.1, Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, D.C. 20585, (202) 252-

9127.

Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department

of Energy, Office of General Counsel,

Mail Station GC-33, Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, D.C. 20585, (202)

252-9513.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products (other than

automobiles) was established pursuant

to the Energy Policy and Conservation

Act (EPCA), Pub. L. 94-163, 89 Stat. 917,

as amended by the National Energy

Conservation Policy Act (NECPA), Pub.

L. 95-619, 92 Stat. 3266, which requires

DOE to prescribed 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 1 430.27,

Petitions for Waiver to allow the

Assistant "Secretary for Conservation

and Renewable Energy temporarily to

waive test procedures for a particular

basic model. 45 FR 64108 (September 26,

1980). Waivers may be granted when

one or more design characteristics of a

basic model either prevent testing of the

basic model according to the prescribed

test procedures or lead to results so

unrepresentative of the model's true

energy consumption as to provide

materially inaccurate comparative data.

Hydrotherm submitted a petition

which contends that when the existing

DOE test procedures are applied to its

boiler with stepmodulating (variable

firing rate) controls the result is

materially inaccurate comparative da

The Hydortherm petitions waiver

from DOE test method baing efficiency

determinations on a single firing rate.

Additionally, Hydrotherm requests the

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 15
26520 Federal Register / Vol. 48, No. 111 / Wednesday , June 8, 1983 / Notices

use of test method prepared by the

National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in

lieu of the existing DOE test procedures,

specifically the test method outlined in

NBSIR-82-2497 entitled A Test Method

and Calculation Procedure for

Determining Annual Efficiency for

Vented Household Heaters and Furnace

Equipped with Modulating-Type

Controls, dated May 1982. This report is

available through the National

Technical Information Service,

Springfield, VA 22161.

Briefly, the NBS method requires that,

efficiency tests be conducted at reduced

and maximum firing rates. The results of

these tests along with typical derived

values from a bin analysis of weather

data allow for the determination of the

hours of operation in each mode and

consequently a weighted annual

efficiency is obtained. TJ ese test

methods and calculation procedures are

based on and are an extension to the

current DOE test procedures for the

simple-stage type of thermostat control

of central furnaces.

Pursuant to paragraph (b) of 10 CFR

430.27, DOE is hereby publishing the

"Petition for Waiver" in its entirety. The

petition contains no confidential

information. DOE solicits comments,

data, and information respecting the

petition.

Issued in Washington, D.C. June 1, 19113.

Howard S. Coleman,

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary,

Conservation andRenewoble Energy.

March 8,1983.

Joseph J. Tribble, Assistant Secretary,

Conservation and Renewable Energy,

Department of Energy. Forrestal Building,

1000 Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC

Re: Petition for Waiver

Dear Sir: This is a petition by Hydrotherm,

Inc. for waiver from the test procedure

specified in Appendix N to Subpart B

contained in 10 CFR Part 43. for determining

the relative energy efficiency of furnaces.

Petitioner is a manufacturer of hydronic

heating equipment, and is preparing to

introduce a cast iron boiler product with step

modulating controls which will operate at

dual firing rates. However, as presently

formulated, the test procedure specified in

Appendix N contemplates the use of only a

single firing rate in the test calculations.

Applying this test to Petitioner's prototype

boiler gives results which differ by as much

as two or three percentage points depending

on which firing rate is used in the -

calculations. In either case, the results are

unrepresentative of the true energy

consumption characteristics of Petitioner's

boiler and, therefore, provide materially

inaccurate comparative data. Faced with this

dilemma, Petitioner requests that, until such

time as a test procedure appropriate to

furnaces which operate at multiple firing

rates is issued by the Department of Energy,

it be permitted to use as an alternate test

procedure the test procedure prepared for the

Department of Energy by the National Bureau

of Standards entitled, "A Test Method and

Calculation Procedure for Determining

Annual Efficiency for Vented Household

Heaters and Furnaces Equipped with

Modulating-Type Controls", a copy of which

is attached hereto as Exhibit A.' To

Petitioner's knowledge, there are no other

manufacturers of a boiler incorporating a

similar design.

Sincerely,

Hydrotherm, Inc.

John J. Cleary,

Asst. Secretary and Corporate Counsel.

(FR Doc. 83-15283 Filed a-7-83; &.45 am]

BiwNG CODE 8156-01.11

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 15