Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Negotiated Rulemaking for Distribution Transformers
 

Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2012
 

Teleconference/ Webinar
 

MEETING ATTENDEES:

EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLES ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ERAC) ATTENDANCE

COMMITTEE MEMBERS On The

Phone

Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners 

Philip Giudice, Chief Executive Officer, Liquid Metal Battery

Corporation



Mark Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

and Director, Atmosphere/Energy Program, Stanford University



Ed Lazowska, Bill and Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science and

Engineering, University of Washington



Kathleen McGinty, Senior Vice President and Managing Director,

Strategic Growth, Weston Solutions, Inc.



Arati Prabhakar (Chair), Independent Consultant 

Stanley "Skip" Pruss, Partner, 5 Lakes Energy, LLC 

Burton Richter, Paul Pigott Professor in the Physical Sciences,

Senior Fellow Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies,

Stanford University; and Director Emeritus, Stanford Linear

Accelerator Center



Arthur Rosenfeld, Distinguished Scientist Emeritus, Lawrence

Berkeley National Laboratory



Subir Sanyal, President and Manager of Reservoir Engineering

Services, GeothermEx, Inc.



Maxine Savitz, General Manager, Honeywell/AlliedSignal (Retired) 

Appliance Standards Subcommittee Attendees:

•	 David Hungerford, Special Advisor, California Energy Commission

•	 John Jimison, Managing Director, Energy Future Coalition

•	 Kelley Kline, Counsel, Regulatory GE Consumer & Industrial , General Electric Company

Other ERAC Subcommittee Attendees:

•	 Christopher Lowe

U.S. Department of Energy & National Laboratory Staff Attendees

•	 JoAnn Milliken, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy/Designated

Federal Officer for ERAC

•	 Chris Bolduc, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

•	 Daniel Cohen, General Council, U.S. Department of Energy

•	 Katie Coughlin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

•	 John Cymbalsky, Building Technologies Program, U.S. Department of Energy

•	 John Looney, Brookhaven National Laboratory

•	 Sarah Olexsak, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

•	 James Raba, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Contract Support Attendees:
         

          

         

   

           

     

           

       

   

     

   

Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Negotiated Rulemaking for Distribution Transformers
 

Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2012
 

Teleconference/ Webinar
 

• Jeremiah Freeman, New West Technologies, LLC

• Shannon Gould, SRA International

• Carolyn Marton, New West Technologies, LLC

• Richard Parker, Independent Consultant

Public Attendees:

• See Appendix A
         

          

         

   

   

                           

                       

                                 

                         

                                        

                               

                             

                       

                                 

                               

                     

                             

         

                     

         

                                 

               

                                 

                       

       

                           

                         

                     

     

                     

                           

                             

         

                         

                                 

           

                             

                             

                           

                               

                     

                           

                               

Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Negotiated Rulemaking for Distribution Transformers
 

Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2012
 

Teleconference/ Webinar
 

MEETING SUMMARY

Highlights

Members of the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC) convened to consider the formal

transmission of the Appliance Standards Subcommittee’s Distribution Transformer Working Groups’ results to

EERE for its rulemaking efforts. The Committee heard from John Cymbalsky of the U.S. Department of Energy’s

Building Technologies Program, who summarized the activities and results of the transformer working groups

over the past five months. A quorum was met and a consensus vote was reached that ERAC formally transmit a

resolution with recommendations to the Secretary of Energy that the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) to

be published in the Federal Register by February 1, 2012, contain the consensus conservation standards

achieved during the negotiated rulemaking efforts (see Appendix B for full Resolution).

It is important to note that technical and analytical issues had been addressed previously, in several public

meetings held by the working groups. Additionally, members of the public and stakeholders will have the

opportunity to submit written comments in reaction to the published NOPR.

The presentation and resolution presented at the meeting can be found on the ERAC website at

www.erac.energy.gov.

1.	 Distribution Transformers Negotiation Proceedings, Mr. Cymbalsky

2.	 Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee Resolution Regarding Medium Voltage Dry‐Type Distribution

Transformers

Introductions and Purpose of Meeting:

1.	 JoAnn Milliken, Designated Federal Officer of the ERAC, gave a brief introduction of the purpose of the

meeting and initiated attendee introductions for verification of teleconference participation.

2.	 Arati Prabhakar, Chair of the ERAC, provided a summary of the role of ERAC in the distribution transformers

negotiation proceedings and introduced Mr. Cymbalsky of the DOE Building Technologies Program.

DOE and Appliance Standards Subcommittee Presentation:

1.	 Mr. Cymbalsky gave a presentation with primary focus on summarizing the negotiated rulemaking process

used by the Appliance Standards Subcommittee’s Distribution Transformer Working Groups and DOE in

regards to forming energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers. Mr. Cymbalsky’s presentation

also focused on:

a.	 Purpose and formation of the Appliance Standards Subcommittee as part of ERAC;

b.	 Background behind the need for DOE to consider the need reassess standards for distribution

transformers;

c.	 The process and outcomes as a result of the negotiated rulemaking process used by the

distribution transformer Working Groups; and

d.	 Seeking approval from ERAC regarding the transmission of the Working Groups’ results to EERE

for its rulemaking efforts (to meet a court ordered deadline of having a NOPR published in the

Federal Register by February 1, 2012).

2.	 Mr. Cymbalsky shared the results of the distribution transformer negotiated rulemaking efforts. Of the ten

equipment classes discusses as part of the negotiated rulemaking efforts, consensus was only reached on

medium‐voltage dry‐type, equipment class 8. However, as specified in the Resolution, the Medium Voltage

Working Group has directed DOE to resolve certain technical issues to allow scaling from the consensus

regarding medium‐voltage dry‐type distribution transformers in equipment class 8 to propose energy

conservation standards for medium‐voltage dry‐type distribution transformers in equipment classes 5, 6 7, 9

and 10 that DOE anticipates the Medium Voltage Working Group will also approve by consensus. Consensus
         

          

         

   

                       

           

           

                             

  

   

                                   

                                 

                            

             

                                     

                                 

      

                               

           

Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Negotiated Rulemaking for Distribution Transformers
 

Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2012
 

Teleconference/ Webinar
 

was not reached for any equipment classes within medium‐voltage liquid‐immersed or low‐voltage dry‐type

distribution transformers (equipment classes 1 through 4).

Committee Questions and Discussion of Process:

1.	 ERAC members were provided the opportunity for questions on the presentation, the process, and the

resolution.

Public Comments:

1.	 The opportunity was provided for public comment. A question was asked if it is possible that DOE could

decide by February that no new standard is justified. General Counsel responded that it is a potential

outcome by February 1, 2012. No additional questions or comments were voiced by public attendees.

Committee Response to Public Comments and Vote:

1.	 The ERAC members in attendance met the quorum requirement for a consensus vote to be met (10 of the

18 active members). All but two members, who recused themselves from voting, voted in approval and a

resolution was met.

2.	 Members of the public and stakeholders will have the opportunity to submit written comments in reaction

to the published Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
         

          

         

   

       

       

           

   

         

   

   

       

   

   

     

   

   

       

   

Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Negotiated Rulemaking for Distribution Transformers
 

Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2012
 

Teleconference/ Webinar
 

Appendix A: Public Attendees

Last Name First Name Affiliation

Ames Mark American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air‐

Conditioning Engineers

Bagley Tim The Bagley Group

Brundage Donald Southern Company

Creevy Jim NEMA

Farber Julia UL

Foster Chuck Foster and Jamison, LLP

Francoeur Bruno Hydro Quebec

Hill James NIST (retired)

Lis David Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships

Nicole Kristen EPRI

Offner Arnold Phoenix Contact

Sands Derek Platts

Schlicher Martha Monsanto

Simmons Chuck Progress Energy
         

          

         

   

                 

         

   

       

     

   

                           

                                 

                             

                                     

                   

                           

                               

            

                         

                               

                   

         

                                  

                         

                         

                         

                     

                         

                   

               

                         

                     

        

                         

                                 

           

Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Negotiated Rulemaking for Distribution Transformers
 

Meeting Minutes: January 12, 2012
 

Teleconference/ Webinar
 

Appendix B: ERAC Resolution Regarding Medium Voltage Dry‐Type Distribution Transformers

Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee
 

Resolution Regarding
 

Medium Voltage Dry‐Type Distribution Transformers
 

January 12, 2012
 

WHEREAS, the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (“ERAC”) was established by the U.S. Department

of Energy (“DOE”) as a Federal advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to advise the

Secretary of Energy regarding the portfolio of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy;

WHEREAS, on July 29, 2011, DOE published a notice of intent to form a subcommittee under the ERAC to

negotiate new Federal energy conservation standards for medium‐voltage dry‐type and liquid‐immersed

distribution transformers (“MV subcommittee”) and on August 12, 2011, DOE published a similar notice of

intent to form a subcommittee under the ERAC to negotiate new Federal energy conservation standards for low‐

voltage dry‐type distribution transformers (“LV subcommittee”);

WHEREAS, the MV subcommittee held eight subcommittee meetings and two public webinars between

September and December 2011, and has reported to the ERAC that the MV subcommittee has reached

consensus regarding proposed energy conservation standards for medium‐voltage dry‐type distribution

transformers in equipment class 8;

WHEREAS, the MV subcommittee has directed DOE to resolve certain technical issues to allow scaling from the

consensus regarding medium‐voltage dry‐type distribution transformers in equipment class 8 to propose energy

conservation standards for medium‐voltage dry‐type distribution transformers in equipment classes 5, 6 7, 9

and 10 that DOE anticipates the MV subcommittee will also approve by consensus;

WHEREAS, the ERAC need not recommend specific energy conservation standards for medium‐voltage liquid‐

immersed or low‐voltage dry‐type distribution transformers because the MV and LV subcommittees did not

reach consensus on energy conservation standards for these distribution transformer superclasses;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the ERAC:

	 Recommends that the Secretary of Energy propose the energy conservation standards recommended by

consensus of the MV subcommittee for medium‐voltage dry‐type distribution transformers in

equipment class 8; and

	 Recommends that the Secretary of Energy propose the scaled energy conservation standards for

medium voltage dry‐type distribution transformers in equipment classes 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 once the MV

subcommittee approves the standards by consensus.