54FR15986

15986 Federal Register / Vol. 54, No. 75 / Thursday, April 20, 1989 / Notices

Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products, Petition for

Waterer of Furnace Test Procedures

From the Trane Co. (F-017)

ACLENCY: Conservation and Renewable

Energy Office, Department of Energy.

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

acnoN: ot ce. procedures by adding 10 CFR 430.27 on

SUMMARY: Today's notice publishes a

"Petition for Waiver" from The Trane

Company (Trane), Tyler, Texas,

requesting a waiver from the existing

Department of Energy (DOE) test

procedure for furnaces. In addition,

today's notice publishes the granting of

Trane's application for an Interim

Waiver. Trane manufactures residential

heating appliances. The petition

requests DOE to grant relief from the

DOE test procedure relating to the

blower time delay specification for

Trane's condensing furnaces TUC(-) upflow models and TDC() down-flow

models. Trane 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 ontime. DOE is soliciting comments, data

and information respecting the petition.

DATE: DOE will accept comments, data

and information not later than May 22,

1989.

ADDRESS: Written comments and

statements shall be sent to: Department

of Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Case No. F-107, Mail

Stop CE-132, Forrestal Building. 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Michael J. McCabe, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Mail Station CE-132,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independenc

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 2058;.-

(2021 586-X9127.

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), Pub. L. 94-163, 89 Stet, 917,

as amended by the National Energy

Conservation Policy Act (NEECA), Pub.

L. 95-619, 92 Stat 3266, and the National

Appliance Energy Conservation Act of

1987 (NAECA), Pub. L 100-12, which

requires DOE to prescribe standardized

N i

September 26, 1980, creating the waiver

process, 45 FR 64108. DOE further

amended the Department's appliance

test procedure waiver process to allow

the Assistant Secretary for Conservation

and Renewable Energy to grant an

interim waiver from test procedure

requirements to manufacturers that have

petitioned DOE for $ waiver of such

prescribed test procedures. 51 FR 42823,

November 28,1986. The waiver process

allows the Assistant Secretary f?r

Conservation and Renewable Energy 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

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, added

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, it if 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.

Trane's petition seeks a 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, Trane

requests the allowance to test using a 30

second blower time delay when testing

its condensing furnaces models TUC(-)

and TDC(-). Trane states that the 30

second delay is indicative of how these

condensing furnaces actually operate.

Such a delay results in an energy

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54FR15986

Federal Register / Vol. 54, No. 75 / Thursday, April 20, 1989 / Notices 15987

savings of approximately 1.8 percent.

Since current DOE test procedures do

not address this variable blower time

delay, Trane asks that the waiver be

granted.

The Department finds that it would be

desirable for public policy reasons to

grant Trane's Application for Interim

Wavier. Specifically, in those instances

where DOE has granted a waiver for a

similar product design, it is in the public

Interest to have similar products tested

and rated for energy consumption on a

comparable basis. Previous waivers for

this type of timed blower delay control

have been granted to the Coleman

Company, the Magic Chef Company and

the Rheem Manufacturing Company. 50

FR, 2710, January 18, 1985, 50 FR 41553,

October 11, 1985, and 53 FR 48574,

December 1, 1988, respectively.

Therefore, Trane's Application for an -

Interim Waiver requesting relief from

the DOE test procedures for its

condensing furnace models TIC(-) and

TDC(-) is granted.

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.

In addition, pursuant to paragraph (e)

of section 430.27 of the Code of Federal

Regulations, the following letter granting

the Application for Interim Waiver was

issued to The Trane Company.

Issued in Washington, DC, April 12,1989.

John R. Berg,

Assistant Secretary. Conservation and

Renewable Energy.

IFR Doc. 89-9542 Filed 4-19-89; 8:45 am)

S1WNG CODE 6450-01-$ -

d

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