This document, concerning Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential 

Clothes Dryers, is a rulemaking action issued by the Department of Energy. Though it is not 

intended or expected, should any discrepancy occur between the document posted here and the 

document published in the Federal Register, the Federal Register publication controls. This 

document is being made available through the Internet solely as a means to facilitate the public's 

access to this document. 

Scheduled publication: January 2, 2013 
6450-01-P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430 

[Docket No. EERE-2011-BT-TP-0054] 

RIN: 1904-AC63 

Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential Clothes Dryers 

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to revise its test 

procedures for residential clothes dryers established under the Energy Policy and Conservation 

Act. The proposed amendments to appendix D1 would include testing methods for more 

accurately measuring the effects of automatic cycle termination. In addition, the proposed 

amendments would update the reference to the latest edition of the International Electrotechnical 

Commission (IEC) Standard 62301, “Household electrical appliances–Measurement of standby 

power,” Edition 2.0 2011-01. For the test procedures at both appendix D and appendix D1, DOE 

proposes to clarify the cycle settings used for the test cycle and the requirements for the gas 

supply for gas clothes dryers. 

1 
DATES: DOE will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 from 9 a.m. 

to 4 p.m., in Washington, DC. The meeting will also be broadcast as a webinar. See section V, 

“Public Participation,” for webinar registration information, participant instructions, and 

information about the capabilities available to webinar participants. 

DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NOPR) before and after the public meeting, but no later than March 18, 2013. See 

section V, “Public Participation,” for details. 

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal 

Building, Room 1E-245 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. To attend, 

please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945. For more information, refer to the Public 

Participation, section V, near the end of this notice. 

Any comments submitted must identify the NOPR on Test Procedures for Residential 

Clothes Dryers, and provide docket number EERE-2011-BT-TP-0054and/or regulatory 

information number (RIN) 1904-AC63. Comments may be submitted using any of the following 

methods: 

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for 

submitting comments. 

2 
2. E-mail: RCDAT-2011-TP-0054@ee.doe.gov. Include docket number EERE-2011-BTTP-0054 and/or RIN 1904-AC63 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 compact disc (CD), in which case it is not 

necessary to include printed copies. 

4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building 

Technologies Program, 6th Floor, 950 L’Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024. 

Telephone: (202) 586-2945. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it 

is not necessary to include printed copies. 

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 www.regulations.gov, 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 

www.regulations.gov index. However, not all documents listed in the index may be publicly 

available, such as information that is exempt from public disclosure. 

A link to the docket web page can be found at: 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;dct=FR%252BPR%252BN%252BO%252BSR;rpp= 

10;po=0;D=EERE-2011-BT-TP-0054. This web page will contain a link to the docket for this 

3 
notice on the www.regulations.gov site. The www.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 www.regulations.gov. 

For further information on how to submit a comment or review other public comments 

and the docket, or participate in the public meeting, contact Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586­

2945 or email: Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mr. Stephen Witkowski, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC 20585-0121. Tel.: (202) 586-7463. E-mail: Stephen.Witkowski@ee.doe.gov. 

Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, 20585-0121. Tel.: (202) 586-7796, E-mail: 

Elizabeth.Kohl@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Authority and Background 

A. General Test Procedure Rulemaking Process 

B. DOE Clothes Dryer Test Procedure 

1. January 2011 TP Final Rule 

2. August 2011 RFI 

II. Summary of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

4 
 

III. Discussion 

A. Products Covered by This Test Procedure Rulemaking 

B. Automatic Cycle Termination 

1. August 2011 RFI 

2. Product Testing 

3. Energy Consumption versus RMC 

4. Water Supply Testing 

5. Proposed Amendments 

C. Incorporating by Reference IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition for Measuring Standby 

Mode and Off Mode Power 

1. Stable Power Consumption 

2. Unstable, Non-Cyclic Power Consumption 

3. Cyclic Power Consumption 

4. Conclusions on Test Methodology 

D. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-cycle Combined Total Energy 

Consumption 

E. Clarifications to Test Conditions 

F. Effects of Proposed Test Procedure Revisions on Compliance with Standards 

1. Active Mode 

2. Standby Mode and Off Mode 

G. Compliance with Other EPCA Requirements 

1. Test Burden 

2. Certification Requirements 

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 the 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. Attendance at Public Meeting 

B. Procedure for Submitting Prepared General Statements For Distribution 

C. Conduct of Public Meeting 

D. Submission of Comments 

E. Issues on which DOE Seeks Comment 

1. Test Load 

2. Automatic Cycle Termination Test Cycle 

3. Timed Dry Test Cycle 

4. Characteristics of Water for Wetting Test Load 

5 
5. Incorporation by Reference of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 

6. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-cycle Combined Total Energy 

Consumption 

7. Clarifications to Test Conditions 

8. Effects of Proposed Amendments for Automatic Cycle Termination on Energy 

Conservation Standards 

9. Test Burden 

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), Pub. L. 110-140 (Dec. 19, 2007)). Part B of title III, which 

for editorial reasons was re-designated as Part A upon codification in the U.S. Code (42 U.S.C. 

6291–6309), establishes the “Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than 

Automobiles.” Covered consumer products include clothes dryers, the subject of today’s notice. 

(42 U.S.C. 6292(a)(8)) 

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 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. 

6 
A. 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 

and 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)) In any rulemaking to amend a test procedure, DOE 

must also 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)) 

EPCA also requires DOE to amend the test procedures for all residential covered 

products to include measures of standby mode and off mode energy consumption. Specifically, 

EPCA provides definitions of “standby mode” and “off mode” (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(1)(A)) and 

permits DOE to amend these definitions in the context of a given product (42 U.S.C. 

6295(gg)(1)(B)). The statute requires integration of such energy consumption into the overall 

energy efficiency, energy consumption, or other energy descriptor for each covered product, 

unless DOE determines that— 

7 
(i) the current test procedures for a covered product already fully account for and 

incorporate the standby mode and off mode energy consumption of the covered product; or 

(ii) such an integrated test procedure is technically infeasible for a particular covered 

product, in which case the Secretary shall 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)) 

In any test procedure amendment, DOE must consider the most current versions of IEC 

Standard 62301, “Household electrical appliances – Measurement of standby power,” and IEC 

Standard 62087, “Methods of measurement for the power consumption of audio, video, and 

related equipment.” Id. 

B. DOE Clothes Dryer Test Procedure 

DOE’s test procedures for clothes dryers are codified in appendix D and appendix D1 to 

subpart B of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). DOE established its test 

procedure for clothes dryers at appendix D in a final rule published in the Federal Register on 

September 14, 1977 (the September 1977 TP Final Rule). 42 FR 46145. On May 19, 1981, DOE 

published a final rule (the May 1981 TP Final Rule) to amend the test procedure by establishing 

a field-use factor for clothes dryers with automatic termination controls, clarifying the test cloth 

specifications and clothes dryer preconditioning, and making editorial and minor technical 

changes. 46 FR 27324. The test procedure includes provisions for determining the energy factor 

8 
 

(EF) for clothes dryers, which is a measure of the total energy required to dry a standard test load 

of laundry to a “bone dry”1

 state. 

1. January 2011 TP Final Rule 

On January 6, 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published in the Federal 

Register a final rule for the residential clothes dryer and room air conditioner test procedure 

rulemaking (76 FR 972) (January 2011 TP Final Rule), in which it (1) adopted the provisions for 

the measurement of standby mode and off mode power use for those products; and (2) adopted 

several amendments to the clothes dryer and room air conditioner test procedures concerning the 

active mode for these products. 76 FR 972 (Jan. 6, 2011). DOE created a new appendix D1 in 10 

CFR part 430 subpart B that contained the amended test procedure for clothes dryers. 

Manufacturers must use the test procedures in appendix D1 to demonstrate compliance with the 

amended energy conservation standards for clothes dryers as of January 1, 2015 (76 FR 52852 

(Aug. 24, 2011), 76 FR 52854 (Aug. 24, 2011)) 

For clothes dryer standby mode and off mode, the January 2011 TP Final Rule amended 

the DOE clothes dryer test procedure to incorporate by reference specific clauses from the 

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard 62301, “Household electrical 

appliances–Measurement of standby power,” (first edition June 2005) regarding test conditions 

and test procedures for measuring standby mode and off mode power consumption, as well as 

language to clarify application of these provisions for measuring standby mode and off mode 

1

 “Bone dry” is defined in the DOE clothes dryer test procedure as a condition of a load of test clothes 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. (10 

CFR subpart B, appendix D, section 1.2) 

9 
 

 

power consumption in clothes dryers. In addition, DOE adopted definitions of modes based on 

the relevant provisions from IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition Committee Draft for Vote (IEC 

Standard 62301 CDV). DOE established the Combined Energy Factor (CEF) for clothes dryers 

to integrate energy use in the standby mode and off mode with the energy use of the main 

functions of the product.2

 76 FR 972, 975–6 (Jan. 6, 2011). 

For clothes dryer active mode, DOE adopted amendments in the January 2011 TP Final 

Rule to include provisions for the testing of ventless clothes dryers. 76 FR 972, 976–7 (Jan. 6, 

2011). The amendments also included the following changes to reflect the current usage and 

capabilities of products: (1) changing the annual clothes dryer use cycles from 416 to 283 cycles 

per year, (2) changing the initial remaining moisture content (RMC)3

 of clothes dryer loads from 

70 percent ± 3.5 percent to 57.5 percent ± 3.5 percent, and (3) changing the clothes dryer test 

load size from 7.00 pounds (lbs) ± .07 lbs to 8.45 ± .085 lbs for standard-size clothes dryers. 76 

FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011). The January 2011 TP Final Rule also amended the DOE clothes 

dryer test procedure by updating test cloth preconditioning provisions; revising the water 

temperature for test load preparation from 100 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) ± 5 °F to 60 °F ± 5 °F; 

updating the reference to the relevant industry test standard (Association of Home Appliance 

Manufacturers (AHAM) Standard HLD–1–2009); eliminating reference to an obsolete industry 

test standard (AHAM Standard HLD–2EC); clarifying the required gas supply conditions for 

testing gas clothes dryers; clarifying the provisions for measuring the drum capacity; clarifying 

2

The CEF is defined as the clothes dryer test load weight in pounds divided by the sum of the per-cycle standby and 

off mode energy consumption and either the total per-cycle electric dryer energy consumption or the total per-cycle 

gas dryer energy consumption expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh).

3

 RMC is the ratio of the weight of water contained by the test load to the bone-dry weight of the test load, expressed 

as a percent. 

10 
 

 

 

 

 

the definition of “automatic termination control” for clothes dryers; and adding the calculations 

of EF and CEF to 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1. 76 FR 972, 978 (Jan. 6, 2011). 

In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE did not adopt the amendments to more 

accurately measure automatic cycle termination that were originally proposed in the test 

procedure supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR) (June 2010 TP SNOPR) (75 

FR 37594, 37612–20 (June 29, 2010)).4

 As further discussed in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, 

DOE conducted testing of representative residential clothes dryers using the automatic cycle 

termination test procedure proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR. The results of the testing 

revealed that all of the clothes dryers tested significantly over-dried the DOE test load5 to near 

bone dry and, as a result, the measured EF values were significantly lower than EF values 

obtained using the existing DOE test procedure. The test data also indicated that clothes dryers 

equipped with automatic termination controls would be considered less efficient than timer 

dryers. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011). 

In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE concluded that the test procedure amendments 

for automatic cycle termination proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR do not adequately 

measure the energy consumption of clothes dryers equipped with such systems using the test 

load specified in the DOE test procedure. DOE stated that clothes dryers with automatic 

termination sensing control systems, which infer the RMC of the load from the properties of the 

4

 The test method proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR involved testing clothes dryers with automatic termination 

controls using the “normal” setting (and where the temperature setting can be chosen independently of the program, 

it shall be set to the highest level) and a test load with a starting moisture content of 57.5 ± 0.33 percent, allowing 

the dryer to run until the heater switches off for the final time at the end of the drying cycle to achieve a final 

remaining moisture content of no more than 5 percent.

5

 The DOE test load is composed of cotton momie test cloths that are each 24 inches by 36 inches in dimensions and 

are a blend of 50-percent cotton and 50-percent polyester. 

11 
exhaust air such as temperature and humidity, may be designed to stop the cycle when a load of 

varying weights, composition, and size has a higher RMC than the RMC obtained using the 

proposed automatic cycle termination test procedure in conjunction with the existing DOE test 

load. In considering whether other test loads would be appropriate to incorporate into the DOE 

test procedure to produce both representative and repeatable test results, however, DOE noted 

that manufacturers indicated that test load types and test cloth materials different than those 

specified in the DOE test procedure do not produce results as repeatable as those obtained using 

the test load as currently specified. 76 FR 977 (Jan. 6, 2011). 

2. August 2011 RFI 

On August 12, 2011, DOE published a Request for Information (RFI) to further 

investigate the effects of automatic cycle termination on the energy efficiency (August 2011 

RFI). 76 FR 50145. DOE sought information, data, and comments regarding methods for more 

accurately measuring the effects of automatic cycle termination in the clothes dryer test 

procedure. In particular, DOE sought comment on the following: (1) the characteristics of loads 

of varying weights, composition, and size, (2) the accuracy of different automatic cycle 

termination sensors and controls, (3) the target final RMC used by manufacturers to maintain 

consumer satisfaction, (4) the effects of the characteristics of water (i.e., hardness and 

conductivity) used for wetting the test load prior to testing, and (5) the cycle settings selected by 

consumers for automatic termination cycles. In response to the August 2011 RFI, interested 

parties commented that DOE should amend the clothes dryer test procedure to include provisions 

to account for the effectiveness of automatic cycle termination and amend the relevant energy 

conservation standards based on the effects of the test procedure changes according to EPCA. 

12 
 

II. Summary of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

Automatic Termination Control Procedures. 

In this notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR), DOE proposes to modify the test 

procedures for clothes dryers in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1 to include methods for 

more accurately measuring the effects of automatic cycle termination. The proposed method 

would require that clothes dryers with automatic cycle termination controls be tested using the 

“Normal” automatic termination cycle setting. Where the drying temperature setting can be 

chosen independently, it shall be set to the maximum. Where the dryness level setting can be 

chosen independently, it shall be set to the “normal” or “medium” dryness level setting.6

 The 

proposed amendments would then specify that the clothes dryer be allowed to run until the 

completion of the drying cycle, including the cool down period, to achieve a final RMC of no 

more than 2 percent. If the final measured RMC is above 2 percent, the test would be considered 

invalid and the proposed amendments would require that a new test cycle be run using the 

highest dryness level setting. DOE notes that a final RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test load 

would be more representative of clothes dryers currently on the market and representative of the 

maximum consumer-accepted final RMC. Finally, DOE is proposing to apply a field use factor 

of 0.80 for clothes dryers with automatic cycle termination to account for the measured energy 

consumption at the end of the automatic termination cycle drying the DOE test load below 2­

percent RMC. 

6

 Most clothes dryers available on the market provide separate settings for the “temperature level” and “dryness 

level.” The temperature level refers to the temperature of the hot air used to dry the load in the drum. The dryness 

level refers to the desired remaining moisture content of the load at the completion of the drying cycle. 

13 
For clothes dryers with only timed dry control settings, the proposed amendments would 

require that the existing timed dry test cycle in appendix D1 be used, but change the final RMC 

from 2.5–5 percent to 1–2.5 percent. DOE also proposes to change the normalization in the 

calculation of the per-cycle energy consumption to represent the energy consumption required to 

dry the test load to 2-percent RMC. Both of these changes are proposed to be consistent with the 

test method for automatic cycle termination and to be representative of the final RMC of clothes 

dryers currently on the market using the DOE test load. 

Incorporation of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). 

The IEC published IEC Standard 62301, “Household electrical appliances – 

Measurement of standby power,” Edition 2.0 2011-01 (IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) or 

“Second Edition”) on January 27, 2011. Consistent with EPCA requirements for amending test 

procedures to include standby and off mode procedures (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(A)), DOE 

analyzed IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) for today’s NOPR. DOE has reviewed this latest 

draft of the IEC standard and believes that it provides for improvement for some measurements 

of standby mode and off mode energy use. Accordingly, DOE proposes in today’s NOPR to 

incorporate certain provisions of the IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition), along with clarifying 

language, into the DOE clothes dryer test procedure. 

Clarifications to Test Conditions. 

DOE received a number of inquiries from independent test laboratories requesting 

clarification on testing according to the DOE clothes dryer test procedure. Based on these 

inquiries, DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to amend both 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 

14 
appendix D and appendix D1 to clarify the cycle settings used for the test cycle and the 

requirements for the gas supply for gas clothes dryers. 

III. Discussion 

A. Products Covered by This Test Procedure Rulemaking 

Today’s proposed amendments to DOE’s clothes dryer test procedure cover both electric 

and gas clothes dryers. DOE defines a clothes dryer to mean a cabinet-like appliance designed to 

dry fabrics in a tumble-type drum with forced air circulation, with blower(s) driven by an electric 

motor(s) and either gas or electricity as the heat source. 10 CFR 430.2. DOE is not proposing in 

today’s NOPR to change the definition for clothes dryers in DOE’s regulations. 

B. Automatic Cycle Termination 

In today’s NOPR, DOE is proposing amendments to the clothes dryer test procedure in 

10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1 to more accurately measure the effects of automatic 

cycle termination. The current DOE test procedures for clothes dryers in 10 CFR part 430, 

subpart B, appendices D and D1 currently require manufacturers to apply a field use factor to the 

per-cycle drying energy consumption to determine the performance of clothes dryers equipped 

with both automatic cycle termination and timers. For dryers with automatic termination control, 

the test procedures do not distinguish between the type of sensing control system (e.g., 

temperature-sensing or moisture-sensing controls) and the sophistication and accuracy of the 

control system. Gas or electric clothes dryers with time termination control (i.e., those dryers 

equipped with a timer to determine the end of a drying cycle) are assigned a field use factor of 

1.18, while dryers with automatic termination are assigned a field use factor of 1.04. The field 

15 
use factors are assigned to account for drying beyond the 2.5–5 percent RMC specified in the test 

procedure. The field use factor for timer dryers was derived from a field study conducted by the 

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company in 1971, consisting of 64 households and 33,000 loads of 

clothing, as well as data reported by AHAM representing the energy consumption in 1972 of 

2,983,200 production units of clothes dryers. 42 FR 46145, 46146 (Sept. 14, 1977). For 

automatic termination control dryers, the field use factor was derived from a field study 

conducted by AHAM in 1977 involving 72 households. 45 FR 46762-3 (July 10, 1980); 46 FR 

27324 (May 19, 1981). 

In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE did not adopt the amendments to more 

accurately measure automatic cycle termination that were originally proposed in June 2010 TP 

SNOPR. 76 FR 972, 977–78 (Jan. 6, 2011). In that June 2010 TP SNOPR, DOE proposed to 

revise its clothes dryer test procedure to include definitions of and provisions for testing both 

timer dryers and automatic termination control dryers based on the methodology provided in 

Australia/New Zealand (AS/NZS) Standard 2442.1: 1996, “Performance of household electrical 

appliances – Rotary clothes dryers, Part 1: Energy consumption and performance”(AS/NZS 

Standard 2442.1) and AS/NZS Standard 2442.2: 2000, “Performance of household electrical 

appliances – Rotary clothes dryers, Part 2: Energy labeling requirements” (AS/NZS Standard 

2442.2). 75 FR 37594, 37598 (June 29, 2010). DOE proposed to incorporate the testing methods 

from these international test standards, along with a number of clarifications, to measure the 

energy consumption for both timer dryers and automatic termination control dryers. The 

measurement would account for the energy consumed by the clothes dryer after the load reaches 

an RMC of 5 percent. 75 FR 37594, 37599 (June 29, 2010). The proposed test method in the 

16 
June 2010 TP SNOPR specified that a clothes dryer with automatic cycle termination controls be 

tested using the “normal” cycle setting, and where the temperature setting can be chosen 

independently of the program, it would be set to the highest level. The clothes dryer would then 

be allowed to run until the heater switched off for the final time at the end of the drying cycle. If 

the final RMC was higher than 5 percent, the test would be re-run using the highest dryness level 

setting. Id. 

In addition to the provisions for automatic cycle termination clothes dryers, DOE also 

proposed testing methods in the June 2010 TP SNOPR for timer dryers based on AS/NZS 

Standard 2442.1. The proposed test method specified that the clothes dryer be operated at the 

maximum temperature setting until the final RMC of the load was between 5 and 6 percent. The 

procedure would then be repeated to dry the load until the final RMC was between 4 and 5 

percent, with the results from these two tests used to interpolate the value of the per-cycle energy 

consumption required to dry the test load to exactly 5-percent RMC. 75 FR 37594, 37617 (June 

29, 2010). 

As discussed in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE conducted testing of representative 

residential clothes dryers using the automatic cycle termination test procedure proposed in the 

June 2010 TP SNOPR. The results of the testing revealed that all of the clothes dryers tested 

significantly over-dried the DOE test load to near bone dry and, as a result, the measured EF 

values were significantly lower than EF values obtained using the existing DOE test procedure in 

appendix D. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 2011). In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE concluded 

that the test procedure amendments for automatic cycle termination proposed in the June 2010 

17 
TP SNOPR do not adequately measure the energy consumption of clothes dryers equipped with 

such systems using the test load specified in the DOE test procedure. DOE stated that clothes 

dryers with automatic termination sensing control systems, which infer the RMC of the load 

from the properties of the exhaust air such as temperature and humidity, may be designed to stop 

the cycle when a load of varying weights, composition, and size has a higher RMC than the 

RMC obtained using the proposed automatic cycle termination test procedure in conjunction 

with the existing DOE test load. In considering whether other test loads would be appropriate to 

incorporate into the DOE test procedure to produce both representative and repeatable test 

results, however, DOE noted that manufacturers indicated that test load types and test cloth 

materials different than those specified in the DOE test procedure do not produce results as 

repeatable as those obtained using the test load as currently specified. 76 FR 972, 977 (Jan. 6, 

2011). 

1. August 2011 RFI 

As discussed in section I of this notice, DOE published the August 2011 RFI to further 

investigate the effects of automatic cycle termination on the energy efficiency. 76 FR 50145 

(Aug. 12, 2011). DOE sought information, data, and comments regarding methods for more 

accurately measuring the effects of automatic cycle termination in the residential clothes dryer 

test procedure. In particular, DOE sought comment on the following: (1) the characteristics of 

loads of varying weights, composition, and size, (2) the accuracy of different automatic cycle 

termination sensors and controls, (3) the target final RMC used by manufacturers to maintain 

consumer satisfaction, (4) the effects of the characteristics of water (i.e., hardness and 

conductivity) used for wetting the test load prior to testing, and (5) the cycle settings selected by 

18 
 

consumers for automatic termination cycles. 

In response to the August 2011 RFI, DOE received the “Joint Petition to Amend the Test 

Procedure for Residential Clothes Dryers to Include Provisions Related to Automatic 

Termination Controls” (the “Joint Petition”), a comment submitted by groups representing 

manufacturers (AHAM, Whirlpool Corporation (Whirlpool), General Electric Company (GE), 

Electrolux, LG Electronics, Inc. (LG), BSH Home Appliances (BSH), Alliance Laundry Systems 

(ALS), Viking Range, Sub-Zero Wolf, Friedrich A/C, U-Line, Samsung, Sharp Electronics, 

Miele, Heat Controller, AGA Marvel, Brown Stove, Haier, Fagor America, Airwell Group, 

Arcelik, Fisher & Paykel, Scotsman Ice, Indesit, Kuppersbusch, Kelon, and DeLonghi); energy 

and environmental advocates (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), 

Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 

Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), Northwest Power and 

Conservation Council (NPCC), and Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)); and 

consumer groups (Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the National Consumer Law 

Center (NCLC)) (collectively, the “Joint Petitioners”). The Joint Petitioners commented that 

DOE should amend the clothes dryer test procedure to include provisions to account for the 

effectiveness of automatic cycle termination. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 1, 4–5)7 

DOE notes that AHAM withdrew its support for the petition in a letter dated May 29, 

2012, stating that the petition was predicated on DOE adoption of test procedure provisions to 

7

 A notation in the form “Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 1, 4–5” identifies a written comment: (1) made by the Joint 

Petition; (2) recorded in document number 2 that is filed in the docket of the residential dishwasher, dehumidifier, 

and conventional cooking products test procedures rulemaking (Docket No. EERE-2011-BT-TP-0054) and available 

for review at www.regulations.gov; and (3) that appears on pages 1 and 4–5 of document number 2. 

19 
 

account for automatic termination controls by December 31, 2011. DOE acknowledges 

AHAM’s withdrawal but considers the substantive provisions to account for such controls in the 

discussion that follows. (AHAM, No. 5 at pp. 1–2) 

The Joint Petitioners recognized DOE’s concerns that the amendments for automatic 

cycle termination proposed in the June 2010 TP SNOPR may not properly measure the 

effectiveness of automatic termination controls, particularly in light of data that suggested that 

automatic termination control dryers may in fact be drying clothes to approximately 5-percent 

RMC rather than the less than 2-percent RMC resulting from testing using the DOE test cloth. 

The Joint Petitioners noted that the DOE test cloth is uniform, for purposes of repeatability and 

reproducibility, but likely dries faster and more uniformly than a load of varying weights, 

composition, and size. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at p. 5) 

As part of the Joint Petition, AHAM members provided test data on clothes dryers with 

automatic termination controls representing 60 percent of shipments, measuring the final RMC at 

the completion of a “normal” automatic cycle, including cool down, using the DOE test load. 

The data, presented below in Figure III.1, show that all tested models had a final RMC below 2 

percent. The Joint Petitioners stated that the testing assumed that the current market ending RMC 

is appropriate. The Joint Petitioners commented that the test results demonstrated that an ending 

RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test cloth best approximates the maximum consumer-accepted 

final RMC. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 5–6) 

20 
 

Final RMC 

Figure III.1 AHAM Test Data – Final RMC8 

Based on this data, the Joint Petitioners stated that DOE should amend the clothes dryer 

test procedure to include the full automatic termination cycle, including cool down. The Joint 

Petitioners stated that testing the entire cycle is more representative of actual consumer use and 

is less of a test burden for manufacturers than DOE’s proposal in the June 2010 TP SNOPR to 

stop the dryer when the heater switches off for the final time at the end of the drying cycle. In 

addition, the Joint Petitioners commented that the test procedure should be amended to state that 

the final RMC when testing units with automatic termination controls shall be no more than 2 

percent when testing with the DOE test load to be representative of clothes dryers currently on 

the market. Any test in which the final RMC is 2 percent or less should be considered valid. If 

the final RMC is greater than 2 percent, the test would be invalid and a new test run would be 

conducted using the highest dryness level setting. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at p. 6) 

ALS commented that it supports the continued use of the DOE test cloth and that 

8 Joint Petition, No. 2 at p. 6 

21 
attempting to use the IEC/AHAM test load that is composed of more all-cotton material of 

varying shapes and sizes will add more variability and uncertainty to the test results. ALS stated 

that the DOE test procedure needs to be repeatable, and that changing to a different test cloth is 

not appropriate. (ALS, No. 3 at p. 1) 

2. Product Testing 

To evaluate potential amendments for automatic cycle termination, DOE selected a 

representative sample of 20 clothes dryers encompassing all clothes dryer product classes. DOE 

considered features such as rated energy factor, rated capacity, control type (i.e., 

electromechanical versus electronic), and automatic cycle termination sensor technology (if 

advertised) when selecting units to be most representative of products currently available on the 

U.S. market. The test units and key features are presented below in Table III.1. Unless otherwise 

noted, the test unit numbers presented in Table III.1 are used in other tables of results in today’s 

notice. 

22 
 

 

 

 

 

Table III.1 Clothes Dryer Test Units and Features 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Rated EF1 

(lbs/kWh) 

Drum Airflow 

Direction Controls Sensor Type 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 3.1 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

2 3.19 Back to Front ElectroMechanical Temp 

3 3.03 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

4 3.04 Back to Back Electronic Moisture 

5 3.4 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

6 3.1 Back to Back ElectroMechanical Moisture 

7 3.1 Back to Back ElectroMechanical Moisture 

8 3.08 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240 Volt 

(V)) 

9 2.95 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

10 2.98 Back to Back ElectroMechanical Temp 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 3.15 Back to Back ElectroMechanical Moisture 

Vented Gas 

12 2.77 Back to Front ElectroMechanical Temp 

13 2.68 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

14 2.71 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

15 2.85 Back to Back Electromechanical Moisture 

16 2.76 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

17 2.8 Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 Not Listed Back to Front Electronic Moisture 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

19 Not Listed Front to Back Electronic None – Timed 

Dry Only 

20 Not Listed Front to Back Electronic Temp 1

 The Rated EF is based on the DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D 

DOE initially conducted testing for all test units according to the DOE clothes dryer test 

procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1. Appendix D1 requires that the DOE test 

load, initially soaked with an RMC of 57.5 ± 3.5 percent, be dried using the timed dry and 

maximum temperature settings until the test load has reached a final RMC of 2.5 to 5 percent 

without allowing the dryer to advance into a cool-down phase. A field use factor is then applied 

to the measured per-cycle energy consumption to account for the over-drying energy 

consumption associated with the use of either timer clothes dryers or automatic cycle termination 

clothes dryers. DOE then conducted testing of these units using automatic cycle termination test 

methodologies with different test loads to evaluate the effects of these potential test procedure 

amendments on the measured efficiency as compared to the existing DOE test procedure in 10 

23 
CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1. DOE also conducted additional testing to evaluate 

repeatability and reproducibility of the test results. 

In conducting the testing, DOE used the DOE test load and the test load specified in both 

the AHAM clothes dryer test standard HLD–1–2009, “Household Tumble Type Clothes Dryers,” 

and the IEC test standard 61121, “Tumble dryers for household use – Methods for measuring the 

performance,” Edition 3 (2005), which consists of cotton bed sheets, towels, and pillowcases. 

DOE concluded in the August 2011 RFI that clothes dryers with automatic termination sensing 

control systems may be designed to stop the cycle when a load of varying weights, composition, 

and size has a higher RMC than the RMC obtained using the automatic termination drying cycle 

in conjunction with the existing DOE test load. 76 FR 50145, 50146 (Aug. 12, 2011). In 

addition, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) supplied DOE with data from a 

residential laundry field use study that NEEA conducted. The field study, which included 50 

households in the northwest United States metered from January 2012 to March 2012, gathered 

data on the energy use and usage habits for residential clothes dryers, including information on 

the type of fabrics composing household laundry loads for each laundry cycle. The data, 

presented below in Table III.2, show the frequency of various load compositions, ranging from 

“light” to “heavy,” for the average household surveyed. 

24 
 

 

 

 

	 

	 

	 

Table III.2 Laundry Load Fabric Composition for the Average Household Surveyed in the 

NEEA Field Use Study 

Laundry Load Description 

Percentage of Laundry Cycles for 

Average Household Surveyed (%) 

Light 6.8 

Mixed Light/Medium 19.9 

Medium 23.5 

Mixed Light/Medium/Heavy 13.1 

Mixed Medium/Heavy 23.3 

Heavy 13.5 

Light = permanent press, light socks, light/casual shirts, pillow cases, underwear, light weight/smaller sheets. 

Medium = heavy shirts, medium weight/larger sheets, casual pants, light weight sweatpants and shirts, heavy socks, 

pullovers. 

Heavy = towels, heavy work clothing, flannel sheets, heavy sweatpants and shirts, jeans. 

DOE conducted the testing for the proposed automatic cycle termination test 

methodology according to the DOE test procedure, with the following modifications. The test 

load was prepared with a starting RMC of 57.5 percent ± 0.33 percent. The controls were set as 

follows: 

	 Instead of using the timed dry cycle setting, the “normal” automatic termination cycle 

setting was selected. If a “normal” cycle setting was not provided, then the test cycle 

recommended by manufacturers for drying cotton or linen clothes was used. 

	 Where the temperature setting could be chosen independently of the program, the highest 

level was selected. 

	 Where the dryness level setting could be chosen independently of the program, it was set 

to the “normal” or “medium” level. If such designation was not provided, then the 

dryness level was set at the mid-point between the minimum and maximum settings. 

The clothes dryer was then allowed to run until the completion of the cycle, including the 

cool-down period. At the completion of the cycle, the clothes were weighed to determine the 

25 
final RMC. If the final RMC was below 2 percent for the DOE test load, the test was considered 

valid. If the RMC was higher than 2 percent (i.e., the test load contained more moisture than 

would be acceptable to consumers), the test was considered invalid and was re-run using the 

highest dryness level setting. DOE selected the 2-percent RMC threshold based on data 

presented in the Joint Petitioners’ comment regarding RMC levels acceptable to consumers, 

discussed above. For the IEC/AHAM test load, similar test conditions were applied except that 

the threshold value for the final RMC was changed from 2 percent to 5 percent because of the 

more varied composition of the IEC/AHAM test load. 

Table III.3 presents the key features of the automatic cycle termination testing 

methodology as compared to the DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart 

B, appendix D1. 

26 
 

 

 

 

Table III.3 Tests Methods for DOE Testing 

Test Condition 

DOE Test Procedure 

(Appendix D1) Automatic Cycle Termination Testing Methodology 

Test Load DOE DOE IEC/AHAM 

Permitted Number of 

Test Runs per Test Cloth 

Less than 25 test runs for 

individual test cloth 

Less than 25 test runs for 

individual test cloth 

Less than 80 test runs for 

individual test cloth. 

Weighted average age of 

test load between 30 and 

50 test runs 

Test Load 

Preconditioning 

10 CFR part 430, subpart 

B, appendix D1, section 

2.6.3 

10 CFR part 430, subpart 

B, appendix D1, section 

2.6.3 

AHAM Standard HLD–1– 

2009 Section 3.2.3 

Test Load Normalization N/A N/A 

After each 9 test cycles, 

normalize using AHAM 

Standard HLD–1–2009 

Section 3.2.3 

Cycle and Settings Used 

for Test 

Timed Dry Cycle, 

Maximum Temperature 

(if separately selectable) 

“Normal” Automatic Dry Cycle; Maximum Temperature 

(if separately selectable); “Normal” or “Medium” 

Dryness (or, if no such designations, at mid-point 

between min. and max. settings) 

Starting RMC of Test 

Load 57.5 ± 3.5 percent 57.5 ± 0.33 percent 

RMC of Test Load at 

Which Test is Stopped 

Stopped manually at 

2.5–5 percent RMC 

Allowed to run until 

completion of automatic 

cycle. Must be below 2­

percent RMC or additional 

test with highest dryness 

level setting must be run. 

Allowed to run until 

completion of automatic 

cycle. Must be below 5­

percent RMC or additional 

test with highest dryness 

level setting must be run. 

Cool Down 

Clothes dryer not 

permitted to advance 

into cool down 

Cool down period included in automatic cycle test 

Field Use Factor 

(multiplied by per-cycle 

energy consumption to 

account for over drying) 

= 1.04 for automatic 

cycle termination dryers 

= 1.18 for timer dryers 

No field use factor for automatic cycle termination 

dryers. 

= 1.18 for timer dryers 

For each specific testing methodology described above, DOE conducted a series of three 

identical tests for each model to evaluate the repeatability of test results. The results, presented in 

Table III.4, show both the average measured CEF for each test unit and the percentage change in 

the measured CEF for the automatic cycle termination tests as compared to appendix D1. For the 

automatic cycle termination tests using the DOE test load, all of the tests resulted in a lower 

measured CEF (i.e., higher per-cycle energy use) compared to the DOE test procedure, ranging 

from a 3.5 percent to 41.9 percent decrease in CEF. Similarly, for the automatic cycle 

termination tests using the IEC/AHAM test load, all of the tests resulted in a lower measured 

27 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CEF compared to the DOE test procedure, ranging from a 6.1 percent to 40.3 percent decrease. 

In addition, the majority of tested units had a lower CEF for the automatic cycle termination test 

with the IEC/AHAM test load than with the DOE test load. DOE notes that for this series of 

tests, it did not make any modifications to the water used to wet the test loads. As discussed in 

section III.B.4 of this notice, DOE subsequently conducted testing with modifications to the 

water used to wet the test loads. 

Table III.4 DOE Test Procedure and Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

DOE Test 

Procedure 

(Appendix D1) 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination – DOE 

Test Load 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination – 

IEC/AHAM Test Load 

CEF (lbs/kWh) 

CEF 

(lbs/kWh) % Change 

CEF 

(lbs/kWh) % Change 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 3.58 3.16 -11.6 3.13 -12.6 

2 3.93 2.73 -30.6 2.76 -29.8 

3 3.83 3.49 -9.1 3.08 -19.6 

4 3.71 3.48 -6.1 3.44 -7.3 

5 3.90 3.51 -10.0 3.40 -12.9 

6 3.80 2.71 -28.7 2.42 -36.3 

7 3.84 3.06 -20.2 3.02 -21.3 

8 3.71 3.11 -16.1 2.97 -19.9 

Avg 3.79 3.16 -16.6 3.03 -20.0 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 3.53 3.32 -6.1 3.24 -8.4 

10 3.56 2.27 -36.1 2.12 -40.3 

Avg 3.54 2.79 -21.1 2.68 -24.4 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 3.75 2.18 -41.9 2.42 -35.6 

Vented Gas 

12 3.43 2.70 -21.3 2.66 -22.4 

13 3.31 2.87 -13.3 2.64 -20.2 

14 3.49 3.07 -12.0 2.93 -16.2 

15 3.39 2.69 -20.5 2.64 -22.0 

16 3.37 3.25 -3.5 2.99 -11.0 

17 3.37 2.94 -12.7 2.89 -14.3 

Avg 3.39 2.92 -13.9 2.79 -17.7 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.98 2.73 -8.4 2.63 -11.9 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

19 2.81 2.70 -3.9 2.44 -13.3 

20 2.28 2.191

 -3.9 2.14 -6.1 

Avg 2.54 2.45 -3.9 2.29 -9.7 

Table III.5 presents the average final RMC from the automatic cycle termination tests 

with both the DOE and IEC/AHAM test loads, as well as the cycle settings used for each test 

28 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

unit. DOE notes that for nearly all of the test units, the average final RMC is higher for the tests 

using the IEC/AHAM test load. The higher measured per-cycle energy use and final RMC for 

the IEC/AHAM test load compared to the DOE test load is likely due to the ability of the 

IEC/AHAM test load to retain more water during the drying process than the DOE test load, 

which gives off moisture more readily and terminates the drying cycle sooner. In addition, as 

discussed above, clothes dryers with automatic termination sensing control systems may be 

designed to stop the cycle when a load of varying weights, composition, and size has a higher 

RMC than the RMC obtained using the DOE test load. 

Table III.5 Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results – Final RMC 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit Automatic Cycle Setting 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination – Final RMC 

(%) 

DOE Load 

IEC/AHAM 

Load 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 Normal Cycle, High Temp, Normal Dry 1.3 2.2 

2 Cottons Cycle, High Heat, Optimum Dry 0.7 1.5 

3 Cotton/Normal Cycle, Medium Heat, 

Normal Dry 0.6 1.3 

4 Sensor Normal Cycle, Medium Temp 0.7 3.1 

5 Normal Cycle 0.9 3.9 

6 Energy Preferred Plus Cycle, High Temp 1.9 2.4 

7 Energy Preferred Plus Cycle, High Heat 1.3 1.5 

8 Normal Cycle, Medium Heat, Normal Dry 0.4 1.6 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 Cottons Cycle, High Temp, Sensor Dry 1.3 4.3 

10 Perm Press/Normal 2.0 3.2 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 Perm Press 2.0 2.5 

Vented Gas 

12 Cottons Regular Cycle, Optimum Dry 1.8 1.6 

13 Normal Cycle, High Temp, Normal Dry 0.9 1.9 

14 Normal Cycle, Medium Heat, Normal Dry 0.7 1.6 

15 Energy Preferred Plus Cycle, High Temp 1.3 2.2 

16 Normal Cycle, Medium Temp, Normal Dry 0.8 2.6 

17 Normal Cycle, Medium Temp, Normal Dry 0.9 2.3 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 Cottons Cycle, High Temp, More Dry1

 2.0 4.7 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

19 Timed Dry Only - -

20 Normal Dry 1.7 3.4 

1

 Original test using Cottons Cycle, High Temp, Normal Dry gave an average RMC of 3.1 percent for DOE test 

load, with all tests above 2-percent RMC. As a result, test was re-run using highest dryness setting. 

29 
As noted in section III.B.1 of this notice, manufacturers have indicated that test load 

types and test cloth materials different than those specified in the DOE test procedure do not 

produce results as repeatable as those obtained using the DOE test load. Therefore, for each test 

unit, DOE examined the test-to-test variation in CEF among the three tests conducted using the 

DOE test procedure and among the three tests using the automatic cycle termination test 

methodology. Table III.6 presents the test-to-test variation expressed as the percent standard 

error. The analysis shows that the test-to-test variation for the automatic cycle termination tests 

with the DOE test load is slightly lower than the test-to-test variation with the IEC/AHAM test 

load, and that both are higher than the test-to-test variation for the DOE test procedure. DOE 

notes that the more consistent results for the current DOE test procedure are likely due to the use 

of the timed dry cycle rather than the automatic termination cycles, which may have additional 

variation in results due to the performance of temperature and moisture sensors and the 

automatic termination control strategies. 

30 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table III.6 CEF Test-to-Test Variation 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

CEF Test-to-Test Variation Standard Error (%) 

DOE Test 

Procedure 

(Appendix D1) 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination – DOE 

Test Load 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination – 

IEC/AHAM Test 

Load 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 1.35 0.50 2.26 

2 0.57 2.95 0.50 

3 0.89 1.46 0.62 

4 0.37 1.14 6.44 

5 1.02 2.10 0.77 

6 0.46 0.72 3.68 

7 0.70 2.20 1.59 

8 1.12 0.16 1.73 

Avg 0.81 1.40 2.20 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 1.60 4.25 2.42 

10 0.18 5.70 4.39 

Avg 0.89 4.98 3.40 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 0.51 2.12 2.25 

Vented Gas 

12 1.31 0.48 3.07 

13 0.82 0.81 1.95 

14 2.08 1.58 0.92 

15 1.23 2.08 1.73 

16 0.61 0.68 1.91 

17 0.52 2.73 1.94 

Avg 1.10 1.39 1.92 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 0.32 2.00 1.50 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

19 0.75 0.55 0.16 

20 0.90 3.22 1.58 

Avg 0.82 1.88 0.87 

Total Average 0.87 1.87 2.07 

To evaluate the effect of test load composition on repeatability, DOE then ran appendix 

D1 again for a subset of 10 of the clothes dryers in its test sample, using the IEC/AHAM test 

cloth instead of the DOE test cloth. For each of these units, DOE conducted three repeat tests. 

DOE believes that using the timed dry cycle and requiring that the dryer be stopped manually 

allow for better evaluation of the actual test load by limiting other factors, such as automatic 

termination sensor performance, that may contribute to variability of results from test to test. The 

results from this testing, presented in Table III.7, show an average test-to-test variation in CEF 

(expressed in terms of standard error) of 1.02 percent for the IEC/AHAM test load as compared 

31 
to the 0.87 percent test-to-test variation for the DOE timed dry test procedure with the DOE test 

load, presented above in Table III.6. 

Table III.7 CEF Test-to-Test Variation for Appendix D1 with IEC/AHAM Test Loads 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Timed Dry-IEC/AHAM Test Load - 

CEF Test-to-Test Standard Error (%) 

Vented Electric Standard 

1 1.42 

3 1.21 

6 1.28 

8 0.96 

Vented Electric Compact (240V) 9 0.90 

10 1.28 

Vented Electric Compact (120V) 11 0.31

 Vented Gas 

13 1.17 

14 1.10 

17 0.55 

Average 1.02 

DOE notes that in addition to the use of the IEC/AHAM test load producing less 

repeatable results from test to test, the reproducibility of test results from lab to lab must also be 

considered because different test laboratories may be using different lots of test cloth. To 

evaluate the reproducibility of test results from lab to lab, DOE conducted testing of 9 units at an 

independent test laboratory with different lots of the DOE and IEC/AHAM test loads using the 

automatic cycle termination test method. The results, presented below in Table III.8, show that 

the use of the IEC/AHAM test load also results in lower reproducibility of test results than the 

use of the existing DOE test load. 

32 
 

 

 

 

Table III.8 Lab-to-Lab Reproducibility of Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Automatic Cycle Termination, 

DOE Test Load– Average CEF 

Automatic Cycle Termination, 

IEC/AHAM Test Load – Average 

CEF 

DOE 

Lab 

Independent 

Lab 

% 

Difference 

DOE 

Lab 

Independent 

Lab 

% 

Difference 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 3.10 3.16 2.2% 2.85 3.13 9.8% 

2 2.73 3.02 10.8% 2.76 2.79 1.0% 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 10 2.26 2.27 0.3% 2.12 2.12 0.0% 

Vented Gas 

13 2.86 2.87 0.4% 2.87 2.64 7.8% 

15 2.72 2.69 1.0% 2.73 2.64 3.2% 

16 3.29 3.25 1.2% 3.23 2.99 7.2% 

17 3.03 2.94 2.8% 3.03 2.89 4.5% 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.90 2.73 6.0% 2.74 2.63 4.2% 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

20 2.19 2.23 2.0% Not 

Tested Not Tested -

Average 3.0% 4.7% 

3. Energy Consumption versus RMC 

As noted in section III.B.2 of this notice, the automatic cycle termination test method 

using the DOE test load resulted in a lower measured CEF value compared to the CEF measured 

using appendix D1. As part of the automatic cycle termination testing discussed in section 

III.B.2, DOE tested a number of units in the test sample at an independent test laboratory that 

measured and recorded the energy consumption and an estimated instantaneous RMC of the test 

load throughout the test cycle. The estimated RMC was determined based on the weight of the 

test load, measured in place during the test cycle, and the rotation of the drum. Based on this 

testing, DOE decided to develop a field use factor to account for the over-drying energy 

consumption using the automatic cycle termination test method with the DOE test load at the end 

of the cycle when the load is dried below 2-percent RMC. 

33 
Using the independent test laboratory’s data, DOE evaluated the measured energy 

consumption at different times during the cycle— when the test load initially reached 5-percent 

RMC, when it reached 2-percent RMC, and at the end of the cycle (including cool down). The 

test data, presented below in Table III.9, show that the energy consumption measured over a full 

automatic termination dry cycle is 11–72 percent greater than the energy consumption during the 

test cycle when the test load initially reaches 5-percent RMC, and 4–62 percent greater than the 

energy consumption when the test load initially reaches 2-percent RMC (before any moisture 

regain during cool down/tumbling). DOE also noted that while the final RMC of the DOE test 

load using the automatic cycle termination test method was between 0.4 percent and 2.0 percent 

at the completion of the test cycle for all of the clothes dryers in DOE’s test sample, this RMC 

was achieved either after the end of a cool-down period, during which the dryer tumbles with no 

added heat after the conclusion of the heated drying, or after an extended period of operation at 

nearly 0-percent RMC when the heater is cycled off and on. The independent test laboratory’s 

data showed that during cool-down or non-heated tumbling, the test load regains moisture from 

the room air. As a result, the final RMC of the test load at the completion of the cycle after the 

cool-down/tumbling period is higher than the RMC of the load when the heater turns off for the 

final time. 

34 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table III.9 Measured Automatic Cycle Termination Energy Consumption at Specific RMC 

Levels 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination 

Sensor Technology 

Energy Consumption (kWh) 

5% RMC 2% RMC 

End of Cycle 

(Measured RMC (%))1 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 Moisture 1.945 2.070 2.624 (1.2) 

2 Temperature 2.068 2.233 3.119 (0.9) 

4 Moisture 2.160 2.318 2.405 (0.7) 

6 Moisture 2.091 2.280 3.141 (1.9) 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 10 Temperature 0.823 0.875 1.418 (2.0) 

Vented Gas 

13 Moisture 2.375 2.569 2.905 (0.8) 

15 Moisture 2.347 2.532 3.161 (1.2) 

17 Moisture 2.300 2.482 2.843 (1.2) 1

 As noted above, the test load regained moisture during the cool-down/tumbling period. 

Figure III.2 presents the measured energy consumption during the test cycle for the units 

tested at the independent testing laboratory. The regions of the graphs that have a nearly 

horizontal slope correspond to periods when the clothes dryer is tumbling with no heat. DOE 

notes that most clothes dryers have a temperature set point, likely based on measurements from a 

temperature sensor in the exhaust duct, at which point the heater will cycle on and off. At the end 

of the cycle, the nearly horizontal slope corresponds to the cool-down period. 

35 
   

   

   

   

Energy Consumption (kWh)

3.5

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

Elec Std #1

Elec Std #2

Elec Std #4

Elec Std #6

Elec Comp

240V #10

Gas #13

Gas #15

Gas #17

0:00 0:14 0:28 0:43 0:57 1:12

Time (hours:minutes)

Figure III.2 DOE Automatic Cycle Termination Test Energy Consumption Results for the 

Full Cycle 

Figure III.3 through Figure III.5 present, for each product class, the latter part of the test 

cycle when the test load is nearly dry. Each curve starts where the test load has initially reached 

5-percent RMC. The curves also identify where the test load initially reaches 2-percent RMC. 

DOE noted that for all of the dryers tested at the independent test laboratory, the DOE test load 

reached 2-percent RMC before the clothes dryer initially began cycling the heater on and off. 

36 
   

   

   

   

   

   

 

5% RMC

Elec Std #1

Elec Std #2

Elec Std #4

Elec Std #6

= 2% RMC

Gas #13

Gas #15

Gas #17

5% RMC

= 2% RMC

Energy Consumption (kWh)

3.35

3.15

2.95

2.75

2.55

2.35

2.15

1.95

0:20 0:27 0:34 0:41 0:48 0:56

Time (hours:minutes)

Figure III.3 Vented Electric Standard Dryer Test Cycle Energy Consumption Below 5-

percent RMC 

3.3

Energy Consumption (kWh)

3.2

3.1

3

2.9

2.8

2.7

2.6

2.5

2.4

2.3

0:20 0:27 0:34 0:41

Time (hours:minutes)

Figure III.4 Vented Gas Dryer Test Cycle Energy Consumption Below 5-percent RMC 

37 
     

   

Energy Consumption (kWh)

1.5

1.4

1.3

1.2

1.1

1

0.9

0.8

Elec Comp 240V #10

5% RMC

= 2% RMC

0:14 0:21 0:28 0:36 0:43 0:50

Time (hours:minutes)

Figure III.5 Vented Electric Compact (240V) Dryer Test Cycle Energy Consumption 

below 5-percent RMC 

Figure III.6 shows the measured energy consumption as a function of RMC for the 

portion of the test cycle below 5-percent RMC for two vented electric standard clothes dryers. 

The cycles proceed in time from the right side of the curves, with the RMC generally decreasing 

as energy consumption increases until the start of any cool down or tumbling. The data show that 

the cool-down/tumbling period can contribute a significant amount of energy consumption 

associated with over-drying and moisture regain when using the DOE test load. DOE observed 

that these two test units, both of which used the same moisture sensor technology and dried the 

test load to final RMCs of close to 1 percent at the end of the cycle, had significantly different 

total measured energy consumption. One of these test units achieved this final RMC with only a 

brief cool-down period, while the other test unit repeatedly heated, tumbled, and regained 

moisture before the final cool down. DOE believes that the difference in energy consumption 

38 
 

   

   

 

3

Elec Std #2

Elec Std #4

2.8

2.6

2.4

2.2

2

of the sensors. 

between these two units is most likely a function of the control strategy rather than the accuracy 

3.2

Energy Consumption (kWh) ‐1 0 1 2 3 4 5

RMC

Figure III.6 Comparison of Energy Consumption versus RMC at the End of the Cycle for 

Two Representative Vented Electric Standard Dryers9 

DOE conducted further analysis to develop an appropriate field use factor to account for 

the measured energy consumption at the end of the automatic termination cycle below 2-percent 

RMC using the DOE test load (including any cool-down/tumbling period). Using the data 

presented in Table III.9, DOE calculated a field use factor of 0.80 for automatic termination 

control dryers by taking the average of the difference between the measured energy consumption 

to initially reach 2-percent RMC and the measured energy consumption at the end of the test 

9

 The apparent excursions below 0-percent RMC result from the method use to calculate instantaneous RMC, which 

may be less accurate at very low RMCs. 

39 
 

 

 

 

 

 

cycle. The results of this analysis showing the application of the 0.8 field use factor are presented 

in Table III.10. 

Table III.10 Automatic Cycle Termination Test Results with Adjusted Field Use Factor 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Per-Cycle Energy Consumption (kWh) 

2% 

RMC 

End of Test -

Measured 

End of Test -

Field Adjusted 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 2.070 2.624 2.099 

2 2.233 3.119 2.495 

4 2.318 2.405 1.924 

6 2.280 3.141 2.513 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 10 0.875 1.418 1.134 

Vented Gas 

13 2.569 2.905 2.324 

15 2.532 3.161 2.528 

17 2.482 2.843 2.274 

4. Water Supply Testing 

In the August 2011 RFI, DOE noted that the IEC is currently revising its test standard for 

clothes dryers, IEC Standard 61121. 76 FR 50145, 50147 (Aug. 12, 2011). As part of the IEC 

Standard 61121 Fourth Edition Committee Draft for Vote (IEC Standard 61121 CDV), the most 

recent version available at the time of the August 2011 RFI analysis, the IEC noted that the 

characteristics of the water used for wetting the test load prior to the test, particularly the 

conductivity, can influence the test results when testing automatic cycle termination clothes 

dryers with moisture sensors. Clothes dryers with moisture sensors use conductivity sensor bars 

to determine the amount of moisture in the load when the load comes in contact with the sensors. 

DOE more recently learned that IEC Standard 61121 Fourth Edition published in February 2012 

using the same methodology provided in IEC Standard 61121 CDV. Table III.11 provides the 

characteristics of either soft or hard water to be used for appliance testing under IEC Standard 

40 
 

61121. 

Table III.11 IEC Standard 61121 Requirements for Composition of Soft and Hard Water 

for Clothes Dryer Testing 

Property Unit Water type 

Standard soft water Standard hard water 

Total hardness 

Millimols per 

liter (mmol/l) 

(Ca2+/Mg2+) 

0.50 ± 0.20 2.50 ± 0.20 

Conductivity 

(at 20°C) 

Microsiemens 

per centimeter 

(μS/cm) 

150 ± 50 750 ± 150 

In the August 2011 RFI, DOE requested information and data on these effects of the 

characteristics of the water used to wet the test load on the measured efficiency, as well as any 

potential testing burden associated with the requirements for modifying the water supply used for 

wetting the test load. DOE did not receive any comments or information on this issue. DOE 

conducted testing to evaluate the effects of using supply water modified to meet the 

specifications in the IEC Standard 61121 on the measured efficiency compared to using supply 

water according to the requirements of appendix D1. For this series of tests, DOE conducted 

tests on 16 units using the same automatic cycle termination methodology presented in Table 

III.3, except that the water used to wet the test load prior to the test met the conditions presented 

in Table III.8 for standard soft water. DOE selected the soft water requirements from IEC 

Standard 61121 rather than the hard water requirements to more closely match the existing DOE 

clothes dryer test procedure, which also requires the use of soft water.10 For each test method, 

DOE again conducted three identical tests for each test units. The test results, presented in Table 

III.12 and Table III.13, did not show a correlation between the average measured CEF and water 

10 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 2.6.3 requires the use of soft water with 17 parts per million 

hardness or less. 

41 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

supply specifications for the automatic cycle termination tests with either the DOE or 

IEC/AHAM test loads. 

Table III.12 Automatic Cycle Termination Tests –Water Supply Investigation – DOE Test 

Cloth 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit

 Appendix D1 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination, Appendix D1 

Water – DOE Test Cloth 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination, IEC Soft 

Water – DOE Test Cloth 

CEF (lbs/kWh) CEF (lbs/kWh) % Change CEF (lbs/kWh) % Change

 Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 3.58 3.16 -11.6 3.15 -11.9 

3 3.83 3.49 -9.1 3.44 -10.3 

4 3.71 3.48 -6.1 3.45 -6.9 

6 3.80 2.71 -28.7 2.68 -29.5 

7 3.84 3.06 -20.2 3.05 -20.7 

8 3.71 3.11 -16.1 3.24 -12.9 

Avg 3.75 3.17 -15.3 3.17 -15.3 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 3.53 3.32 -6.1 3.32 -6.2 

10 3.56 2.27 -36.1 2.37 -33.4 

Avg 3.54 2.79 -21.1 2.84 -19.8 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 3.75 2.18 -41.9 2.27 -39.6 

Vented Gas 

13 3.31 2.87 -13.3 2.91 -12.2 

14 3.49 3.07 -12.0 3.24 -7.3 

15 3.39 2.69 -20.5 2.77 -18.2 

16 3.37 3.25 -3.5 Not Tested Not Tested 

17 3.37 2.94 -12.7 2.92 -13.2 

Avg 3.39 2.97 -12.4 2.96 -12.7 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.98 2.73 -8.4 2.85 -4.3 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

20 2.28 2.19 -3.9 2.19 -3.9 

42 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table III.13 Automatic Cycle Termination Tests –Water Supply Investigation – 

IEC/AHAM Test Cloth 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Appendix D1 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination, Appendix D1 

Water – IEC/AHAM Test 

Cloth 

Automatic Cycle 

Termination, IEC Soft 

Water – IEC/AHAM Test 

Cloth 

CEF (lbs/kWh) CEF (lbs/kWh) % Change CEF (lbs/kWh) % Change

 Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 3.58 3.13 -12.6 3.16 -11.8 

3 3.83 3.08 -19.6 3.13 -18.3 

4 3.71 3.44 -7.3 3.49 -5.8 

6 3.80 2.42 -36.3 2.58 -32.2 

7 3.84 3.02 -21.3 2.96 -23.0 

8 3.71 2.97 -19.9 3.02 -18.5 

Avg 3.75 3.01 -19.5 3.06 -18.3 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 3.53 3.24 -8.4 3.22 -8.8 

10 3.56 2.12 -40.3 2.05 -42.3 

Avg 3.54 2.68 -24.4 2.64 -25.5 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 3.75 2.42 -35.6 2.48 -33.8 

Vented Gas 

13 3.31 2.64 -20.2 2.73 -17.5 

14 3.49 2.93 -16.2 2.82 -19.2 

15 3.39 2.64 -22.0 2.74 -19.3 

16 3.37 2.99 -11.0 3.08 -8.3 

17 3.37 2.89 -14.3 2.85 -15.3 

Avg 3.39 2.82 -16.7 2.85 -15.9 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.98 2.63 -11.9 2.81 -5.6 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

20 2.28 2.14 -6.1 2.15 -5.8 

Table III.14 presents the average final RMC for water supply investigative tests. Similar 

to the measured CEF discussed above, there was no definitive correlation between the average 

measured final RMC and the water supply specifications. 

43 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table III.14 Automatic Cycle Termination Tests –Water Supply Investigation – Final RMC 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Final RMC (%) 

DOE Test Cloth IEC/AHAM Test Cloth 

Appendix 

D1 Water 

IEC Soft 

Water 

% 

Change 

Appendix 

D1 Water 

IEC Soft 

Water 

% 

Change

 Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 1.3 1.2 -7.7 2.2 2.2 0.0 

3 0.6 0.6 0.0 1.3 1.2 -7.7 

4 0.7 0.8 14.3 3.1 3.5 12.9 

6 1.9 1.9 0.0 2.4 2.7 12.5 

7 1.3 1.1 -15.4 1.5 1.2 -20.0 

8 0.4 0.5 25.0 1.6 1.3 -18.8 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 1.3 1.3 0.0 4.3 4.4 2.3 

10 2.0 2.0 0.0 3.2 3.3 3.1 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 2.0 1.5 -25.0 2.5 2.1 -16.0 

Vented Gas 

13 0.9 0.9 0.0 1.9 1.9 0.0 

14 0.7 0.8 14.3 1.6 1.6 0.0 

15 1.3 1.5 15.4 2.2 2.2 0.0 

16 0.8 Not 

Tested - 2.6 2.7 3.8 

17 0.9 0.9 0.0 2.3 1.9 -17.4 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.0 2.4 20.0 4.7 7.1 51.1 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

20 1.7 1.5 -11.8 3.4 3.4 0.0 

Table III.15 presents the test-to-test variation for each water supply investigative test. 

DOE noted that there was again no definitive correlation between the test-to-test variation and 

whether the water supply was unmodified or modified. 

44 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table III.15 Automatic Cycle Termination Tests –Water Supply Investigation – CEF Testto-Test Variation 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

CEF Test-to-Test Variation Standard Error (%) 

DOE Test Cloth IEC/AHAM Test Cloth 

Appendix 

D1 Water 

IEC Soft 

Water 

% 

Change 

Appendix 

D1 Water 

IEC Soft 

Water 

% 

Change

 Vented Electric 

Standard 

1 0.50 1.15 130.0 2.26 2.65 17.3 

3 1.46 2.03 39.0 0.62 3.94 535.5 

4 1.14 0.04 -96.5 6.44 1.13 -82.5 

6 0.72 3.93 445.8 3.68 4.81 30.7 

7 2.20 No Repeat 

Tests - 1.59 No Repeat Tests -

8 0.16 2.49 1456.3 1.73 0.20 -88.4 

Avg 1.03 1.93 87.4 2.72 2.55 -6.3 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9 4.25 0.04 -99.1 2.42 2.23 -7.9 

10 5.70 1.05 -81.6 4.39 4.62 5.2 

Avg 4.98 0.54 -89.2 3.40 3.43 0.9 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11 2.12 1.60 -24.5 2.25 0.79 -64.9 

Vented Gas 

13 0.81 4.42 445.7 1.95 3.91 100.5 

14 1.58 0.54 -65.8 0.92 4.83 425.0 

15 2.08 2.68 28.8 1.73 1.26 -27.2 

16 0.68 Not 

Tested - 1.91 1.12 -41.4 

17 2.73 0.67 -75.5 1.94 0.60 -69.1 

Avg 1.57 2.08 32.5 1.69 2.34 38.5 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.00 2.56 28.0 1.50 1.71 14.0 

Ventless Electric 

Combination 

Washer/Dryer 

20 3.22 3.27 1.6 1.58 0.81 -48/7 

Total Average 1.96 1.89 -3.6 2.31 2.31 0.0 

DOE determined that the modifications to the water supply specified in IEC Standard 

61121 did not have a definitive effect on the measured CEF as compared to the water 

requirements specified in the existing DOE test procedure. In addition, the repeatability testing 

showed that the IEC water hardness specifications did not improve overall the test-to-test 

repeatability. 

DOE conducted additional testing on two clothes dryers to evaluate the lab-to-lab 

reproducibility using both supply water specifications in automatic cycle termination tests with 

45 
 

the IEC/AHAM test load. The results, presented in Table III.16, showed that the IEC supply 

water may produce more reproducible results from lab to lab with the IEC/AHAM test load. 

DOE notes, however, that the percentage difference in test results from lab to lab is within the 

test-to-test variation for a given lab using the IEC/AHAM test load (presented in Table III.15). 

For these reasons, DOE is not proposing amendments in today’s NOPR to include in the 

amendments to appendix D1 the supply water specifications from IEC Standard 61121. If 

additional test results are made available showing that IEC supply water characteristics produce 

more repeatable and reproducible test results than the requirements in appendix D1, DOE may 

consider such amendments in a future test procedure rulemaking. 

Table III.16 Lab-to-Lab Reproducibility of Automatic Cycle Termination Tests with 

IEC/AHAM Test Load – Water Supply Investigation 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Automatic Cycle Termination, 

Appendix D1 Water – IEC/AHAM 

Test Cloth – Average CEF 

Automatic Cycle Termination, IEC 

Soft Water – IEC/AHAM Test Cloth 

– Average CEF 

DOE 

Lab 

Independent 

Lab 

% 

Difference 

DOE 

Lab 

Independent 

Lab 

% 

Difference 

Vented Gas 17 3.03 2.89 4.5% 2.96 2.85 3.6% 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.74 2.63 4.2% 2.76 2.81 1.9% 

5. Proposed Amendments 

Based on the testing and analysis discussed above, DOE is proposing amendments to the 

clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1 in today’s NOPR to 

more accurately measure the energy consumption of automatic termination control clothes 

dryers. The proposed amendments are discussed in detail in the following sections. 

Definitions 

46 
DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to amend the clothes dryer test procedure to add 

definitions for both automatic termination control dryers and timer dryers. DOE is proposing to 

define “automatic termination control dryer” as a clothes dryer that can be preset to carry out at 

least one sequence of operations to be terminated by means of a system assessing, directly or 

indirectly, the moisture content of the load. An automatic termination control dryer with a 

supplementary timer or that may also be manually controlled shall be tested as an automatic 

termination control dryer. DOE is proposing to define “timer dryer” as a clothes dryer that can be 

preset to carry out at least one operation to be terminated by a timer, but may also be manually 

controlled, and does not include any automatic termination function. 

Test Load 

The current DOE test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 2.7 

requires that test loads be prepared with a starting RMC of 57.5 percent ± 3.5 percent. DOE is 

proposing amendments in today’s NOPR to change the starting RMC from 57.5 percent ± 3.5 

percent to 57.5 percent ± 0.33 percent. DOE believes that the starting RMC of 57.5 percent ± 

0.33 percent, which was used for the testing presented above and originally proposed in the June 

TP 2010 SNOPR, would produce the most repeatable results, particularly for automatic cycle 

termination dryers. DOE notes that allowing a wide range in the starting RMC, such as the ± 3.5 

percent specified in the current DOE test procedure, would result in significantly different results 

using the proposed automatic cycle termination test procedure because a test load with a starting 

RMC of 61 percent would contain approximately 0.6 lbs. of water more than a test load with a 

starting RMC of 54 percent for standard size loads. 

47 
As a result, DOE is specifically proposing to amend 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 

appendix D1, section 2.7.1, “Compact size dryer load,” and section 2.7.2, “Standard size dryer 

load,” to require that water be extracted from the wet test loads by spinning the load until the 

moisture content of the load is 52.5–57.5 percent of the bone-dry weight of the test load. Final 

mass adjustments would be made, such that the moisture content is 57.5 percent ± 0.33 percent 

by adding water uniformly to the load in a very fine spray. DOE notes that requiring water to be 

extracted to achieve an RMC between 52.5 percent and 57.5 percent would serve as an initial 

preparation step prior to the final mass adjustments to obtain a test load with an RMC of 57.5 ± 

0.33 percent proposed above. 

Test Cycle 

DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to change the clothes dryer test cycle specified in 10 

CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.3 to require separate test methods for automatic 

cycle termination dryers and timer dryers. 

For automatic cycle termination dryers, DOE is proposing to amend the clothes dryer test 

procedure to require the use of the control settings, presented in section III.B.2 of this notice, that 

were used for DOE testing. Specifically, DOE is proposing to require that the “normal” 

automatic termination cycle program be selected for the test cycle, and that for dryers that do not 

have a “normal” program, the cycle recommended by the manufacturer for drying cotton or linen 

clothes would be selected. Where the drying temperature can be chosen independently of the 

program, it would be set to the maximum temperature setting. In addition, the proposed 

amendments would require that where the dryness level setting can be chosen independently of 

48 
the program, the dryness level would be set to the “normal” or “medium” setting. If such 

designation is not provided, then the dryness level would be set at the mid-point between the 

minimum and maximum settings. The proposed amendments would also require that the cycle 

settings used for the test cycle be recorded. 

For the reasons explained below, the clothes dryer would then be allowed to run until the 

completion of the cycle, including any cool-down period. After the cycle is complete, the test 

load would be weighed to determine the final RMC. If the final RMC is below 2 percent, the test 

would be considered valid. If the RMC is higher than 2 percent, the test would be considered 

invalid and would be re-run using the highest dryness level setting. DOE is also proposing in 

today’s NOPR that the measured test cycle energy consumption be multiplied by a field use 

factor of 0.80 to calculate the per-cycle energy consumption for automatic cycle termination 

clothes dryers. 

DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to measure the full automatic termination cycle, 

including any cool-down period, to be more representative of actual consumer use. DOE has 

determined that the proposed provision to include a cool-down period would result in less testing 

burden than the January 2011 TP Final Rule proposal to stop the test cycle when the heater 

switches off for the final time immediately before the cool-down period begins (76 FR 972, 998 

(Jan. 6, 2011)), which would require the tester to monitor the dryer and possibly run multiple test 

cycles to determine when the heater has switched off for the final time. 

As discussed above, DOE also proposes to base the calculations for automatic 

49 
termination control dryers on a nominal final RMC of 2 percent. This is a change from the 

existing test procedure, which requires that the clothes dryer test cycle be stopped when the final 

RMC is between 2.5 percent and 5 percent. Based on the data submitted in the Joint Petition and 

DOE’s analysis, DOE tentatively concludes that a final RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test 

load would be more representative of clothes dryers currently on the market and representative of 

the maximum consumer-accepted final RMC. 

DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to revise the field use factor in the per-cycle energy 

consumption calculation for dryers with automatic termination controls to 0.80 based on the data 

presented above in section III.B.3. DOE notes that this field use factor would account for the 

measured energy consumption at the end of the automatic termination cycle drying the DOE test 

load below 2-percent RMC, which DOE determines to be representative of consumer-acceptable 

drying levels with loads of varying weights, composition, and size. 

As discussed in section III.B.2 of this notice, NEEA supplied DOE with data from its 

residential laundry field use study, which included 50 households in the northwest United States 

metered from January 2012 to March 2012. Although the NEEA field study did not provide data 

to closely determine the final RMC of laundry loads, the study did provide data on the weights of 

the laundry loads both before and after the drying cycle. As a result, DOE was able to determine 

the amount of moisture removed from the laundry load during each dry cycle, to compare with 

the proposed DOE test procedure. The NEEA field study showed that the average initial weight 

of the laundry load prior to the drying cycle for the average household surveyed was 

approximately 12.1 lbs, and that, on average, 4.8 lbs of water was removed during the drying 

50 
cycle. Comparing this to the proposed DOE test procedure for a standard-size test load with a 

bone-dry weight of 8.45 lbs, the starting RMC of 57.5 percent would result in an initial weight of 

the test load of approximately 13.3 lbs. The proposed test procedure, which requires that the 

laundry load be dried to below 2-percent RMC, would require approximately 4.7 lbs of water to 

be removed from the load during the drying cycle. Based on the information from the NEEA 

field use study, DOE concludes that the weight of the test load and amount of moisture removed 

during the drying cycle in the proposed test procedure are fairly representative of consumer use. 

Data from the NEEA study also showed that the average household surveyed used the 

“normal” or an equivalent program cycle setting for nearly 60 percent of all drying cycles. The 

remaining drying cycles used other automatic termination cycle settings, or timed dry or manual 

cycles. Based on these usage patterns, DOE tentatively concludes that using the “normal” 

automatic termination program cycle setting for automatic termination control clothes dryers 

would be most representative of consumer use. DOE is not proposing to require additional 

program cycle settings, which would also require specifying different load types for each setting, 

in today’s NOPR to minimize testing burden. 

For timer dryers, DOE is proposing to use the test method currently specified in 10 CFR 

part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.3 with a revised final RMC requirement. The 

proposed test method would require that the clothes dryer be operated using the highest 

temperature setting and maximum time setting. The clothes dryer would then be allowed to run 

until the final RMC of the load is between 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent, at which point the test 

cycle is stopped without permitting the clothes dryer to advance into the cool-down period. After 

51 
stopping the test run, test technicians would remove and weigh the test load. DOE is also 

proposing to add a clarification that the clothes dryer should not be stopped intermittently in the 

middle of the test cycle for any reason. This clarification would ensure that test technicians are 

not stopping the dryer intermittently to weigh the test load to check whether it is within the target 

range for the final RMC. Such a practice would alter the measured results because of the heat 

loss from the dryer when the cycle is stopped. 

DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to include separate calculations for the per-cycle 

energy consumption for timer dryers. The calculations would be similar to the calculations 

provided in the current DOE test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, 

sections 4.1–4.3, except that the normalization of the per-cycle energy consumption to represent 

the energy consumption required to dry the test load to 4-percent RMC would be changed to 

represent the new target RMC of 2 percent. The per-cycle energy consumption calculation in the 

current test procedure applies a scaling factor of 53.5 to be representative of the percentage 

change from the nominal initial RMC of 57.5 percent to the nominal ending RMC of 4 percent. 

The proposed amendments would change this scaling factor to 55.5 to reflect the new ending 

RMC of 2 percent. DOE proposes a range of 1.0 percent to 2.5 percent for the allowable ending 

RMC during the test cycle to reduce testing burden. DOE tentatively concludes that requiring the 

tester to dry the test load to an exact RMC during the test cycle would be unduly burdensome 

because it could require the test to be repeated a significant number of times until the exact RMC 

is achieved. For the test procedure to produce repeatable results, the measured test cycle energy 

consumption is normalized to calculate the energy consumption required to dry the test load from 

exactly 57.5-percent RMC to 2-percent RMC, which is representative of clothes dryers currently 

52 
on the market and of the maximum consumer-accepted final RMC. 

DOE proposes in today’s NOPR that manufacturers continue to apply the field use factor 

needed to account for the energy consumption of drying beyond the 2-percent RMC specified in 

the test procedure. DOE is not proposing any changes to the 1.18 field use factor for timer dryers 

because DOE is not aware of any data or studies more recent than the studies on which it was 

originally based that would indicate that this value is not currently representative of consumer 

use. DOE seeks comment on the field use factors for both automatic termination control dryers 

and timer dryers in section V.E of this notice. 

DOE is not proposing to include the cool-down period as part of the timed dry test cycle 

because the proposed test method requires drying the load to a specified RMC, at which point the 

test cycle is stopped by the test technician. DOE has determined that specifying a timed dry cycle 

that includes the cool-down period to achieve a target final RMC would add significant testing 

burden on test technicians to determine and preset the appropriate time setting. It would also be 

difficult to ensure that testing results are repeatable and reproducible because different 

combinations of timed dry cycle length and cool-down period may be selected to dry a test load 

to the same final RMC. For these reasons, DOE is not amending the timed dry test cycle to 

include the cool-down period in today’s NOPR. 

C. Incorporating by Reference IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition for Measuring Standby 

Mode and Off Mode Power 

The January 2011 TP Final Rule incorporated in the test procedures for clothes dryers 

53 
relevant provisions from IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) for measuring standby mode and off 

mode power. 76 FR 972, 979–80 (Jan. 6, 2011). DOE reviewed the IEC Standard 62301 (First 

Edition) and concluded that it would be generally applicable to clothes dryers, although some 

clarification would be needed. Specifically, DOE adopted amendments for standby mode and off 

mode power measurements to provide a stabilization period of 30 to 40 minutes followed by an 

energy use measurement period of 10 minutes. 76 FR 986 (Jan.6, 2011). With these clarifications 

in place, the January 2011 TP Final Rule referenced IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) for the 

standby mode and off mode wattage measurements. DOE also incorporated into the clothes dryer 

test procedure definitions of “active mode,” “standby mode,” and “off mode” based on the 

definitions provided in IEC Standard 62301 CDV. 76 FR 76 FR 981–85 (Jan. 6, 2011). 

IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) published on January 27, 2011. Consistent with 

EPCA requirements for amending test procedures to include standby and off mode procedures, 

DOE considered IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) in today’s NOPR for amendments to the 

standby mode and off mode test procedures for clothes dryers. (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(A)) IEC 

Standard 62301 (Second Edition) is an internationally-accepted test procedure for measuring 

standby power in residential appliances, and it 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, which depends upon the characteristics of the power being 

measured. Testers using the Second Edition are required to measure the crest factor and power 

54 
factor of the input power, and to calculate a maximum current ratio (MCR) (paragraph 4.4.1 of 

the Second Edition). 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.17 for examples). This change in the 

allowable uncertainty, however, maintains sufficient accuracy of measurements 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 Final Draft International 

Standard (FDIS), which showed that commonly-used power measurement instruments were 

unable to meet the original requirements for certain types of loads. The incremental testing 

burden associated with the additional measurements and calculations is offset by the more 

reasonable requirements for testing equipment, while maintaining measurement accuracy 

deemed acceptable and practical by voting members for IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). 

For these reasons, DOE proposes in today’s notice to incorporate by reference in 10 CFR part 

430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 2.4.7 the power equipment specifications in section 4, 

paragraph 4.4 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). 

Table III.17 Comparison of Allowable Uncertainty in Measured Power 

Measured Power 

(W) 

Allowable Uncertainty (W) 

IEC 62301 (First 

Edition) 

IEC 62301 (Second 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 

55 
Section 5, paragraph 5.2 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) maintains the 

installation and setup procedures incorporated by reference in the clothes dryer test procedure in 

the January 2011 TP Final Rule from the First Edition. These provisions require that the 

appliance be prepared and set up in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, and that if no 

instructions are given, then the factory or “default” settings shall be used, or where there are no 

indications for such settings, the appliance is tested as supplied. 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 regarding products equipped with a battery 

recharging circuit for an internal battery, as well as instructions for testing each relevant 

configuration option identified in the product’s instructions for use. DOE is not aware of any 

clothes dryer with an internal battery, or with a recharging circuit for such a battery. DOE also 

believes that a 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 requirement for the determination, classification, and testing of all 

modes associated with every combination of available product configuration options (which may 

be more numerous than the modes associated with operation at the default settings) are not 

appropriate for the clothes dryer test procedures. Accordingly, DOE is proposing qualifying 

language in the test procedure amendments in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 

2.1 to disregard those portions of the installation instructions. 

56 
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 operator-selected time interval. DOE is 

aware of commercially available power measurement instruments that can perform each of these 

required measurements individually. However, DOE is also 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 powermeasuring 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 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 

appendix D1, sections 2.3.1.1 and 2.4.7 that if the power-measuring instrument is unable to 

perform these measurements during the actual test measurement, it would be acceptable to 

measure the total harmonic content, crest factor, and maximum current ratio immediately before 

and immediately after the actual test measurement to determine whether the requirements for the 

power supply and power measurement have been met. 

The other major changes in the Second Edition related to the measurement of standby 

mode and off mode power consumption in covered products involve measurement techniques 

and specification of the stability criteria required to measure that power. The Second Edition 

57 
contains more detailed techniques to evaluate the stability of the power consumption and to 

measure the power consumption for loads with different stability characteristics. According to 

the Second Edition, 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 the methods adopted 

in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, which were based on IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition). 

In the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE adopted provisions requiring that clothes dryer 

standby mode and off mode power be measured using section 5, paragraph 5.3 of IEC Standard 

62301 (First Edition), clarified by requiring the product to stabilize for 30 to 40 minutes and 

using an energy use measurement period of 10 minutes. Further, for any clothes dryer in which 

the power varies over a cycle, as described in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 of the First Edition, the 

January 2011 TP Final Rule adopted amendments to require the use of the average power 

approach in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2(a), with a 30- to 40-minute stabilization period and a 10­

minute minimum measurement period, as long as the measurement period comprises one or more 

complete cycles. 76 FR 972, 979–980, 985–986 (Jan. 6, 2011). 

For today’s notice, to determine the potential impacts of referencing methodology from 

IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) rather than from the First Edition, DOE compared the 

provisions allowed by each under different scenarios of power consumption stability, as 

discussed in the following sections. 

58 
1. Stable Power Consumption 

According to section 5, paragraph 5.3.1 of IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition), after an 

initial stabilization period of 5 minutes, power consumption is defined as stable if it varies by 

less than 5 percent over a subsequent measurement period of 5 minutes. In such a case, a direct 

reading may be made at the end of the measurement period. With the clarifications adopted in 

the January 2011 TP Final Rule, the total test time would be 40 to 50 minutes (comprised of a 

30- to 40-minute stabilization period, followed by a 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 30- to 40-minute 

stabilization period and a 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 an accumulated energy by the duration of the measurement 

period. 

In comparison, section 5, paragraph 5.3.4 of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 

specifies a direct meter reading method that can be used for stable power consumption, 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 at minimum 40 minutes. DOE believes 

that this method likely improves the validity of the test results, as it is a more stringent measure 

59 
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, increasing test time and complexity. 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. 

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 twothirds 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. 

60 
2. Unstable, Non-Cyclic Power Consumption 

Section 5, paragraph 5.3 from IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition), which DOE 

incorporated by reference in the clothes dryer test procedure in the January 2011 TP Final Rule 

with clarification, specifies that either an average power method or accumulated energy approach 

could be used for measuring non-cyclic unstable power consumption. As described previously, 

this methodology, as adopted in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, would limit total test duration 

to 40–50 minutes. 

In contrast, the Second Edition requires the use of either a sampling method or average 

reading method for measuring power consumption in standby mode or off mode. The sampling 

method 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 average reading method in section 5, paragraph 5.3.3 IEC Standard 62301 (Second 

Edition) comprises both an average power method and accumulated energy method, either of 

which may be selected for unstable, non-cyclic power. For both methods, a 30-minute 

stabilization period is specified, followed by two comparison measurement periods of not less 

than 10 minutes each. The average power values, 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 

61 
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. 

3. Cyclic Power Consumption 

As noted previously, DOE adopted amendments in the January 2011 TP Final Rule to 

require that for any clothes dryer in which the power varies over a cycle, the average power 

approach of section 5, paragraph 5.3.2(a) in IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) shall be used, 

with a 30- to 40-minute stabilization period and minimum 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. 

Similar to the sampling method for stable power consumption measurements described 

previously, this “slope” must be less than 10 mW/h for input powers less than or equal to 1 W, 

62 
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 increased test 

burden. 

4. Conclusions on Test Methodology 

DOE, in evaluating IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) in comparison to the First 

Edition, considers the substantial 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 test 

methods specified in the Second Edition. AHAM and manufacturers involved in the IEC review 

process have commented that IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) test methods improve the 

accuracy and representativeness of the test measurements and would not be unduly burdensome 

to conduct. 77 FR 28805, 28812 (May 16, 2012); 76 FR 58346, 58350 (Sept. 20, 2011); 77 FR 

13888, 13893 (March 7, 2012). As a result, and for the reasons discussed above, DOE proposes 

incorporation by reference of the relevant paragraphs of section 5.3 of IEC Standard 62301 

(Second Edition) in the clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, 

section 3.6. 

63 
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 similar to 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. By monitoring the variation in power 

consumption during the test, the test operator could determine whether it is stable or unstable, 

and thereby establish the required duration of the sampling periods. For cyclic power 

consumption, the Second Edition also requires the use of the sampling method. Thus, DOE 

proposes to require in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.6 the use of the 

sampling method in section 5.3.2 of the Second Edition for all standby mode and off mode 

power measurements. 

DOE is also proposing to amend the reference in 10 CFR 430.3 to add 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 

notice incorporate provisions from it. In addition, there are a number of editorial changes 

necessary in appendix D1 to allow for the correct referencing to the Second Edition. For 

example, the definition sections need to define the IEC Standard 62301 as the Second Edition 

instead of the First Edition. Also, there are some section numbering differences in the Second 

Edition that impact the text of the measurement provisions of the relevant test procedures. 

64 
D. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-cycle Combined Total Energy 

Consumption 

DOE notes that 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 4.6, regarding the 

calculation of the per-cycle combined total energy consumption contains a reference to an 

incorrect section number. The per-cycle standby mode and off mode energy consumption, ETSO, 

which is contained in section 4.5, is incorrectly referenced in the per-cycle combined total energy 

consumption as section 4.7. DOE is proposing in today’s NOPR to correct this section number 

reference. 

E. Clarifications to Test Conditions 

DOE notes that it received a number of inquiries from independent test laboratories 

requesting clarification on testing according to the DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR 

part 430, subpart B, appendix D. DOE is proposing amendments in today’s NOPR to clarify the 

cycle settings used for the test cycle and the requirements for the gas supply for gas clothes 

dryers. 

Section 3.3 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D specifies that the maximum 

temperature setting and, if a tested unit is equipped with a timer, the maximum time setting must 

be used for the drying test cycle. DOE received an inquiry from an independent test laboratory 

regarding how to test a clothes dryer that has timed dry cycle length settings, but no temperature 

settings on the control panel. DOE is proposing to clarify in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, 

appendix D, section 3.3, that if the clothes dryer does not have a separate temperature setting 

selection on the control panel, the maximum time setting should be used for the drying test cycle. 

65 
In today’s NOPR, DOE is proposing to amend 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, to 

require separate test methods for timer dryers and automatic termination control dryers. Because 

the proposed timed dry test method maintains the same cycle settings as specified in 10 CFR part 

430, subpart B, appendix D, DOE is also proposing to include the clarification discussed above 

in section 3.3.1 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, for the timer dryer test method. 

Because the proposed test method for automatic termination control dryers requires using an 

automatic cycle termination program where the drying temperature and dryness level settings are 

modified only if they can be chosen independently of the cycle program, DOE is not proposing 

to include the clarification discussed above. 

DOE also received an inquiry regarding how to test a clothes dryer that has an optional 

cycle setting, other than the temperature and time settings, that is activated by default in the 

condition as shipped by the manufacturer. DOE is proposing to clarify in both 10 CFR part 430, 

subpart B, appendix D, section 3.3, and appendix D1, section 3.3.1, that the test procedures 

specify requirements only for the temperature setting and time setting, and do not specify 

modifications to any other optional settings that do not affect the temperature setting and time 

setting. Similarly in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, section 3.3.2, DOE is proposing 

to clarify for automatic termination control dryers, the test procedures specify requirements only 

for the automatic termination cycle program, temperature setting, and dryness setting, and do not 

specify modifications to any other optional settings that do not affect the automatic termination 

cycle program, temperature setting, and dryness setting. 

66 
Section 2.3.2 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D and appendix D1, specifies that 

gas supply to the clothes dryer should be maintained at a normal inlet test pressure at 7 to 10 

inches of water column, and that the hourly British thermal unit (Btu) rating of the burner shall 

be maintained within ± 5 percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer. DOE received an 

inquiry from an independent testing laboratory noting that during its testing, the gas dryer under 

test did not meet the requirement to maintain the Btu rating within 5 percent of the rating 

specified by the manufacturer under the allowable range in gas inlet test pressure. DOE is 

proposing to add a clarification in both 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D and appendix 

D1 that if the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within ± 5 percent of 

the rating specified by the manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range in gas 

inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as necessary to achieve the 

required Btu rating. 

Section 2.3.2 in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D and appendix D1, also specifies 

that if a clothes dryer is equipped with a gas appliance pressure regulator, the regulator outlet 

pressure at the normal test pressure shall be approximately that recommended by the 

manufacturer. DOE notes that the test procedures for similar gas heating products, such as gas 

water heaters, specifies that the regulator outlet pressure must be within ± 10 percent of the value 

specified by the manufacturer. DOE is proposing to clarify the term “approximately” by 

specifying that the regulator outlet pressure shall be within ± 10 percent of the value specified by 

the manufacturer. 

F. Effects of Proposed Test Procedure Revisions on Compliance with Standards 

67 
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)) In 

determining the amended energy conservation standard, the Secretary shall measure, pursuant to 

the amended test procedure, the energy efficiency, energy use, or water use of a representative 

sample of covered products that minimally comply with the existing standard. The average of 

such energy efficiency, energy use, or water use levels determined under the amended test 

procedure shall constitute the amended energy conservation standard for the applicable covered 

products. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2)) Models of covered products in use before the date on which the 

amended energy conservation standard becomes effective (or revisions of such models that come 

into use after such date and have the same energy efficiency, energy use or water use 

characteristics) that comply with the energy conservation standard applicable to such covered 

products on the day before such date shall be deemed to comply with the energy conservation 

standard. (42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(3)) DOE’s authority to amend energy conservation standards does 

not affect DOE’s obligation to issue any final standards as described in 42 U.S.C. 6295. (42 

U.S.C. 6293(e)(4)) 

1. Active Mode 

As discussed in section Error! Reference source not found..E, DOE is only proposing 

to amend 10 CFR part 430 subpart B, appendix D in today’s NOPR to clarify the cycle settings 

used for testing and the requirements for the gas supply. Because the proposed amendments to 

68 
appendix D would not change the actual testing method, DOE determined that these proposed 

amendments would not affect the measured efficiency according to appendix D and would not 

affect a manufacturer’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the current energy conservation 

standards at 10 CFR 430.32(h)(2). 

Because the January 1, 2015 energy conservation standards for clothes dryers are based 

on CEF as measured according to 10 CFR part 430 subpart B, subpart D1, DOE investigated 

how the proposed amendments for automatic cycle termination would affect the measured CEF. 

In response to the August 2011 RFI, the Joint Petitioners commented that if DOE adopts 

the petition’s proposed test procedure amendments, it must also revise the relevant energy 

conservation standards to reflect the new test procedure, ensuring that for clothes dryers with 

effective automatic termination controls, there is no change in stringency of the standards. The 

Joint Petitioners stated that the procedures in 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(2) should be used, with the 

clarification that for the purposes of establishing a representative sample of products, DOE 

should select a sample of minimally compliant clothes dryers that automatically terminate the 

drying cycle at 1.5- to 2-percent RMC. The Joint Petitioners stated that by selecting products that 

terminate at 1.5- to 2-percent RMC, DOE will assure that the revised standard is based upon 

dryers that do not over-dry and that the tested sample yields valid results under both the current 

and proposed revised test procedure. The Joint Petitioners also stated that if DOE does not 

consider dryers that terminate the drying cycle at 1.5- to 2-percent RMC to be a representative 

sample, the proposed test procedure in the Joint Petition should still be adopted. In that case, the 

Joint Petitioners stated that DOE could revise the energy conservation standards without limiting 

69 
the representative sample of dryers based on automatic termination performance. However, the 

Joint Petitioners noted that this approach would reduce, but not eliminate, the benefits from this 

test procedure change. (Joint Petition, No. 2 at pp. 6–7) 

DOE conducted testing on 20 clothes dryers according to the current DOE clothes dryer 

test procedure in appendix D1 and then according to the proposed automatic cycle termination 

test procedure. The results of this testing, presented in Table III.18, showed that specific models 

resulted in either a lower or higher measured CEF as compared to the measured CEF using the 

current test procedure, ranging from a 27.4 percent decrease to a 20.4 percent increase in CEF 

with an average of a 3.8 percent increase. DOE also evaluated the effects of the proposed 

amendments for the products in DOE’s test sample that minimally comply with the existing 

energy conservation standards (based on rated EF). The results for the 10 minimally compliant 

units in DOE’s test sample showed a 27.4 percent decrease to a 16.9 percent increase in CEF as 

compared to the CEF using the test procedure in 10 CFR part 430 subpart B, subpart D1, with an 

average of a 4.1 percent increase. 

70 
 

 

Table III.18 Effects of Proposed Automatic Cycle Termination Test Method 

Product Class 

Test 

Unit 

Current Appendix 

D1 CEF 

(lbs/kWh) 

Proposed Automatic Cycle Termination 

Test Method 

CEF (lbs/kWh) 

% Change From 

Appendix D1 CEF 

Vented Electric 

Standard 

1*

 3.58 3.94 10.2 

2 3.93 3.41 -13.2 

3*

 3.83 4.35 13.6 

4*

 3.71 4.34 16.9 

5 3.90 4.37 12.0 

6*

 3.80 3.39 -10.9 

7*

 3.84 3.83 -0.2 

8*

 3.71 3.87 4.4 

Vented Electric 

Compact (240V) 

9*

 3.53 4.12 16.7 

10 3.56 2.84 -20.2 

Vented Electric 

Compact (120V) 11*

 3.75 2.72 -27.4 

Vented Gas 

12 3.43 3.37 -1.7 

13*

 3.31 3.58 8.1 

14*

 3.49 3.84 9.8 

15 3.39 3.37 -0.7 

16 3.37 4.05 20.4 

17 3.37 3.66 8.6 

Ventless Electric 

Compact (240V) 18 2.98 3.40 14.0 

Ventless Electric 

Combo Washer/Dryer 

19 2.81 2.70 -3.9 

20 2.28 2.74 20.2 

Total Average 3.8 * Minimally compliant test units 

Based on these results and consistent with 42 U.S.C. 6293(e)(1) and (2), DOE tentatively 

concludes that the proposed amendments to the active mode test procedure will on average not 

impact the measured efficiency as compared to the current test procedure for models currently 

available on the market. As a result, DOE is not considering amendments to the energy 

conservation standards that will be required on January 1, 2015. 

2. Standby Mode and Off Mode 

DOE also investigated how the proposed amendments for standby mode and off mode 

would affect the measured efficiency. Because the proposed amendments to the DOE clothes 

dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430 subpart B, appendix D1 for measuring standby mode 

71 
and off mode energy consumption would not alter the existing measure of energy consumption 

for clothes dryers (EF), the proposed amendments would not affect a manufacturer’s ability to 

comply with the current energy conservation standards. 

DOE’s amendments in the January 2011 TP Final Rule specified that manufacturers will 

not be required to use the test procedure provisions for standby mode and off mode until the 

mandatory January 1, 2015 compliance date of the amended clothes dryer energy conservation 

standards. (10 CFR 430.32(h)(3)) The January 1, 2015 amended energy conservation standards 

are based on CEF, which accounts for standby mode and off mode energy consumption. Because 

today’s proposed amendments would revise the provisions used to measure standby mode and 

off mode energy consumption, and thus CEF, DOE investigated how the proposed test procedure 

amendments would affect the amended energy conservation standards at 10 CFR 430.32(h)(3). 

DOE believes the proposed changes to the testing methods for measuring standby mode and off 

mode energy consumption do not vary significantly from the methods in the amended DOE 

clothes dryer test procedure in appendix D1 for measuring standby power and would not alter the 

measured efficiency. To confirm this assertion, DOE conducted testing on four clothes dryers 

(three of which minimally comply with the existing energy conservation standards) according to 

both the existing appendix D1 and the proposed amendments to appendix D1 for standby mode 

and off mode that are based IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition). The results, presented below 

in Table III.19, show that the measured average standby power is the same using both methods. 

72 
Table III.19 DOE Test Results to Evaluate Effects of Proposed Changes to Standby and Off 

Mode Testing Procedures 

Test Unit 

Average Standby Power (W) 

Existing Appendix D1 Proposed Appendix D1 

1* 0.97 0.97 

3* 0.16 0.16 

14* 0.38 0.38 

16 0.70 0.70 *

 Minimally compliant test units 

Based on these test results, DOE believes that the proposed amendments to the clothes 

dryer test procedure for standby mode and off mode would not alter the measured CEF. DOE is, 

therefore, not considering amendments to the energy conservation standards at 10 CFR 

430.32(h)(3) that must be met on January 1, 2015. 

DOE’s proposed amendments would continue to clarify that manufacturers would not be 

required to use the provisions relating to standby mode and off mode energy use to determine 

compliance with the energy conservation standard until the compliance date of the amended 

energy conservation standards for clothes dryers addressing standby mode and off mode energy 

use on January 1, 2015. As a result, the proposed test procedure amendments for standby mode 

and off mode would not affect a manufacturer’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the 

current energy conservation standards. 

G. Compliance with Other EPCA Requirements 

1. Test Burden 

EPCA requires that test procedures shall be reasonably designed to produce test results 

which 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 

73 
be unduly burdensome to conduct. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)) 

DOE notes that the proposed amendments for automatic cycle termination, discussed in 

section III.B.5, would change the test cycle for automatic cycle termination dryers to require that 

a programmed automatic termination cycle be used for the test instead of using the maximum 

timed dry setting. The proposed provision to include the cool down period and allowing the 

clothes dryer to run until the completion of the programmed dry cycle would likely be less 

burdensome than the existing test procedure in which the tester is required to monitor or make 

estimates about the RMC of the test load and potentially run multiple test cycles to determine 

when to stop the test to achieve the desired final RMC. For timer dryers, the proposed 

amendments would use the same basic test method that is currently specified in the DOE test 

procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1, except that the test cycle would be 

stopped when the final RMC is between 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent instead of between 2.5 

percent and 5.0 percent. DOE notes that this would result in a slightly longer cycle time, but the 

additional time would be minimal compared to the overall time to set up and conduct the test. 

For these reasons, DOE believes that the amendments to more accurately account for automatic 

cycle termination proposed in today’s NOPR would not be unduly burdensome to conduct. DOE 

also notes that the revised test cycle for automatic cycle termination dryers would produce a 

measured energy use that is more representative of consumer use because it directly measures the 

energy consumption of the programmed automatic termination cycle. 

With regards to the amendments for standby and off mode power consumption, DOE 

concluded in the January 2011 TP Final Rule that the amended test procedure would produce test 

74 
results that measure the standby mode and off mode power consumption of covered products 

during a representative average use cycle as well as annual energy consumption, and that the test 

procedure would not be unduly burdensome to conduct.76 FR 972. 1020 (Jan. 6, 2011). Today’s 

proposed amendments to the DOE clothes dryer test procedure for standby mode and off mode 

are based on an updated version of IEC Standard 62301, IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition), 

which has been the subject of significant review and input from interested parties and, thus, 

continues to be an internationally accepted test standard for measuring standby mode and off 

mode power consumption. As discussed in section III.C of this notice, DOE believes that the 

provisions of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) that it proposes to incorporate by reference 

through today’s NOPR provide a means to measure power consumption with greater accuracy 

and repeatability than the provisions from IEC Standard 62301 (First Edition) that were adopted 

in the January 2011 TP Final Rule. DOE tentatively concludes that today’s proposed 

amendments would also provide measurements representative of average consumer use of the 

product under test. DOE also notes that interested parties have commented that the testing 

methods in IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) would not be unduly burdensome to conduct. 

77 FR 28805, 28812 (May 16, 2012); 76 FR 58346, 58350 (Sept. 20, 2011); 77 FR 13888, 13893 

(March 7, 2012). The potential for increased test burden for certain power consumption 

measurements is also offset by more reasonable requirements for testing equipment, while 

maintaining measurement accuracy deemed acceptable and practical by voting members for IEC 

Standard 62301 (Second Edition). For these reasons, DOE tentatively concludes that the 

amended test procedures proposed in today’s NOPR 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 
 

2. Certification Requirements 

42 U.S.C. 6299 et seq. authorizes DOE to enforce compliance with the energy and water 

conservation standards established for certain consumer products. 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 clothes dryers. 76 FR 12422. These regulations are codified in 

10 CFR 429.21 (residential clothes dryers). 

The certification requirements for residential clothes dryers consist of a sampling plan for 

selection of units for testing and requirements for certification reports. Because DOE introduced 

a new metric (CEF) in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE proposes to amend the provisions 

in 10 CFR 429.21(a)(2) to include CEF, along with the existing measure of EF, in the list of 

metrics for which consumers would favor higher values. DOE is proposing to amend the 

reporting requirements in 10 CFR 429.21(b)(2) to require manufacturers, when using either 

appendix D or D1, to provide an indication if the clothes dryer has automatic termination 

controls and also to report the hourly Btu rating of the burner for gas clothes dryers. DOE is also 

proposing to amend 10 CFR 429.21(b)(2) to require manufacturers, when using appendix D1, to 

include the CEF and to list the cycle setting selections for the energy test cycle as recorded in the 

proposed section 3.4.7 of appendix D1 for each basic model. 

3. Compliance date of any final amended test procedures. 

76 
As stated in section I, DOE test procedures for clothes dryers are set forth in appendices 

D and D1 in 10 CFR part 430 subpart B. This proposal describes amendments to both 

appendices. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6293(c)(2), effective 180 days after DOE prescribes or 

establishes a new or amended test procedure, manufacturers must make representations of 

energy efficiency using that new or amended test procedure. Therefore, effective 180 days after 

the promulgation of any final amendments to the test procedure based on this proposal, 

manufacturers must make representations of energy efficiency, including certifications of 

compliance, using either appendix D or appendix D1. Manufacturers must use a single appendix 

for all representations, including certifications of compliance, and may not use appendix D for 

certain representations and appendix D1 for other representations. See DOE’s existing guidance 

on this topic for additional information, available at: 

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/pdfs/tp_faq_2012-06-29.pdf. 

Compliance with DOE’s amended standards for clothes dryers, and corresponding use of the test 

procedures at Appendix D1 for all representations, including certifications of compliance, is 

required as of January 1, 2015. (76 FR 52852 (Aug. 24, 2011), 76 FR 52854 (Aug. 24, 2011)) 

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). 

77 
B.Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq) requires preparation of a regulatory 

flexibility analysis (RFA) 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 rulemaking process. 68 FR 7990. 

DOE’s procedures and policies may be viewed on the Office of the General Counsel’s website 

(http://energy.gov/gc/office-general-counsel). DOE reviewed today’s NOPR under the 

provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and the procedures and policies published on 

February 19, 2003. 

In conducting this review, DOE first determined the potential number of affected small 

entities. The Small Business Administration (SBA) considers an entity to be a small business if, 

together with its affiliates, it employs fewer than the threshold number of workers specified in 13 

CFR part 121 according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. 

The SBA’s Table of Size Standards is available at: 

http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/serv_sstd_tablepdf.pdf. The 

threshold number for NAICS classification 335224, Household Laundry Equipment 

Manufacturing, which includes clothes dryer manufacturers, is 1,000 employees. 

78 
 

As discussed in the January 2011 TP Final Rule, DOE noted that most of the 

manufacturers supplying clothes dryers are large multinational corporations. As part of the most 

recent energy conservation standards rulemaking for residential clothes dryers, DOE requested 

comment on whether there are any manufacturer subgroups, including potential small businesses, 

that it should consider for its analyses. DOE did not receive any comments regarding whether 

there are any residential clothes dryer manufacturers that would be considered small businesses. 

DOE then conducted a more focused inquiry of the companies that could be small business 

manufacturers of products covered by this rulemaking. During its market survey, DOE used all 

available public information to identify potential small manufacturers. DOE’s research included 

the AHAM membership directory, product databases (the AHRI, AHAM, CEC, and ENERGY 

STAR databases), individual company websites, and the SBA dynamic small business search11to 

find potential small business manufacturers. DOE also asked interested parties and industry 

representatives if they were aware of any other small business manufacturers during 

manufacturer interviews conducted and at DOE public meetings for the energy conservation 

standards rulemakings. DOE also contacted various companies, as necessary, to determine 

whether they met the SBA’s definition of a small business manufacturer of covered residential 

clothes dryers. DOE screened out companies that did not offer products covered by this 

rulemaking, did not meet the definition of a “small business,” or are foreign owned and operated. 

DOE initially identified at least 14 manufacturers of residential clothes dryers that sold 

products in the United States. DOE determined that 13 of these companies exceeded the SBA’s 

maximum number of employees or were foreign-owned and operated. Thus, DOE identified only 

11 A searchable database of certified small businesses is available online at: 

http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm. 

79 
one potential small business manufacturer of residential clothes dryers. DOE could not locate 

this manufacturer on the dynamic small business search on the SBA website, but DOE 

nonetheless considered the economic impacts of the proposed test procedure amendments on this 

potential small business manufacturer. 

As discussed in section III.G.1, DOE does not believe the proposed active mode test 

procedure amendments in today’s NOPR to more accurately measure the effects of automatic 

cycle termination would result in any added test burden on manufacturers as compared to the 

current DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix D1. DOE is 

not proposing to require any additional test instruments or significantly different active mode 

testing methods and conditions that would require additional time for testing. For standby mode 

and off mode, DOE believes that the proposed test procedure amendments presented in section 

III.C would not represent a significant economic impact. DOE notes that industry-standard 

instruments, such as the Yokogawa WT210/WT230 digital power meter, that meet the standby 

mode and off mode requirements of the current DOE clothes dryer test procedure in 10 CFR part 

430, subpart B, appendix D1, also meet the requirements of the proposed amendments for 

standby mode and off mode in today’s NOPR. DOE also notes that the duration of a standby 

mode or off mode test period using the current test procedure in appendix D1 is 40 to 50 

minutes. As discussed in section III.C, DOE recognizes that the test duration using the proposed 

standby and off mode test procedure may range from 15 minutes to 3 hours depending on the 

stability of the measured power consumption. However, based on DOE’s testing of four clothes 

dryers from different manufacturers, DOE expects the test duration using the proposed standby 

and off mode test procedure to be approximately 30 to 45 minutes for most clothes dryers. In 

80 
 

addition, DOE notes that most third party testing laboratories already use these or similar 

industry-standard power meters for clothes dryer testing. As a result, if the small manufacturer 

decides to use a third party testing laboratory, DOE believes there would be a minimal, if any, 

increase in cost for standby mode and off mode testing. 

For these reasons, DOE certifies that the proposed rule, if adopted, 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 seeks comment on the 

certification set forth above, and will transmit 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). 

C.Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

Manufacturers of clothes dryers 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 dryers, 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 clothes dryers. (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 

81 
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. 

D.Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

 In this proposed rule, DOE is adopting test procedure amendments that it expects will be 

used to develop and implement future energy conservation standards for clothes dryers. 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 

82 
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 

83 
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. Pub. L. No. 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 

84 
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://energy.gov/gc/office-general-counsel. 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 the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 

85 
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. 

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 clothes dryers is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866. 

86 
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 DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95-91), DOE must comply 

with section 32 of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-275), as 

amended by the Federal Energy Administration Authorization Act of 1977 (FEAA; Pub. L. No 

95-70) (15 U.S.C. 788). Section 32 essentially provides that, where a rule authorizes or requires 

use of commercial standards, the 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 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning the impact of the 

commercial or industry standards on competition. 

The proposed rule incorporates testing methods contained in the commercial standard, 

IEC Standard 62301, “Household electrical appliances – Measurement of standby power,” 

Edition 2.0, 2011-01. 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 and will address any concerns when it publishes a response to 

the public comments on this NOPR. 

87 
V.Public Participation 

A. Attendance at Public Meeting 

The time, date and location of the public meeting are listed in the DATES and 

ADDRESSES sections at the beginning of this document. If you plan to attend the public 

meeting, please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945 or Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov . 

Please note that foreign nationals visiting DOE Headquarters are subject to advance security 

screening procedures. Any foreign national wishing to participate in the meeting should advise 

DOE as soon as possible by contacting Ms. Edwards to initiate the necessary procedures. Please 

also note that those wishing to bring laptops into the Forrestal Building will be required to obtain 

a property pass. Visitors should avoid bringing laptops, or allow an extra 45 minutes. Persons 

can attend the public meeting via webinar. 

In addition, you can attend the public meeting via webinar. Webinar registration 

information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar 

participants will be published on DOE’s website 

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/903943753. Participants are responsible for ensuring 

their systems are compatible with the webinar software. 

B. Procedure for Submitting Prepared General Statements For Distribution 

Any person who has plans to present a prepared general statement may request that 

copies of his or her statement be made available at the public meeting. Such persons may submit 

requests, along with an advance electronic copy of their statement in PDF (preferred), Microsoft 

88 
Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file format, to the appropriate address shown in the 

ADDRESSES section at the beginning of this notice. The request and advance copy of 

statements must be received at least one week before the public meeting and may be emailed, 

hand-delivered, or sent by mail. DOE prefers to receive requests and advance copies via email. 

Please include a telephone number to enable DOE staff to make a follow-up contact, if needed. 

C. Conduct of Public Meeting 

DOE will designate a DOE official to preside at the public meeting and may also use a 

professional facilitator to aid discussion. The meeting will not be a judicial or evidentiary-type 

public hearing, but DOE will conduct it in accordance with section 336 of EPCA (42 U.S.C. 

6306). A court reporter will be present to record the proceedings and prepare a transcript. DOE 

reserves the right to schedule the order of presentations and to establish the procedures governing 

the conduct of the public meeting. After the public meeting, interested parties may submit further 

comments on the proceedings as well as on any aspect of the rulemaking until the end of the 

comment period. 

The public meeting will be conducted in an informal, conference style. DOE will present 

summaries of comments received before the public meeting, allow time for prepared general 

statements by participants, and encourage all interested parties to share their views on issues 

affecting this rulemaking. Each participant will be allowed to make a general statement (within 

time limits determined by DOE), before the discussion of specific topics. DOE will permit, as 

time permits, other participants to comment briefly on any general statements. 

89 
At the end of all prepared statements on a topic, DOE will permit participants to clarify 

their statements briefly and comment on statements made by others. Participants should be 

prepared to answer questions by DOE and by other participants concerning these issues. DOE 

representatives may also ask questions of participants concerning other matters relevant to this 

rulemaking. The official conducting the public meeting will accept additional comments or 

questions from those attending, as time permits. The presiding official will announce any further 

procedural rules or modification of the above procedures that may be needed for the proper 

conduct of the public meeting. 

A transcript of the public meeting will be included in the docket, which can be viewed as 

described in the Docket section at the beginning of this notice. In addition, any person may buy a 

copy of the transcript from the transcribing reporter. 

D. 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 regulations.gov. The regulations.gov web page will require you 

to provide your name and contact information. Your contact information will not be publicly 

viewable except for your first and last names, organization name (if any), and submitter 

90 
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. 

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 website will waive any CBI claims for the 

information submitted. For information on submitting CBI, see the Confidential Business 

Information section below. 

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. 

91 
Submitting comments via email, hand delivery, or mail. Comments and documents 

submitted via email, 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, email 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. 

92 
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 email, postal mail, or hand delivery two well-marked copies: one copy of the 

document marked confidential including all the 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 email 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). 

93 
E. 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 on the following issues: 

1. Test Load 

DOE seeks comment on the proposal to continue using the DOE test load to maintain 

repeatability and reproducibility. DOE welcomes additional data on the test-to-test repeatability 

and lab-to-lab reproducibility of both the DOE and IEC/AHAM test load. (See section III.B.5) 

2. Automatic Cycle Termination Test Cycle 

DOE seeks comment on the proposed amendments to more accurately measure the 

effects of automatic cycle termination. DOE specifically requests comment on the proposed 

maximum allowable final RMC of 2 percent using the DOE test load. DOE further seeks 

comment on the proposed test cycle program settings, temperature settings, and dryness level 

settings. DOE also requests comment and additional test data on the proposed field use factor of 

0.80 for automatic cycle termination clothes dryers. (See section III.B.5) 

3. Timed Dry Test Cycle 

DOE seeks comment on the proposed test method for timer dryers. In particular, DOE 

welcomes comment on the proposed final RMC range of 1.0 percent to 2.5 percent with the 

normalization of the per-cycle energy consumption to represent the energy consumption required 

to dry the test load to 4-percent RMC changed to represent the new target RMC of 2 percent. 

DOE also seeks comment on the continued use of the 1.18 field use factor in the per-cycle 

94 
energy consumption calculation for timer dryers. DOE welcomes comment on the determination 

to not measure the cool-down period for the timed dry test cycle due to the associated test burden 

and difficulties with determining the appropriated timed dry cycle time. DOE also welcomes 

comment on the proposed amendment to clarify that the clothes dryer should not be stopped 

intermittently in the middle of the timed dry test cycle for any reason. (See section III.B.5) 

4. Characteristics of Water for Wetting Test Load 

DOE welcomes comment on the determination to not propose amendments to include 

requirements for the characteristics of the water supply used for wetting the test load prior to the 

test cycle. DOE welcomes additional data evaluating the repeatability and reproducibility of test 

results using both appendix D1 water and water modified according to the requirements in IEC 

Standard 61121. (See section III.B.4) 

5. Incorporation by Reference of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) 

DOE invites comment on the adequacy of IEC Standard 62301 (Second Edition) to 

measure standby mode and off mode power consumption for clothes dryers, and the suitability of 

incorporating into DOE regulations the following specific provisions from IEC Standard 62301 

(Second Edition): section 4 (“General conditions for measurements”), paragraph 4.2, “Test 

room,” paragraph 4.3.2, “Supply voltage waveform,” and paragraph 4.4, “Power measuring 

instruments,” and section 5 (“Measurements”), paragraph 5.1, “General,” paragraph 5.2 

“Preparation of product”, and paragraph 5.3.2, “Sampling method.” DOE also invites comment 

on the acceptability of measuring the total harmonic content, crest factor, and maximum current 

95 
 

ratio before and after the actual test measurement if the power measuring instrument is unable to 

perform these measurements during the actual test measurement. (See section III.C) 

6. Technical Correction to the Calculation of the Per-cycle Combined Total Energy 

Consumption 

DOE seeks comment on the proposed amendments to correct the section number 

reference for the per-cycle standby mode and off mode energy consumption contained in the 

calculation of the per-cycle combined total energy consumption contains in 10 CFR part 430, 

subpart B, appendix D1, section 4.6. (See section III.D) 

7. Clarifications to Test Conditions 

DOE seeks comment on the proposed amendments to clarify the cycle settings used for 

the test cycle. DOE also seeks comment on the proposed amendments to clarify for gas clothes 

dryer the requirements for the hourly British thermal unit (Btu) rating of the burner and the 

regulator outlet pressure for clothes dryers equipped with a gas appliance pressure regulator. (See 

section III.E) 

8. Effects of Proposed Amendments for Automatic Cycle Termination on Energy Conservation 

Standards 

DOE welcomes comments and additional data on the effects of the proposed test 

procedure amendments on the current energy conservation standards in both 10 CFR 

430.32(h)(2) and (3). In particular, DOE seeks comment on the proposed determination to not 

amend the energy conservation standards based on the proposed test procedure amendments for 

96 
automatic cycle termination due to the anti-backsliding provisions in 42 U.S.C. 6295(o)(1). DOE 

also welcomes comment on the determination and testing results showing that the proposed 

standby mode and off mode test procedure amendments would not measurably affect the 

measured efficiency as compared to the existing DOE test procedure in 10 CFR 430, subpart B, 

appendix D1. (See section III.F) 

9. Test Burden 

DOE seeks comment on any added test burden associated with the proposed 

amendments. When providing comments regarding testing burden, DOE request that 

commenters provide specific details and quantify any burdens. (See section III.G.1) 

VI.Approval of the Office of the Secretary 

The Secretary of Energy has approved publication of this proposed rule. 

97 

For the reasons stated in the preamble, DOE is proposing to amend parts 429 and 430 of 

title10 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 429.21 is amended by: 

a. Revising paragraph (a)(2)(ii) introductory text; and 

b. Revising paragraph (b)(2). 

The revision and addition read as follows: 

§ 429.21 Residential clothes dryers. 

* * * * * 

(a) * * * 

(2) * * * 

(ii) Any represented value of the energy factor, combined energy factor, or other measure of 

energy consumption of a basic model for which consumers would favor higher values shall be 

less than or equal to the lower of: 

* * * * * 

(b) * * * 

(2) Pursuant to §429.12(b)(13), a certification report shall include the following public product99 
 

specific information: When using appendix D, the energy factor in pounds per kilowatt hours 

(lb/kWh), the capacity in cubic feet (cu ft), the voltage in volts (V) (for electric dryers only), an 

indication if the dryer has automatic termination controls, and the hourly British thermal unit 

(Btu) rating of the burner (for gas dryers only); when using appendix D1, the combined energy 

factor in pounds per kilowatt hours (lb/kWh), the capacity in cubic feet (cu ft), the voltage in 

volts (V) (for electric dryers only), an indication if the dryer has automatic termination controls, 

the hourly Btu rating of the burner (for gas dryers only), and a list of the cycle setting selections 

for the energy test cycle as recorded in section 3.4.7 of appendix D1 for each basic model.. 

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. 

§ 430.3 [Amended]. 

4. Section 430.3 is amended by: 

a. Removing “appendix D1,” from paragraph (m)(1); and 

b. Adding “appendix D1,” after “appendix C1,” in (m)(2). 

5. Appendix D to Subpart B of Part 430 is amended: 

a. In section 2. Test Conditions, by revising sections 2.3.2.1 and 2.3.2.2; and 

b. In section 3. Test Methods and Measurements, by revising section 3.3. 

100 
 The revisions read as follows: 

APPENDIX D TO SUBPART B OF PART 430–UNIFORM TEST METHOD FOR MEASURING THE 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF CLOTHES DRYERS 

NOTE: Effective 180 days after the promulgation of any final amendments to the test procedure, 

manufacturers must make representations of energy efficiency, including certifications of 

compliance, using either appendix D or appendix D1. Manufacturers must use a single appendix 

for all representations, including certifications of compliance, and may not use appendix D for 

certain representations and appendix D1 for other representations. Compliance with DOE’s 

amended standards for clothes dryers, and corresponding use of the test procedures at Appendix 

D1 for all representations, including certifications of compliance, is required as of January 1, 

2015. 

* * * * * 

2. Testing Conditions 

* * * * * 

2.3.2 Gas supply. 

2.3.2.1 Natural gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes dryer at a normal inlet test 

pressure immediately ahead of all controls at 7 to 10 inches of water column. If the clothes dryer 

is equipped with a gas appliance pressure regulator, the regulator outlet pressure at the normal 

test pressure shall be within ±10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. The hourly 

Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within ±5 percent of the rating specified by the 

manufacturer. If the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within ± 5 

percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range 

in gas inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as necessary to achieve 

101 
the required Btu rating. The natural gas supplied should have a heating value of approximately 

1,025 Btus per standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, Hn2, in Btus per standard cubic 

foot, for the natural gas to be used in the test shall be obtained either from measurements made 

by the manufacturer conducting the test using a standard continuous flow calorimeter as 

described in section 2.4.6 or by the purchase of bottled natural gas whose Btu rating is certified 

to be at least as accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurements with a standard 

continuous flow calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6. 

2.3.2.2 Propane gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes dryer at a normal inlet test 

pressure immediately ahead of all controls at 11 to 13 inches of water column. If the clothes 

dryer is equipped with a gas appliance pressure regulator, the regulator outlet pressure at the 

normal test pressure shall be within ±10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. The 

hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within ±5 percent of the rating specified by 

the manufacturer. If the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within ± 5 

percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range 

in gas inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as necessary to achieve 

the required Btu rating. The propane gas supplied should have a heating value of approximately 

2,500 Btus per standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, Hp, in Btus per standard cubic foot, 

for the propane gas to be used in the test shall be obtained either from measurements made by the 

manufacturer conducting the test using a standard continuous flow calorimeter as described in 

section 2.4.6 or by the purchase of bottled gas whose Btu rating is certified to be at least as 

accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurement with a standard continuous calorimeter 

as described in section 2.4.6. 

* * * * * 

102 
 

3. Test Procedures and Measurements 

* * * * * 

3.3 Test cycle. Operate the clothes dryer at the maximum temperature setting and, if 

equipped with a timer, at the maximum time setting. Any other optional cycle settings that do 

not affect the temperature and time settings shall be tested in the as-shipped position. If the 

clothes dryer does not have a separate temperature setting selection on the control panel, the 

maximum time setting should be used for the drying test cycle. Dry the test load until the 

moisture content of the test load is between 2.5 percent and 5.0 percent of the bone-dry weight of 

the test load, but do not permit the dryer to advance into cool down. If required, reset the timer or 

automatic dry control. 

* * * * * 

6. Appendix D1 to Subpart B of Part 430 is amended: 

a. By revising the introductory text; 

b. In section 1. Definitions, by: 

1. Redesignating sections 1.5 through 1.18 and 1.19 as sections 1.6 through 

1.19 and 1.21, respectively; 

2. Revising newly designated section 1.12; 

3. Adding sections 1.5 and 1.20; 

c. In section 2. Test Conditions, by: 

1. Revising sections 2.1, 2.3.1.1, 2.3.2.1, 2.3.2.2, 2.4.7, 2.6.3, 2.7.1, and 2.7.2; 

2. Adding sections 2.1.1 through 2.1.3; 

d. In section 3. Test Methods and Measurements, by: 

103 
 

1. Revising sections 3.3, 3.6, 3.6.1, and 3.6.2; 

2. Adding sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2, and 3.4.7; and 

e. In section 4. Calculation of Derived Results From Test Measurements, by 

revising sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.6. 

The additions and revisions read as follows: 

APPENDIX D1 TO SUBPART B OF PART 430–UNIFORM TEST METHOD FOR MEASURING THE 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF CLOTHES DRYERS 

NOTE: Effective 180 days after the promulgation of any final amendments to the test procedure, 

manufacturers must make representations of energy efficiency, including certifications of 

compliance, using either appendix D or appendix D1. Manufacturers must use a single appendix 

for all representations, including certifications of compliance, and may not use appendix D for 

certain representations and appendix D1 for other representations. Compliance with DOE’s 

amended standards for clothes dryers, and corresponding use of the test procedures at Appendix 

D1 for all representations, including certifications of compliance, is required as of January 1, 

2015. 

1. Definitions 

* * * * * 

1.5 “Automatic termination control dryer” means a clothes dryer which can be preset to 

carry out at least one sequence of operations to be terminated by means of a system assessing, 

directly or indirectly, the moisture content of the load. An automatic termination control dryer 

with supplementary timer or that may also be manually controlled shall be tested as an automatic 

termination control dryer. 

104 
* * * * * 

1.12 “IEC 62301” means the test standard published by the International Electrotechnical 

Commission (“IEC”) titled “Household electrical appliances–Measurement of standby power,” 

Publication 62301 (Edition 2.0 2011-01) (incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

* * * * * 

1.20 “Timer dryer” means a clothes dryer that can be preset to carry out at least one 

operation to be terminated by a timer, but may also be manually controlled, and does not include 

any automatic termination function. 

* * * * * 

2. Testing Conditions 

2.1 Installation. 

2.1.1 All clothes dryers. For both conventional clothes dryers and ventless clothes 

dryers, as defined in sections 1.8 and 1.21 of this appendix, install the clothes dryer in 

accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. If the manufacturer’s instructions do not specify the 

installation requirements for a certain component, it shall be tested in the as-shipped condition. 

Where the manufacturer gives the option to use the dryer both with and without a duct, the dryer 

shall be tested without the exhaust simulator described in section 3.3.5.1 of AHAM HLD-1 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). All external joints should be taped to avoid air leakage. 

For drying testing, disconnect all console lights or other lighting systems on the clothes dryer 

which do not consume more than 10 watts during the clothes dryer test cycle. For standby and 

off mode testing, the clothes dryer shall also be installed in accordance with section 5, paragraph 

105 
5.2 of IEC 62301 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), disregarding the provisions regarding 

batteries and the determination, classification, and testing of relevant modes. For standby and off 

mode testing, do not disconnect console lights or other lighting systems. 

2.1.2 Conventional clothes dryers. For conventional clothes dryers, as defined in section 

1.8 of this appendix, the dryer exhaust shall be restricted by adding the AHAM exhaust simulator 

described in section 3.3.5.1 of AHAM HLD-1 (incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

2.1.3 Ventless clothes dryers. For ventless clothes dryers, as defined in section 1.21, the 

dryer shall be tested without the AHAM exhaust simulator. If the manufacturer gives the option 

to use a ventless clothes dryer, with or without a condensation box, the dryer shall be tested with 

the condensation box installed. For ventless clothes dryers, the condenser unit of the dryer must 

remain in place and not be taken out of the dryer for any reason between tests. 

* * * * * 

2.3.1.1 Supply voltage waveform. For the clothes dryer standby mode and off mode 

testing, maintain the electrical supply voltage waveform indicated in section 4, paragraph 4.3.2 

of IEC 62301 (incorporated by reference; see §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. 

2.3.2 Gas supply. 

2.3.2.1 Natural gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes dryer immediately ahead of 

all controls at a pressure of 7 to 10 inches of water column. If the clothes dryer is equipped with 

a gas appliance pressure regulator for which the manufacturer specifies an outlet pressure, the 

regulator outlet pressure shall be within ±10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. 

106 
The hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within ±5 percent of the rating specified 

by the manufacturer. If the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within ± 5 

percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range 

in gas inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as necessary to achieve 

the required Btu rating. The natural gas supplied should have a heating value of approximately 

1,025 Btus per standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, Hn2, in Btus per standard cubic 

foot, for the natural gas to be used in the test shall be obtained either from measurements made 

by the manufacturer conducting the test using a standard continuous flow calorimeter as 

described in section 2.4.6 or by the purchase of bottled natural gas whose Btu rating is certified 

to be at least as accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurements with a standard 

continuous flow calorimeter as described in section 2.4.6. 

2.3.2.2 Propane gas. Maintain the gas supply to the clothes dryer immediately ahead of 

all controls at a pressure of 11 to 13 inches of water column. If the clothes dryer is equipped with 

a gas appliance pressure regulator for which the manufacturer specifies an outlet pressure, the 

regulator outlet pressure shall be within ±10 percent of the value specified by the manufacturer. 

The hourly Btu rating of the burner shall be maintained within ±5 percent of the rating specified 

by the manufacturer. If the requirement to maintain the hourly Btu rating of the burner within ± 5 

percent of the rating specified by the manufacturer cannot be achieved under the allowable range 

in gas inlet test pressure, the orifice of the gas burner should be modified as necessary to achieve 

the required Btu rating. The propane gas supplied should have a heating value of approximately 

2,500 Btus per standard cubic foot. The actual heating value, Hp, in Btus per standard cubic foot, 

for the propane gas to be used in the test shall be obtained either from measurements made by the 

manufacturer conducting the test using a standard continuous flow calorimeter as described in 

107 
 

section 2.4.6 or by the purchase of bottled gas whose Btu rating is certified to be at least as 

accurate a rating as could be obtained from measurement with a standard continuous calorimeter 

as described in section 2.4.6. 

* * * * * 

2.4.7 Standby mode and off mode watt meter. The watt meter used to measure standby 

mode and off mode power consumption shall meet the requirements specified in section 4, 

paragraph 4.4 of IEC 62301(incorporated by reference; see §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. 

* * * * * 

2.6.3 Test Cloth Preconditioning. 

A new test cloth load and energy stuffer cloths shall be treated as follows: 

(1) Bone dry the load to a weight change of ± 1 percent, or less, as prescribed in section 

1.6 of this appendix. 

(2) Place the test cloth load in a standard clothes washer set at the maximum water fill 

level. Wash the load for 10 minutes in soft water (17 parts per million hardness or less), using 

60.8 grams of AHAM standard test detergent Formula 3.Wash water temperature should be 

maintained at 140°±5 °F (60°±2.7 °C). Rinse water temperature is to be controlled at 100°±5 °F 

(37.7±2.7°C). 

(3) Rinse the load again at the same water temperature. 

(4) Bone dry the load as prescribed in section 1.6 of this appendix and weigh the load. 

108 
(5) This procedure is repeated until there is a weight change of 1 percent or less. 

(6) A final cycle is to be a hot water wash with no detergent, followed by two warm 

water rinses. 

* * * * * 

2.7.1 Compact size dryer load. Prepare a bone-dry test load of energy cloths that weighs 

3.00 pounds ± .03 pounds. The test load can be adjusted to achieve proper weight by adding 

energy stuffer cloths, but no more than five stuffer cloths may be added per load. Dampen the 

load by agitating it in water whose temperature is 60 °F ± 5 °F and consists of 0 to 17 parts per 

million hardness for approximately 2 minutes to saturate the fabric. Then, extract water from the 

wet test load by spinning the load until the moisture content of the load is between 52.5 and 57.5 

percent of the bone-dry weight of the test load. Make a final mass adjustment, such that the 

moisture content is 57.5 percent ± 0.33 percent by adding water uniformly to the load in a very 

fine spray. 

2.7.2 Standard size dryer load. Prepare a bone-dry test load of energy cloths that weighs 

8.45 pounds ± .085 pounds. The test load can be adjusted to achieve proper weight by adding 

stuffer cloths, but no more than five stuffer cloths may be added per load. Dampen the load by 

agitating it in water whose temperature is 60 °F ± 5 °F and consists of 0 to 17 parts per million 

hardness for approximately 2 minutes to saturate the fabric. Then, extract water from the wet test 

load by spinning the load until the moisture content of the load is between 52.5 and 57.5 percent 

of the bone-dry weight of the test load. Make a final mass adjustment, such that the moisture 

content is 57.5 percent ± 0.33 percent by adding water uniformly to the load in a very fine spray. 

* * * * * 

109 
3. Test Procedures and Measurements 

* * * * * 

3.3 Test cycle. 

3.3.1 Timer dryers. For timer dryers, as defined in section 1.20 of this appendix, operate 

the clothes dryer at the maximum temperature setting and, if equipped with a timer, at the 

maximum time setting. Any other optional cycle settings that do not affect the temperature and 

time settings shall be tested in the as-shipped position. If the clothes dryer does not have a 

separate temperature setting selection on the control panel, the maximum time setting should be 

used for the drying test cycle. Dry the load until the moisture content of the test load is between 

1 and 2.5 percent of the bone-dry weight of the test load, at which point the test cycle is stopped, 

but do not permit the dryer to advance into cool down. If required, reset the timer to increase the 

length of the drying cycle. After stopping the test cycle, remove and weigh the test load. The 

clothes dryer shall not be stopped intermittently in the middle of the test cycle for any reason. 

Record the data specified by section 3.4 of this appendix. If the dryer automatically stops during 

a cycle because the condensation box is full of water, the test is stopped, and the test run is 

invalid, in which case the condensation box shall be emptied and the test re-run from the 

beginning. For ventless dryers, as defined in section 1.21 of this appendix, during the time 

between two cycles, the door of the dryer shall be closed except for loading (and unloading). 

3.3.2 Automatic termination control dryers. For automatic termination control dryers, as 

defined in section 1.5 of this appendix, a “normal” program shall be selected for the test cycle. 

For dryers that do not have a “normal” program, the cycle recommended by the manufacturer for 

drying cotton or linen clothes shall be selected. Where the drying temperature setting can be 

chosen independently of the program, it shall be set to the maximum. Where the dryness level 

110 
setting can be chosen independently of the program, it shall be set to the “normal” or “medium” 

dryness level setting. If such designation is not provided, then the dryness level shall be set at the 

mid-point between the minimum and maximum settings. Any other optional cycle settings that 

do not affect the program, temperature and dryness settings shall be tested in the as-shipped 

position. Operate the clothes dryer until the completion of the programmed cycle, including the 

cool down period. After the completion of the test cycle, remove and weigh the test load. Record 

the data specified in section 3.4 of this appendix. If the final moisture content is greater than 2 

percent, the test shall be invalid and a new run shall be conducted using the highest dryness level 

setting. If the dryer automatically stops during a cycle because the condensation box is full of 

water, the test is stopped, and the test run is invalid, in which case the condensation box shall be 

emptied and the test re-run from the beginning. For ventless dryers, during the time between two 

cycles, the door of the dryer shall be closed except for loading (and unloading). 

* * * * * 

3.4.7 The cycle settings selected, in accordance with section 3.3.2 of this appendix, for 

the automatic termination control dryer test. 

* * * * * 

3.6 Standby mode and off mode power. Establish the testing conditions set forth in 

Section 2 “Testing Conditions” of this appendix. For clothes dryers 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 § 430.3), allow sufficient time for the clothes dryer to 

reach the lower power state before proceeding with the test measurement. Follow the test 

procedure specified in section 5, paragraph 5.3.2 of IEC 62301 for testing in each possible mode 

as described in sections 3.6.1 and 3.6.2 of this appendix. 

111 
 

3.6.1 If a clothes dryer has an inactive mode, as defined in section 1.13 of this appendix, 

measure and record the average inactive mode power of the clothes dryer, PIA, in watts. 

3.6.2 If a clothes dryer has an off mode, as defined in section 1.16 of this appendix, 

measure and record the average off mode power of the clothes dryer, POFF, in watts. 

4. Calculation of Derived Results From Test Measurements 

4.1 Total per-cycle electric dryer energy consumption. Calculate the total electric dryer 

energy consumption per cycle, Ece, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and defined as: 

Ece=Et × field use, 

For automatic termination control dryers, and, 

Ece=[55.5 / (Ww− Wd)] × Et × field use, 

For timer dryers 

Where 

55.5 = an experimentally established value for the percent reduction in the moisture 

content of the test load during a laboratory test cycle expressed as a percent. 

Et = the energy recorded in section 3.4.5 of this appendix 

field use = field use factor 

= 1.18, the field use factor for clothes dryers with time termination control 

systems only without any automatic termination control functions. 

= 0.80, the field use factor for clothes dryers with automatic control systems that 

meet the requirements of the definition for automatic control systems in sections 1.5, 

1.15 and 1.19 of this appendix, including those that also have a supplementary timer 

control, or that may also be manually controlled. 

112 
Ww=the moisture content of the wet test load as recorded in section 3.4.2 of this 

appendix. 

Wd=the moisture content of the dry test load as recorded in section 3.4.3 of this 

appendix.4.2 Per-cycle gas dryer electrical energy consumption. Calculate the gas dryer 

electrical energy consumption per cycle, Ege, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and 

defined as: 

Ege=Ete × field use, 

For automatic termination control dryers, and, 

Ege= [55.5 /(Ww −Wd)]× Ete × field use, 

for timer dryers 

Where 

Ete=the energy recorded in section 3.4.6.1 of this appendix. 

field use, 55.5, Ww, Wd as defined in section 4.1 of this appendix. 

4.3 Per-cycle gas dryer gas energy consumption. Calculate the gas dryer gas energy 

consumption per cycle, Ege. expressed in Btus per cycle and defined as: 

Egg=Etg × field use × GEF 

for automatic termination control dryers, and, 

Egg=[55.5 /(Ww −Wd)]× Etg × field use ×GEF 

for time dryers 

Where 

Etg=the energy recorded in section 3.4.6.2 of this appendix. 

GEF =corrected gas heat value (Btu per cubic feet) as defined in section 3.4.6.3 of this 

appendix, 

113 
field use, 55.5, Ww, Wd as defined in section 4.1 of this appendix. 

* * * * * 

4.6 Per-cycle combined total energy consumption expressed in kilowatt-hours. Calculate 

the per-cycle combined total energy consumption, ECC, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle and 

defined for an electric clothes dryer as: 

ECC = Ece + ETSO 

Where: 

Ece=the energy recorded in section 4.1 of this appendix, and 

ETSO=the energy recorded in section 4.5 of this appendix, 

and defined for a gas clothes dryer as: 

ECC = Ecg + ETSO 

Where: 

Ecg=the energy recorded in section 4.4 of this appendix, and 

ETSO=the energy recorded in section 4.5 of this appendix. 

* * * * * 

114