This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

31487 

Vol. 80, No. 106 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430 

[Docket No. EERE–2013–BT–TP–0050] 

RIN 1904–AD10 

Energy Conservation Program: Test 

Procedures for Ceiling Fans 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: In this supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (SNOPR), the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE) proposes a 

number of changes to the proposed test 

procedure rule published on October 17, 

2014. Specifically, DOE proposes to 

clarify that a ceiling fan is not subject 

to the test procedure if the plane of 

rotation of the ceiling fan’s blades 

cannot be within 45 degrees of 

horizontal, rather than exempt air 

circulators (or air-circulating fan heads) 

from the test procedure. DOE also 

proposes to test high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans according to test 

procedures based on the current DOE 

test procedure for ceiling fans, rather 

than the Air Movement and Control 

Association International, Inc. (AMCA) 

230 test procedure. All ceiling fans 

larger than seven feet in diameter would 

still be tested according to a test 

procedure based on the AMCA 230 test 

procedure, but all ceiling fans less than 

seven feet in diameter would be tested 

according to test procedures based on 

the current DOE test procedure. DOE 

also proposes that the test require 

mounting all ceiling fans with blade 

spans less than or equal to seven feet to 

the real ceiling, rather than a false 

ceiling, during testing. The proposed 

test method would also increase the 

number of speeds at which ceiling fans 

with blade spans greater than seven feet 

are tested, and clarify the weighting 

associated with each tested speed in the 

energy efficiency metric and update the 

test room dimensions for ceiling fans 

with blade spans greater than seven feet. 

Finally, DOE proposes to clarify the 

effective date corresponding to the 

NOPR proposal to reinterpret the 

statutory definition of a ceiling fan to 

include hugger ceiling fans. 

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, 

and information regarding this SNOPR 

until August 17, 2015. See section V, 

‘‘Public Participation,’’ for details. 

ADDRESSES: Any comments submitted 

must identify the SNOPR for Test 

Procedures for Ceiling Fans, and 

provide docket number EERE–2013– 

BT–TP–0050 and/or regulatory 

information number (RIN) number 

1904–AD10. Comments may be 

submitted using any of the following 

methods: 

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

2. Email: CF2013TP0050@ee.doe.gov. 

Include the docket number and/or RIN 

in the subject line of the message. 

3. Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. 

Department of Energy, Building 

Technologies Program, Mailstop EE–5B, 

1000 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. If 

possible, please submit all items on a 

CD. It is not necessary to include 

printed copies. 

4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda 

Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Building Technologies Program, 950 

L’Enfant Plaza SW., Suite 600, 

Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: 

(202) 586–2945. If possible, please 

submit all items on a CD. 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 regulations.gov, including 

Federal Register notices, public meeting 

attendee lists and transcripts, 

comments, and other supporting 

documents/materials. All documents in 

the docket are listed in the 

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://www1.eere.energy.gov/

buildings/appliance_standards/

rulemaking.aspx/ruleid/101. This Web 

page will contain a link to the docket for 

this document on the regulations.gov 

site. The regulations.gov Web page 

contains simple instructions on how to 

access all documents, including public 

comments, in the docket. See section V 

for information on how to submit 

comments through regulations.gov. 

For further information on how to 

submit a comment, review other public 

comments and the docket, or participate 

in the public meeting, contact Ms. 

Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945 or by 

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ms. Lucy deButts, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency 

and Renewable Energy, Building 

Technologies Program, EE–2J, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 287–1604. Email: 

ceiling_fans@ee.doe.gov. 

Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of the General Counsel, 

GC–33, 1000 Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC, 20585–0121. 

Telephone: (202) 586–7796. Email: 

elizabeth.kohl@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE 

intends to incorporate by reference the 

following industry standard into 10 CFR 

part 430: ANSI/AMCA 230–12 (‘‘AMCA 

230’’), Air Movement and Control 

Association Laboratory Methods of 

Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating 

and Certification. Copies of ANSI/

AMCA 230–12 can be obtained from the 

American National Standards Institute, 

25 W. 43rd Street, 4th Floor, New York, 

NY 10036, 212–642–4900, or go to 

http://www.ansi.org. 

Table of Contents 

I. Authority and Background 

II. Synopsis of the Supplemental Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking 

III. Discussion 

A. Ceiling Fans for Which the Plane of 

Rotation of the Ceiling Fan’s Blades 

Cannot Be Within 45 Degrees of 

Horizontal Are Not Subject to the Test 

Procedure 

B. Update Test Procedures for HighVolume Small-Diameter Ceiling Fans 

C. Mount All Ceiling Fans With Blade 

Spans Less Than or Equal to Seven Feet 

to the Real Ceiling for Testing 

D. Test Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans 

Greater Than Seven Feet at Five Speeds 

E. Update Test Room Dimensions for 

Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans Greater 

Than Seven Feet 

IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review 

A. Review Under Executive Order 12866 


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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 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 

M. Description of Material Incorporated by 

Reference 

V. Public Participation 

A. Submission of Comments 

B. Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment 

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 EPS Service 

Parts Act of 2014, Pub. L. 113–263 (Dec. 

18, 2014)). Part B of title III, which for 

editorial reasons was redesignated as 

Part A upon incorporation into the U.S. 

Code (42 U.S.C. 6291–6309), establishes 

the ‘‘Energy Conservation Program for 

Consumer Products Other Than 

Automobiles.’’ 

Under EPCA, this energy conservation 

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 as the basis for certifying to DOE 

that their products comply with the 

applicable energy conservation 

standards adopted pursuant to EPCA 

and for making other representations 

about the efficiency of those products. 

(42 U.S.C. 6293(c) and 6295(s)) 

Similarly, DOE must use these test 

requirements to determine whether the 

products comply with any relevant 

standards promulgated under EPCA. (42 

U.S.C. 6295(s)) 

II. Synopsis of the Supplemental Notice 

of Proposed Rulemaking 

After careful consideration of 

comments received on the NOPR, DOE 

is issuing this SNOPR to propose that 

manufacturers are not required to test 

ceiling fans pursuant to the test 

procedure if the plane of rotation of the 

ceiling fan’s blades cannot be within 45 

degrees of horizontal. This approach 

replaces that in the proposed rule issued 

on October 17, 2014 (79 FR 62521) 

(October 2014 NOPR), where DOE 

proposed to exempt ceiling fans from 

the test procedure based on the 

potentially ambiguous terms ‘‘air 

circulator’’ or ‘‘air-circulating fan head’’. 

DOE also proposes test procedures for 

high-volume small-diameter ceiling fans 

based on the current DOE ceiling fan 

test procedure and require all ceiling 

fans with blade spans less than or equal 

to seven feet to be mounted directly to 

the real ceiling during testing. In 

addition, for ceiling fans with blade 

spans greater than seven feet, DOE 

proposes to increase the number of 

speeds at which the fans are tested and 

clarify the weighting associated with 

each speed in the proposed energy 

efficiency metric, as well as update the 

test room dimensions. 

This SNOPR summarizes and 

addresses comments received on the 

NOPR that are related to the changes 

proposed in this SNOPR. DOE received 

comments on the NOPR regarding a 

number of other topics that are not 

addressed in this SNOPR; these 

comments will be addressed in the final 

rule. The following paragraphs 

summarize the proposed changes in this 

SNOPR, with further detail provided in 

Section III, Discussion. 

Ceiling Fans for Which the Plane of 

Rotation of the Ceiling Fan’s Blades 

Cannot Be Within 45 Degrees of 

Horizontal Are Not Subject to the Test 

Procedure 

DOE proposes that manufacturers not 

be required to test a ceiling fan pursuant 

to the test procedure if the plane of 

rotation of the ceiling fan’s blades 

cannot be within 45 degrees of 

horizontal. This proposal would replace 

DOE’s NOPR proposal that the test 

procedure does not apply to air 

circulators (or air-circulating fan heads), 

thereby removing any ambiguity 

associated with the terms ‘‘air 

circulator’’ or ‘‘air-circulating fan 

heads.’’ This proposal ensures that only 

those ceiling fans whose performance 

the test procedure was designed to 

evaluate will be subject to the test 

procedure. 

Update Test Procedures for HighVolume Small-Diameter Ceiling Fans 

DOE proposes to test high-volume 

small-diameter ceiling fans according to 

test procedures based on the current 

DOE test procedure for ceiling fans, 

rather than the Air Movement and 

Control Association International, Inc. 

(AMCA) 230 test procedure. As a result, 

all ceiling fans with blade spans less 

than or equal to seven feet would be 

tested according to the test procedures 

for low-volume ceiling fans proposed in 

the NOPR, with the distinction that 

high-volume small-diameter ceiling fans 

would be tested only at high speed, 

whereas low volume ceiling fans would 

be tested at both high speed and low 

speed, as proposed in the NOPR. 

Mount All Ceiling Fans With Blade 

Spans Less Than or Equal to Seven Feet 

to the Real Ceiling for Testing 

DOE proposes to test all ceiling fans 

with blade spans less than or equal to 

seven feet with the ceiling fan mounted 

to the real ceiling, rather than a false 

ceiling, while maintaining the required 

vertical distance between the air 

velocity sensor heads and the bottom of 

the ceiling fan blades. This would 

provide a better representation of ceiling 

fan efficiency and would likely incur 

less test burden than testing with the 

ceiling fan mounted to a false ceiling. 

Test Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans 

Greater Than Seven Feet at Five Speeds 

DOE proposes to test all ceiling fans 

with blade spans greater than seven feet 

at five speeds spaced equally over the 

range of available speeds: 20%, 40%, 

60%, 80%, and 100% of the measured 

maximum speed revolutions per minute 

(rpm). DOE also proposes to clarify the 

weighting associated with each tested 

speed in the energy efficiency metric. 

Update Test Room Dimensions for 

Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans Greater 

Than Seven Feet 

DOE proposes to update the test room 

dimensions for all ceiling fans with 

blade spans greater than seven feet. The 

updates represent potential increases to 

the required test room dimensions 

relative to those dimensions proposed 

in the NOPR for high-volume ceiling 

fans. 

III. Discussion 

A. Ceiling Fans for Which the Plane of 

Rotation of the Ceiling Fan’s Blades 

Cannot Be Within 45 Degrees of 

Horizontal Are Not Subject to the Test 

Procedure 

In the NOPR, DOE stated that the 

proposed test procedures would not 

apply to air circulators (or aircirculating fan heads) that are typically 

mounted on a pedestal but could also 

include wall, ceiling, or I-beam 

mounting brackets. DOE then referenced 

section 5.1.1 of AMCA 230–12 for the 

definition of an air circulator. In 

response, DOE received comments from 

Fanimation, Matthews Fan Company, 

and BAS requesting clarification of the 

definition of the term ‘‘air circulator,’’ as 


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1A notation in this form provides a reference for 

information that is in the docket of DOE’s 

rulemaking to develop test procedures for ceiling 

fans (Docket No. EERE–2013–BT–TP–0050), which 

is maintained at www.regulations.gov. This notation 

indicates that the statement preceding the reference 

is document number 5 in the docket for the ceiling 

fan and ceiling fan light kits energy conservation 

standards rulemaking and appears at pages 63–64 

of that document. 

the language in AMCA 230 is 

ambiguous. (Fanimation, Public Meeting 

Transcript, No. 83 at p. 21; Matthews 

Fan Company, Public Meeting 

Transcript, No. 83 at pp. 22–23; Big Ass 

Solutions, Public Meeting Transcript, 

No. 83 at pp. 23–24) ALA further 

requested that DOE clarify if a fan head 

assembly consisting of a motor, 

impeller, and guard mounted on a 

downrod classified as an air circulator. 

(American Lighting Association, No. 8 

at pp. 4–5) 

Per suggestion by BAS to review other 

sections of AMCA 230 for a clearer 

definition of an air circulator, DOE 

reviewed AMCA 230–12 for more 

specific language, but only found 

potentially ambiguous language. DOE’s 

intention in excluding air circulators 

from the test procedure was to ensure 

that only ceiling fans that could be 

properly assessed with the test 

procedure were subject to the test 

procedure. For example, DOE intended 

to exclude ceiling fans that only moved 

air horizontally, rather than primarily 

downward, as the test procedure is not 

designed to provide accurate 

performance data for such fans. In this 

supplemental proposal, DOE proposes 

that if the plane of rotation of a ceiling 

fan’s blades cannot be within 45 degrees 

of horizontal, the ceiling fan is not 

subject to the test procedure. In this 

way, DOE is not specifically excluding 

‘‘air circulators’’; instead, DOE is 

excluding from the test procedure only 

ceiling fans that do not have the 

majority of their airflow directed 

vertically downward. 

B. Update Test Procedures for HighVolume Small-Diameter Ceiling Fans 

In the NOPR, DOE proposed different 

test methods for low-volume ceiling 

fans and high-volume, small-diameter 

ceiling fans. Specifically, DOE proposed 

to test low-volume ceiling fans 

according to a modified version of the 

current DOE test procedure, which is 

based on the ‘‘Energy Star Testing 

Facility Guidance Manual: Building a 

Testing Facility and Performing the 

Solid State Test Method for ENERGY 

STAR Qualified Ceiling Fans, Version 

1.1.’’ In contrast, DOE proposed to test 

all high-volume ceiling fans (including 

high-volume small-diameter ceiling 

fans) according to the test procedure set 

forth in AMCA 230–12, but subject to 

the proposed test room dimensions set 

forth in the NOPR. These two test 

procedures are fundamentally different, 

as the NOPR low-volume ceiling fan test 

procedure determines airflow based on 

air velocity measurements, whereas the 

NOPR high-volume ceiling fan test 

procedure determines airflow based on 

load differential measured using a load 

cell. 

Data presented by Big Ass Solutions 

(BAS) at the November 19, 2014 public 

meeting shows that the AMCA 230 test 

procedure results in a decrease in the 

measured performance for the same fan 

as compared to the NOPR test procedure 

for low-volume ceiling fans. (BAS, 

Public Meeting Transcript, No. 5 at pp. 

63–64).1 Given this, BAS expressed that 

there may be instances where a smalldiameter fan has a large enough 

measured airflow under the NOPR lowvolume test procedure to move it into 

the high-volume category, but when 

tested according to the NOPR highvolume test procedure, the measured 

airflow would be too low for the fan to 

qualify for the high-volume category. Id. 

BAS added that the decrease in rated 

performance of the high-volume smalldiameter fan according to the NOPR test 

procedure could lead to a consumer 

selecting a less-efficient product when 

choosing between a low-volume and 

high-volume small-diameter ceiling fans 

based on NOPR test method results. Id. 

BAS suggested that all ceiling fans with 

blade spans less than or equal to seven 

feet be tested according to the same test 

method, based on DOE’s current test 

procedure for ceiling fans, and ceiling 

fans with blade spans of more than 

seven feet be tested according to AMCA 

230. (BAS, Public Meeting Transcript, 

No. 5 at p. 64) Emerson Electric 

Company (Emerson), Westinghouse 

Lighting (Westinghouse), Hunter Fan 

Company (Hunter), Fanimation, and 

Minka Group all agreed with BAS’ 

suggestion. Furthermore, the American 

Lighting Association (ALA) stated that 

manufacturers are more familiar with 

the ENERGY STAR test procedure and 

prefer it for measuring the performance 

of all ceiling fans with blade spans less 

than or equal to seven feet. (ALA, No. 

8 at pp. 7–8) In particular, ALA 

expressed concern about the 

repeatability and test burden associated 

with load-cell testing of high-volume 

ceiling fans with blade spans less than 

or equal to seven feet (as required in 

AMCA 230). (Id.) 

DOE recognizes the concerns put forth 

by BAS et al. According to ALA, 

manufacturers are already accustomed 

to testing ceiling fans with blade spans 

less than or equal to seven feet 

according to the current ENERGY STAR 

test procedure which, along with the 

current DOE test procedure and the test 

procedures proposed in the NOPR for 

low-volume ceiling fans, is based on 

‘‘Energy Star Testing Facility Guidance 

Manual: Building a Testing Facility and 

Performing the Solid State Test Method 

for ENERGY STAR Qualified Ceiling 

Fans, Version 1.1.’’ DOE prefers to 

harmonize with the accepted industry 

test procedures where appropriate. 

Proposing test procedures for highvolume small-diameter ceiling fans 

based on the test procedures proposed 

in the NOPR for low-volume ceiling fans 

is more consistent with this objective. 

In the NOPR, DOE proposed a 

different test procedure for all highvolume ceiling fans (including those 

with blade spans less than or equal to 

seven feet) in part because some largediameter ceiling fans (i.e., those ceiling 

fans with blade spans greater than seven 

feet) are too large to be tested in current 

low-volume ceiling fan test facilities, 

and testing with a single load cell is 

more practical than testing with 

numerous air velocity sensors for largediameter fans. For ceiling fans with 

blade spans less than or equal to seven 

feet, however, these experimental 

concerns are significantly less 

compelling. In the NOPR, DOE assumed 

that high-volume small-diameter and 

high-volume large-diameter ceiling fans 

were substitutes for one another (for 

example an array of high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans substituting for a 

single high-volume large diameter 

ceiling fan) and proposed the same test 

procedure for all high-volume ceiling 

fans to allow for comparison. Feedback 

from stakeholders indicates that 

industry practice is to use an ENERGY 

STAR style test procedure for highvolume small-diameter ceiling fans and 

that high-volume small-diameter ceiling 

fans may be substitutes for low-volume 

ceiling fans. Consequently, DOE agrees 

with interested parties that a test 

procedure for high-volume smalldiameter fans based on the NOPR test 

procedure for low-volume ceiling fans 

would be more appropriate. 

Therefore, DOE proposes to test all 

ceiling fans with blade spans less than 

or equal to seven feet according to the 

low-volume ceiling fan test procedures 

proposed in the NOPR, except that, as 

in the NOPR, high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans would be tested at 

only high speed while low-volume 

ceiling fans would be tested at both high 

and low speed. A further modification 

to the NOPR test procedure for lowvolume ceiling fans and high-volume 

small-diameter ceiling fans is discussed 

in section III.C. High-volume smallVerDate Sep<11>2014 17:19 Jun 02, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\03JNP1.SGM 03JNP1

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31490 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 106 / Wednesday, June 3, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

2This document was submitted to the docket of 

DOE’s rulemaking to develop energy conservation 

standards for ceiling fans (Docket No. EERE–2012– 

BT–STD–0045). 

diameter ceiling fans would be tested at 

only high speed because, as discussed 

in the NOPR, high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans typically do not 

have discrete speeds so speeds other 

than high may not be well defined. 

Additionally, DOE does not have 

enough information to estimate a 

distribution of time spent at speeds 

other than high speed for the efficiency 

metric for high-volume small diameter 

ceiling fans. 

C. Mount All Ceiling Fans With Blade 

Spans Less Than or Equal to Seven Feet 

to the Real Ceiling for Testing 

In the NOPR, DOE proposed to mount 

all low-volume ceiling fans to a false 

ceiling for testing. Using an adjustableheight false ceiling would allow the air 

velocity sensor height to remain 

constant, while the ceiling fan mounting 

height could be adjusted to obtain the 

required distance between the bottom of 

the ceiling fan blades and the air 

velocity sensors. The NOPR proposal 

was based on an assumption that 

mounting the ceiling fans to an 

adjustable-height false ceiling for testing 

would be less burdensome than 

adjusting the height of the air velocity 

sensors. 

In response to the NOPR, at the 

November 2014 public meeting, BAS 

presented test results indicating a 

decrease in measured efficiency 

performance when a ceiling fan is 

mounted to a false ceiling rather than a 

real ceiling. (BAS, Public Meeting 

Transcript, No. 5 at pp. 125–126) BAS 

also stated that testing with the ceiling 

fan mounted to a real ceiling is more 

representative of actual use, and 

Fanimation and Minka Group agreed 

with Big Ass Solution’s comments. (Id.; 

Fanimation, Public Meeting Transcript, 

No. 5 at p. 129; Minka Group, Public 

Meeting Transcript, No. 5 at p. 129) In 

regard to test burden, BAS indicated 

that keeping the false ceiling level and 

in correct position during testing is 

more burdensome than adjusting the 

height of the air velocity sensors. (BAS, 

Public Meeting Transcript, No. 5 at p. 

131) Hunter Fan Company suggested 

that their lab uses a different air velocity 

sensor mounting system, and therefore 

it could be more burdensome to adjust 

the height of the air velocity sensors. 

(Hunter Fan Company, Public Meeting 

Transcript, No. 5 at p. 131) 

DOE agrees with BAS that testing 

with the ceiling fan mounted to the real 

ceiling is more representative of actual 

use. DOE further acknowledges the 

concerns put forth by BAS—and the 

potential counterpoint provided by 

Hunter Fan Company—and has 

reviewed the proposal to mount all lowvolume and high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans to a false ceiling 

during testing. DOE reviewed the data 

provided by BAS and noted a decrease 

in airflow efficiency of approximately 

10% across the range of speeds tested 

when testing with a false ceiling rather 

than the real ceiling compelling. 

Additionally, DOE received test cost 

estimates from two test labs that show 

that testing with a false ceiling may be 

more financially burdensome than 

testing with the ceiling fan mounted to 

the real ceiling and adjusting the height 

of the air velocity sensors. The cost 

estimates received indicate a cost of 

$600–$1,800 for testing with a false 

ceiling, as opposed to $725–$1,500 for 

testing with the real ceiling. The 

minimum expected cost for testing with 

a real ceiling is higher than for testing 

with a false ceiling due to the one-time 

cost associated with implementing a 

change to the experimental set up to 

allow for the adjustment of the height of 

the air velocity sensors. The average 

variable test costs for testing with the 

real ceiling, however, are lower 

compared to testing with a false ceiling. 

DOE approximates the fixed costs for 

the one-time modification to be $2000 

or less. DOE expects that test labs will 

be able to amortize the fixed costs over 

many tests. Consequently, the total 

average costs for testing with the real 

ceiling are lower than testing with a 

false ceiling. 

Therefore, DOE proposes to mount all 

ceiling fans with blade spans less than 

or equal to seven feet to the real ceiling, 

rather than a false ceiling, for testing. 

DOE also clarifies that with this 

proposal to mount the ceiling fan to the 

real ceiling, the height of the air velocity 

sensors must be adjusted to achieve the 

specified vertical distance (43 inches) 

between the bottom of the fan blades 

and the air velocity sensor heads for 

each mounting configuration in which 

the ceiling fan is tested. 

D. Test Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans 

Greater Than Seven Feet at Five Speeds 

DOE proposed to test all high-volume 

ceiling fans—regardless of blade span— 

at high speed in the NOPR. DOE 

proposed testing only at a single speed 

because high-volume ceiling fans are 

often equipped with a speed controller 

that is continuously adjustable rather 

than having discrete speeds (e.g., low, 

medium, and high). In response to the 

NOPR proposal, DOE received several 

comments from stakeholders. MacroAir 

and the AMCA Committee indicated 

that an upcoming revision of AMCA 230 

would contain a requirement to test at 

five speeds (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 

100% of the maximum achievable 

speed) and suggested DOE harmonize 

with this approach. (MacroAir, No. 6 at 

p. 5; AMCA, No. 84 2 at pp. 2–3) 

MacroAir also suggested that the overall 

efficiency of the ceiling fan should be 

calculated by taking performance data at 

each of the five speeds and then 

calculating a weighted average of those 

data based on the estimated operating 

hours at each speed. Id. 

DOE believes it is preferable to align 

the DOE ceiling fan test procedure with 

the accepted industry test procedures— 

in this case AMCA 230—as much as 

possible. DOE also notes that testing at 

five speeds rather than just at high 

speed may provide a more holistic 

representation of a ceiling fan’s 

performance over a range of service 

levels, which may in turn facilitate 

easier comparisons for consumers. 

Finally, MacroAir supported testing at 

five speeds. (MacroAir, No. 6 at p. 6) 

Given these points, DOE proposes in 

this SNOPR to test all ceiling fans with 

blade spans greater than seven feet at 

five equally-spaced speeds: 20%, 40%, 

60%, 80%, and 100% of the rpm of the 

maximum achievable speed. DOE 

clarifies that these speed settings are to 

be based on actual rpm measurements, 

and also notes that this proposal has no 

effect on ceiling fans with blade spans 

less than or equal to seven feet, as set 

forth in III.B. 

DOE is unaware of any ceiling fan 

with blade span greater than seven feet 

in diameter that does not have a speed 

controller that is continuously 

adjustable. DOE seeks comment and 

information on whether there are any 

ceiling fans with blade spans greater 

than seven feet for which the proposed 

test procedure in this SNOPR could not 

be applied (i.e., any ceiling fans larger 

than seven feet in diameter that could 

not achieve the five speeds specified). 

The equation and daily operating 

hours proposed in the NOPR to 

calculate the efficiency of ceiling fans 

larger than seven feet in diameter would 

need to be updated to enable testing 

these fans at five speeds. In the NOPR, 

DOE proposed the following efficiency 

equation for all high-volume ceiling fans 

to be tested at only high speed: 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 106 / Wednesday, June 3, 2015 / Proposed Rules 31491 

3This document was submitted to the docket of 

DOE’s rulemaking to develop energy conservation 

standards for ceiling fans (Docket No. EERE–2012– 

BT–STD–0045). 

Where: 

CFMH = airflow at high speed, 

OHA = operating hours in active mode, 

WH = power consumptionat high speed. 

OHSb = operating hours in standby mode, and 

WSb = power consumption in standby mode 

Based on the proposal to test all 

ceiling fans with blade spans greater 

than seven feet at five speed settings, 

DOE proposes to use the following 

equation to calculate the weighted 

ceiling fan efficiency for these ceiling 

fans: 

Where: 

CFMi = airflow at speed 

OHi = operating hours at speed 

Wi = power consumption at speed 

OHsb = operating hours in standby mode, and 

Wsb = power consumption in standby mode. 

The daily operating hours at each of 

the five speeds are an input to this 

equation. In the NOPR, DOE proposed 

the following daily operating hours for 

all high-volume ceiling fans: 12 hours of 

active mode and 12 hours of non-active 

mode. In response to the proposed 

operating hours, MacroAir and BAS 

separately provided breakdowns of 

daily operating hours for large-diameter 

ceiling fans by speed setting (Table 1). 

(MacroAir, No. 6 at p. 5; BAS, No. 88 3

at pp. 37, 39). 

TABLE 1—MANUFACTURER-SUGGESTED DAILY OPERATING HOURS BY SPEED SETTING FOR LARGE-DIAMETER CEILING

FANS

Manufacturer 

Daily operation by speed setting (h) 

100% 80% 60% 40% 25% 20% Off/Standby 

MacroAir ........................................... 3 4 6 4 .................... 1 6 

Big Ass Solutions ............................. 0 .6 3 1 .2 .................... 7.2 .................... 12 

In their comments, BAS did not 

provide this breakdown in daily 

operating hours explicitly; instead, BAS 

presented an alternative hours of use 

analysis in which they presented annual 

hours of operation at each of four 

speeds. In this alternative analysis, BAS 

did not alter DOE’s proposed 12 hours 

of active use per day, so DOE assumes 

BAS agreed with this value. 

To account for both daily operating 

hours breakdowns, DOE calculated a 

simple average of the proposed 

operating hours by speed setting (in 

calculating this average, DOE mapped 

the 7.2 h at 25% speed suggested by 

BAS to the 20% speed setting). Using 

this simple average, DOE proposes in 

this SNOPR to use the daily operating 

hours in Table 2 for all ceiling fans with 

blade spans greater than seven feet for 

use in the efficiency calculation. 

TABLE 2—DAILY OPERATING HOURS

BY SPEED SETTING FOR CEILING

FANS WITH BLADE SPANS GREATER

THAN SEVEN FEET

Setting No 

standby 

With 

standby 

100% (Max) Speed ... 1.8 1.8 

TABLE 2—DAILY OPERATING HOURS

BY SPEED SETTING FOR CEILING

FANS WITH BLADE SPANS GREATER

THAN SEVEN FEET—Continued 

Setting No 

standby 

With 

standby 

80% Speed ............... 3.5 3.5 

60% Speed ............... 3.6 3.6 

40% Speed ............... 2.0 2.0 

20% Speed ............... 4.1 4.1 

Standby Mode .......... 0.0 9.0 

Off Mode ................... 9.0 0.0 

E. Update Test Room Dimensions for 

Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans Greater 

Than Seven Feet 

In the NOPR, DOE proposed to test all 

high-volume ceiling fans, including 

ceiling fans larger than seven feet in 

diameter, using a test procedure based 

on AMCA 230–12. Because AMCA 230– 

12 is only applicable to ceiling fans with 

blade spans of six feet or less, DOE 

proposed to modify the specified room 

dimensions to allow for the testing of 

larger ceiling fans. The NOPR proposed 

a test procedure with the following 

modifications to the room dimensions 

in AMCA 230–12: (1) The minimum 

distance between the ceiling and the 

blades of a ceiling fan being tested is 44 

inches for all blade diameters, (2) 

ceiling fans larger than 6 feet in 

diameter must have a 20 foot clearance 

between the floor and the blades of the 

fan being tested, and (3) for ceiling fans 

larger than 6 feet in diameter, the 

minimum distance between the 

centerline of a ceiling fan being tested 

and walls and large obstructions all 

around is half the ceiling fan blade span 

plus 10 feet. 

BAS stated during the public meeting 

that AMCA 230 is currently being 

revised and suggested that the test room 

dimensions proposed by DOE and the 

updated version of AMCA 230 be 

harmonized. (BAS, Public Meeting 

Transcript, No. 5 at pp. 141–142) BAS 

specifically disagreed with the proposed 

clearance above the ceiling fan blades. 

(BAS, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 5 

at p. 143) Westinghouse did not 

comment on the clearance height above 

the ceiling fan blades, but did express 

acceptance of the ten feet of lateral 

clearance from the fan blade tips that 

DOE proposed. (Westinghouse, Public 

Meeting Transcript, No. 5 at p. 144) 

AMCA has yet to release the updated 

version of AMCA 230, but the test room 


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31492 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 106 / Wednesday, June 3, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

4This document was submitted to the docket of 

DOE’s rulemaking to develop energy conservation 

standards for ceiling fans (Docket No. EERE–2012– 

BT–STD–0045). 

5U.S. Small Business Administration, Table of 

Small Business Size Standards (August 22, 2008) 

(Available at: http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/

files/Size_Standards_Table.pdf). 

6The American Lighting Association, list of 

Manufacturers & Representatives (Available at: 

http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/Members/

Resources/Manufacturers-Representatives.aspx). 

7The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 

the U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR 

Ceiling Fans—Product Databases for Ceiling Fans 

(Available at: http://www.energystar.gov/products/

certified-products/detail/ceiling-fans). 

8The California Energy Commission, Appliance 

Database for Ceiling Fans (Available at: http://

www.appliances.energy.ca.gov/QuickSearch.aspx). 

dimensions currently being considered 

by the AMCA Committee for the 

updated standard have been made 

publicly available. The AMCA 

Committee is currently considering the 

following test room dimensions for the 

updated standard: (1) Minimum 

distance between the ceiling and the 

blades of a ceiling fan being tested shall 

be 40% of the ceiling fan blade span; (2) 

Minimum distance between the floor 

and the blades of the fan shall be the 

larger of 80% of the ceiling fan blade 

span or 15 feet; and (3) Minimum 

distance between the centerline of a 

ceiling fan and walls and/or large 

obstructions is 150% of the ceiling fan 

blade span. (AMCA, No. 84 4 at p. 2) 

DOE considered whether the room 

dimension requirements expected to be 

included in the updated version of 

AMCA 230 would limit any 

manufacturers’ access to a test facility 

large enough to meet the proposed test 

procedure requirements. DOE notes 

that, for ceiling fans with blade spans 

greater than or equal to 10 feet, the 

minimum distance between the ceiling 

and the top of the blades and the 

minimum distance between the 

centerline of the ceiling fan and walls or 

large obstructions is greater for the 

dimensions suggested by MacroAir and 

the AMCA Committee than for the 

dimensions proposed in the NOPR. 

However, DOE does not believe that 

access to test facilities for ceiling fan 

manufacturers is significantly decreased 

by the increased test room dimensions 

proposed in this SNOPR relative to the 

test room dimensions proposed in the 

NOPR. Therefore, this SNOPR proposes 

that the test room dimensions for ceiling 

fans with blade spans larger than seven 

feet meet the following criteria: (1) 

Minimum distance between the ceiling 

and the blades of a ceiling fan being 

tested shall be 40% of the ceiling fan 

blade span; (2) Minimum distance 

between the floor and the blades of the 

fan shall be the larger of 80% of the 

ceiling fan blade span or 15 feet; and (3) 

Minimum distance between the 

centerline of a ceiling fan and walls 

and/or large obstructions is 150% of the 

ceiling fan blade span. DOE intends to 

review the final published version of 

AMCA 230 when it is available. If the 

test room dimensions specified in the 

final version are identical in substance 

to the test procedure test room 

requirements DOE has proposed for 

high-volume ceiling fans, DOE will 

consider incorporating AMCA 230 by 

reference in the rule. Alternatively, DOE 

may also decide to incorporate it by 

reference, but with modifications. DOE 

notes that in accordance with the 

proposal in section III.B of this SNOPR, 

the room dimensions would only apply 

to ceiling fans with blade spans greater 

than seven feet. 

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 regulatory 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). 

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 

(Aug. 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 DOE 

rulemaking process. (68 FR 7990 (Feb. 

19, 2003)). DOE has made its procedures 

and policies available on the Office of 

the General Counsel’s Web site: http:// 

energy.gov/gc/office-general-counsel. 

DOE reviewed this proposed rule 

under the provisions of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (RFA) and the policies 

and procedures published on February 

19, 2003. The proposed rule prescribes 

test procedure amendments that would 

be used to determine compliance with 

any amended energy conservation 

standards that DOE may prescribe for 

ceiling fans. DOE has prepared an initial 

regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA) for 

this rulemaking. The IRFA describes 

potential impacts on small businesses 

associated with ceiling fan testing 

requirements. DOE seeks comment on 

the discussion below and will develop 

a final regulatory flexibility analysis 

(FRFA) for any final test procedures 

developed in this test procedure 

rulemaking. 

DOE has transmitted a copy of this 

IRFA to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy 

of the Small Business Administration 

for review. 

(1) Description of the reasons why 

action by the agency is being 

considered. 

A description of the reasons why DOE 

is considering this test procedure is 

provided elsewhere in the preamble and 

not repeated here. 

(2) Succinct statement of the 

objectives of, and legal basis for, the 

proposed rule. 

The objectives of and legal basis for 

the proposed rule are stated elsewhere 

in the preamble and not repeated here. 

(3) Description of and, where feasible, 

an estimate of the number of small 

entities to which the proposed rule will 

apply. 

For the manufacturers of the covered 

ceiling fan products, the Small Business 

Administration (SBA) has set a size 

threshold, which defines those entities 

classified as ‘‘small businesses’’ for the 

purposes of the statute. DOE used the 

SBA’s small business size standards to 

determine whether any small entities 

would be subject to the requirements of 

the rule. 13 CFR part 121. The size 

standards are listed by North American 

Industry Classification System (NAICS) 

code and industry description and are 

available at: http://www.sba.gov/sites/

default/files/Size_Standards_Table.pdf. 

Ceiling fan manufacturing is classified 

under NAICS code 335210, ‘‘Small 

Electrical Appliance Manufacturing’’ or 

NAICS code 333412, ‘‘Industrial and 

Commercial Fan and Blower 

Manufacturing.’’ The SBA sets a 

threshold for NAICS classification for 

335210 and 333412 of 750 employees or 

less and 500 employees or less, 

respectively.5 DOE reviewed ALA’s list 

of ceiling fan manufacturers,6 the 

ENERGY STAR Product Databases for 

Ceiling Fans,7 the California Energy 

Commission’s Appliance Database for 

Ceiling Fans,8 and the Federal Trade 

Commission’s Appliance Energy 


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9The Federal Trade Commission, Appliance 

Energy Databases for Ceiling Fans (Available at: 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/eande/

appliances/ceilfan.htm). 

Database for Ceiling Fans.9 Based on 

this review, using data on the 

companies for which DOE was able to 

obtain information on the numbers of 

employees, DOE estimates that there are 

between 25 and 35 small business 

manufacturers of low-volume ceiling 

fans. To determine the number of small 

business manufacturers of high-volume 

ceiling fans, DOE reviewed SBA’s Web 

site, high-volume ceiling fan 

manufacturers Web sites, and company 

reports from Hoovers.com, in addition 

to speaking with industry experts. Based 

on this review, DOE estimates that there 

are between 5 and 10 small business 

manufacturers of high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans and DOE estimates 

there are between 10 and 15 small 

business manufacturers of high-volume 

large-diameter fans. DOE invites 

interested parties to comment on the 

estimated number of small business 

manufacturers of ceiling fans. 

(4) Description of the projected 

compliance requirements of the 

proposed rule. 

In the test procedure NOPR, DOE 

proposed to reinterpret the statutory 

definition of a ceiling fan to include 

hugger ceiling fans. DOE also proposed 

that high-volume fans meet the 

definition of a ceiling fan. The proposed 

changes in interpretation of the ceiling 

fan definition discussed above would 

result in the applicability of the design 

standards set forth in EPCA at 42 U.S.C. 

6295(ff)(1) to the following types of fans 

30 days after the publication of any final 

test procedure adopting such changes in 

interpretation: 

1. Fans suspended from the ceiling 

using a downrod or other means of 

suspension such that the fan is not 

mounted directly to the ceiling; 

2. Fans suspended such that they are 

mounted directly or close to the ceiling; 

3. Fans sold with the option of being 

suspended with or without a downrod; 

and 

4. Fans capable of producing large 

volumes of airflow. 

DOE research indicates that all ceiling 

fans currently on the market, including 

hugger ceiling fans and high-volume 

ceiling fans, appear to meet the EPCA 

design standards. DOE conducted an 

analysis of Hansen Wholesale, an online 

wholesaler that sells over 2000 models 

of ceiling fans, including a wide variety 

of ceiling fan brands. Hansen Wholesale 

provides product specifications on its 

Web site, including the number of 

speeds and whether a ceiling fan is 

reversible. DOE examined all of the 

ceiling fans that were self-identified as 

hugger ceiling fans and found that they 

all had fan controls separate from 

lighting controls, were capable of being 

operated at more than one speed, and 

were capable of being operated in 

reverse. 

For high-volume ceiling fans, DOE 

searched for product specifications on 

the Web sites of manufacturers of highvolume large-diameter ceiling fans and 

from Web sites of retailers of highvolume small-diameter ceiling fans. 

Only one high-volume ceiling fan model 

was found with a light kit, and the fan 

controls were separate from the lighting 

controls for that fan. All high-volume 

ceiling fans appeared to be capable of 

operating at more than one speed 

(typically with an adjustable speed 

control). High-volume ceiling fans are 

primarily sold for industrial purposes 

and are therefore not subject to the 

requirement to be capable of operating 

in reverse. 

Based on this research, DOE does not 

expect any cost of complying with the 

design requirements for manufacturers 

of hugger or high-volume ceiling fans. 

DOE proposes measures to limit the 

burden of testing on all manufacturers, 

including small business manufacturers, 

while providing a representative 

measurement of ceiling fan efficiency 

for consumers. Low-volume ceiling fans 

(excluding hugger fans) are currently 

required to test at high speed due to 

FTC’s labeling requirement for ceiling 

fans. As discussed in more detail in the 

TP NOPR, DOE proposed to specify that 

low speed is to be tested as well as high 

speed to have a test procedure that is 

representative of typical use. DOE 

estimates that the cost to test at low 

speed, in addition to high speed, 

represents an average additional cost of 

$87.5 (or $175 per basic model) above 

the high-speed test cost. 

DOE notes that if the concurrent 

rulemaking regarding energy 

conservation standards for ceiling fans 

results in efficiency performance 

standards, DOE would require testing 

for certification of two ceiling fans per 

basic model, the minimum sample size 

required by 10 CFR 429.11. To 

determine the potential cost of the 

proposed test procedure on small 

ceiling fan manufacturers under a 

potential energy conservation standard 

for ceiling fans, DOE estimated the cost 

of testing two ceiling fans. The cost of 

testing was then multiplied over the 

estimated number of basic models 

produced by a small manufacturer. The 

estimated cost of testing is discussed in 

further detail below. 

In the test procedure NOPR, DOE 

proposed to: (1) Reinterpret the 

statutory definition of a ceiling fan such 

that it would include hugger ceiling 

fans; the proposed test method for 

hugger ceiling fans would be the same 

as the proposed test method for all other 

low volume ceiling fans; (2) clarify that 

low-volume ceiling fans should be 

tested at low and high speeds; (3) 

eliminate the requirement to use a test 

cylinder; and (4) add a test method for 

power consumption in standby mode. 

In this SNOPR, DOE proposes to: (1) 

Not require testing of a ceiling fan if the 

plane of rotation of the ceiling fan’s 

blades cannot be within 45 degrees of 

horizontal; (2) test high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans based on the 

current DOE ceiling fan test procedure; 

(3) require all ceiling fans with blade 

spans less than or equal to seven feet be 

mounted directly to the real ceiling 

during testing; (4) increase the number 

of speeds at which ceiling fans with 

blade spans greater than seven feet are 

tested, and also clarify the weighting 

associated with each speed in the 

energy efficiency metric; and (5) update 

the test room dimensions for all ceiling 

fans with blade spans greater than seven 

feet. 

DOE estimated the cost to test a lowvolume ceiling fan based on estimates 

from third-party testing facilities of the 

cost to perform the current ENERGY 

STAR test procedure for ceiling fans, 

which is similar to DOE’s proposed test 

procedure, and the changes in cost 

associated with the key differences 

between the two test procedures. DOE’s 

proposed test procedure for low-volume 

ceiling fans differs from the current 

ENERGY STAR test procedure in that it 

(1) requires testing at only two fan 

speeds instead of three, (2) requires 

mounting the ceiling fan to the real 

ceiling, (3) does not require the use of 

a test cylinder, (4) requires less warm up 

time before testing at low speed, (5) 

requires adjusting the height of the air 

velocity sensors, and (6) requires 

standby-mode testing. 

In aggregate, DOE estimates that these 

differences will result in a lower test 

cost for the proposed DOE test 

procedure for low-volume ceiling fans 

when compared to the ENERGY STAR 

test procedure for ceiling fans. Testing 

at only two speeds instead of three 

yields a total test time that is 

approximately 35 minutes shorter than 

the ENERGY STAR test procedure. The 

proposed test procedure would also 

require mounting ceiling fans to the real 

ceiling, which would involve a one-time 

lab cost for a mechanism that allows for 

the adjustment of the height of the air 

velocity sensors to keep the distance 


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31494 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 106 / Wednesday, June 3, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

10 Kantner, C. L. S., S. J. Young, S. M. Donovan, 

and K. Garbesi. Ceiling Fan and Ceiling Fan Light 

Kit Use in the U.S.—Results of a Survey on Amazon 

Mechanical Turk. 2013. Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory: Berkeley, CA. Report No. 

LBNL–6332E. http://www.escholarship.org/uc/

item/3r67c1f9. 

between the bottom of the fan blades 

and the air velocity sensor heads at a 

specified vertical distance (43 inches). 

Based on the materials employed and 

test quotes from third-party labs, DOE 

estimates the one-time cost to construct 

a mechanism to allow for the 

adjustment of the height of the air 

velocity sensors is less than $2000. 

Once the mechanism is constructed, it 

can be used to test all low-volume 

ceiling fans, and therefore would not 

add substantial test cost thereafter. 

DOE’s proposed test procedure, which 

would not require use of a test cylinder, 

also eliminates any potential costs 

associated with purchasing new test 

cylinders. If the test procedure required 

the use of test cylinders, then a new 

cylinder would be necessary to test any 

ceiling fan with a diameter that does not 

correspond to one of the cylinders in a 

test lab’s existing inventory. Based on 

discussions with third-party testing 

facilities, DOE estimates that new test 

cylinders would cost approximately 

$2000–3000 per cylinder. By not using 

a cylinder, these costs will be avoided. 

Not requiring a test cylinder also 

shortens the test time of DOE’s proposed 

test procedure relative to ENERGY 

STAR’s test procedure for all lowvolume ceiling fans, because time is not 

required to put a test cylinder in place 

for each test (estimated to take 15 

minutes). Additionally, DOE’s proposed 

test procedure only requires 15 minutes 

of warm up time before testing at low 

speed compared to 30 minutes in the 

ENERGY STAR test procedure, further 

reducing the relative amount of time 

required for DOE’s proposed test 

procedure by 15 minutes. In total, DOE 

estimates that the typical time to 

perform the proposed test procedure 

will be shorter by 65 minutes compared 

to ENERGY STAR’s test procedure. 

The test procedure NOPR proposed to 

add a requirement for standby-mode 

testing for ceiling fans with standby 

functionality. A study performed by 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

found that 7.4% of low-volume ceiling 

fans have standby capability.10 Using 

the quotes provided by third-party 

testing facilities, DOE estimates that the 

standby test for all ceiling fans with 

standby functionality will cost $200 per 

basic model. 

Based on all of the differences 

between the test procedure proposed 

and the ENERGY STAR test procedure, 

and estimates from third-party testing 

facilities of the labor costs associated 

with these differences, DOE estimates 

that the test procedure proposed for 

standard, hugger and multi-head ceiling 

fans will cost $1500 on average per 

basic model, once the mechanism for 

the adjustment of the height of the air 

velocity sensors is constructed. 

Therefore, DOE estimates that the total 

weighted average test cost for the 

proposed test procedure and standby 

testing for standard, hugger and multihead ceiling fans will be $1515. For 

multi-mount ceiling fans, DOE estimates 

that the test cost will be approximately 

double the cost for standard, hugger and 

multi-head ceiling fans. 

For the approximately 25–35 small 

business manufacturers of low-volume 

ceiling fans that DOE identified, the 

number of basic models produced per 

manufacturer varies significantly from 

one to approximately 80. DOE notes that 

standard, hugger and multi-head ceiling 

fans represent about 95% of basic 

models for low-volume ceiling fans and 

multi-mount ceiling fans represent 

about 5% of basic models for lowvolume ceiling fans. Therefore, based on 

the test cost per ceiling fan basic model, 

the weighted average testing cost in the 

first year would range from 

approximately $1515 to $127,243 for 

small manufacturers of ceiling fans. 

DOE expects this cost to be lower in 

subsequent years because only new or 

redesigned ceiling fan models would 

need to be tested. 

The proposed test method for ceiling 

fans with blade span less than or equal 

to seven feet is also applicable to highvolume small-diameter ceiling fans. The 

key differences between the proposed 

test method for low-volume ceiling fans 

and high-volume small-diameter ceiling 

fans are that high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans require testing at 

only one fan speed instead of two 

speeds. DOE estimates that the test costs 

for high-volume small-diameter fans are 

reduced by $175 per basic model due to 

testing at one speed. Therefore a typical 

test for a single-headed high-volume 

small-diameter ceiling fan would cost 

approximately $1325 per basic model. 

DOE did not find accurate data on the 

percentage of high-volume smalldiameter fans with standby capability, 

though DOE located some high-volume 

small-diameter fans without standby 

capability in web searches. To provide 

a conservative cost estimate, DOE made 

the assumption that all high-volume 

small-diameter fans should be tested for 

standby power. DOE estimates that the 

total test cost for the proposed test 

procedure and standby testing for a 

single-headed high-volume smalldiameter ceiling fans will be $1525. 

For the approximately 10–15 small 

business manufacturers of high-volume 

small-diameter ceiling fans that DOE 

identified, the number of basic models 

produced per manufacturer varies 

significantly from one to approximately 

30. Therefore, based on the test cost per 

ceiling fan basic model, the testing cost 

in the first year would range from 

approximately $1525 to $45,750 for 

small manufacturers of high-volume 

small-diameter ceiling fans. DOE 

expects this cost to be lower in 

subsequent years because only new or 

redesigned ceiling fan models would 

need to be tested. 

DOE estimated the cost to test a highvolume large-diameter ceiling fan based 

on discussions with testing facilities 

capable of performing the AMCA 230 

test procedure as well as cost estimates 

based on the time and labor costs 

necessary to perform the proposed test 

procedure on high-volume largediameter ceiling fans. DOE estimates 

that the one-time cost for a lab to buy 

a load-cell, a fabricated load-cell frame, 

power meter, and one air velocity sensor 

is approximately $4500. DOE estimates 

that the test procedure proposed in this 

SNOPR for high-volume large-diameter 

ceiling fans will cost manufacturers on 

average $7500 per basic model. Hence, 

DOE estimates that the total test cost for 

the proposed test procedure and 

standby testing for a high-volume largediameter ceiling fans will be $7,700. 

For the approximately 5–10 small 

business manufacturers of high-volume 

large-diameter ceiling fans that DOE 

identified, the number of basic models 

produced per manufacturer varies from 

one to 30. Therefore, based on the test 

cost per ceiling fan basic model, the 

testing cost in the first year would range 

from approximately $7700 to $231,000 

for small manufacturers of high-volume 

large-diameter ceiling fans. DOE expects 

this cost to be lower in subsequent years 

because only new or redesigned ceiling 

fan models would need to be tested. 

DOE used company reports from 

Hoovers.com, information from 

manufacturers’ Web sites and feedback 

from manufacturers to estimate the 

revenue for the small business 

manufacturers of low and high-volume 

ceiling fans identified. The median 

revenue of the small business 

manufacturers of low-volume ceiling 

fans is approximately $15M. Relative to 

the median revenue for a small business 

manufacturer, the total testing cost 

ranges from 0.01 percent to 0.85 percent 

of the median revenue. The median 

revenue of the small business 

manufacturers of high-volume smallVerDate Sep<11>2014 17:19 Jun 02, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\03JNP1.SGM 03JNP1

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11 DOE collects fan performance information 

through its Compliance Certification Management 

System (CCMS) on behalf of the Federal Trade 

Commission (FTC); however, that data collection is 

covered under an OMB Control Number issued to 

FTC. 

diameter ceiling fans is approximately 

$11M. Relative to the median revenue 

for a small business manufacturer of 

high-volume ceiling fans, the total 

testing cost ranges from 0.01 percent to 

0.42 percent of the median revenue. The 

median revenue of the small business 

manufacturers of high-volume largediameter ceiling fans is approximately 

$9M. Relative to the median revenue for 

a small business manufacturer of highvolume ceiling fans, the total testing 

cost ranges from 0.09 percent to 2.6 

percent of the median revenue. 

For both low and high-volume ceiling 

fans, DOE does not expect that small 

manufacturers would necessarily have 

fewer basic models than large 

manufacturers, because ceiling fans are 

highly customized throughout the 

industry. A small manufacturer could 

have the same total cost of testing as a 

large manufacturer, but this cost would 

be a higher percentage of a small 

manufacturer’s annual revenues. DOE 

requests comments on its analysis of 

burden to small businesses for testing 

ceiling fans according to the proposed 

test procedure. 

(5) Relevant Federal rules which may 

duplicate, overlap or conflict with the 

proposed rule. 

DOE is not aware of any other Federal 

rules that would duplicate, overlap or 

conflict with the rule being proposed. 

(6) Description of any significant 

alternatives to the proposed rule. 

DOE considered a number of industry 

and governmental test procedures that 

measure the efficiency of ceiling fans to 

develop the proposed test procedure in 

this rulemaking. There appear to be two 

common approaches to testing ceiling 

fans: An approach based on using air 

velocity sensors to calculate airflow, 

such as the current DOE test procedure 

for ceiling fans, ENERGY STAR’s test 

procedure, and CAN/CSA–C814–10, 

and an approach based on using a load 

cell to measure thrust, such as AMCA 

230. 

In principle, either approach could be 

used to measure the airflow efficiency of 

all ceiling fans, but maintaining 

consistency with industry practice 

would minimize test burden for all 

ceiling fan manufacturers. Though a 

load-cell based approach appears to be 

a potentially simpler method of 

estimating airflow efficiency, in 

industry, low-volume ceiling fans have 

historically been tested according to the 

air-velocity sensor based approach. 

High-volume large-diameter ceiling 

fans, on the other hand, have 

historically been tested according to the 

load-cell based approach. It also appears 

to be cost-prohibitive to scale up the airvelocity sensor based approach to the 

high-volume large-diameter ceiling fans 

currently on the market given the 

number of sensors that would be 

required to cover ceiling fans 24 feet in 

diameter and the cost of constructing an 

appropriate rotating sensor arm. 

DOE seeks comment and information 

on any alternative test methods that, 

consistent with EPCA requirements, 

would reduce the economic impact of 

the rule on small entities. DOE will 

consider the feasibility of such 

alternatives and determine whether they 

should be incorporated into the final 

rule. 

C. Review Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 

All collections of information from 

the public by a Federal agency must 

receive prior approval from OMB. DOE 

has established regulations for the 

certification and recordkeeping 

requirements for covered consumer 

products and industrial equipment. 10 

CFR part 429, subpart B. Currently, the 

certification requirement for ceiling fans 

only addresses design standards.11 In an 

application to renew the OMB 

information collection approval for 

DOE’s certification and recordkeeping 

requirements, DOE included an 

estimated burden for manufacturers of 

ceiling fans in case DOE ultimately 

issues a coverage determination and sets 

energy conservation standards for these 

products. OMB has approved the 

revised information collection for DOE’s 

certification and recordkeeping 

requirements. 80 FR 5099 (January 30, 

2015). DOE estimated that it will take 

each respondent approximately 30 

hours total per company per year to 

comply with the certification and 

recordkeeping requirements based on 20 

hours of technician/technical work and 

10 hours clerical work to actually 

submit the Compliance and Certification 

Management System (CCMS) templates. 

This rulemaking would include 

recordkeeping requirements on 

manufacturers that are associated with 

executing and maintaining the test data 

for these products. DOE notes that the 

certification requirements would be 

established in a final rule establishing 

energy conservation standards for 

ceiling fans. DOE recognizes that 

recordkeeping burden may vary 

substantially based on company 

preferences and practices. DOE requests 

comment on this burden estimate. 

D. Review Under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

In this proposed rule, DOE proposes 

test procedure amendments that it 

expects will be used to develop and 

implement future energy conservation 

standards for ceiling fans. 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 

Executive Order 13132, ‘‘Federalism,’’ 

64 FR 43255 (Aug. 10, 1999), imposes 

certain requirements on Federal 

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 (Mar. 14, 

2000)). DOE has examined this 

proposed rule and has tentatively 

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 this 

proposed rule. States can petition DOE 


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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 simplification 

and burden reduction. Regarding the 

review required by section 3(a), 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 tentatively 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. Public Law 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 plan for giving notice 

and opportunity for timely input to 

potentially affected small governments 

before establishing any requirements 

that might significantly or uniquely 

affect them. On March 18, 1997, DOE 

published a statement of policy on its 

process for intergovernmental 

consultation under UMRA. (62 FR 

12820 (Mar. 18, 1997)). (This policy is 

also available at http://energy.gov/gc/

office-general-counsel.) DOE examined 

this proposed rule according to UMRA 

and its statement of policy and has 

tentatively determined that the rule 

contains neither an intergovernmental 

mandate, nor a mandate that may result 

in the expenditure by State, local, and 

Tribal governments, in the aggregate, or 

by the private sector, of $100 million or 

more in any year. Accordingly, no 

further assessment or analysis is 

required under UMRA. 

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 

Pursuant to Executive Order 12630, 

‘‘Governmental Actions and Interference 

with Constitutionally Protected Property 

Rights,’’ 53 FR 8859 (Mar. 18, 1988), 

DOE has determined that this proposed 

regulation would not result in any 

takings that might require compensation 

under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. 

Constitution. 

J. Review Under Treasury and General 

Government Appropriations Act, 2001 

Section 515 of the Treasury and 

General Government Appropriations 

Act, 2001 (44 U.S.C. 3516 note) provides 

for Federal agencies to review most 

disseminations of information to the 

public under information quality 

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 this 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 OIRA at 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 

promulgates 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. 

This regulatory action to amend the 

test procedure for measuring the energy 

efficiency of ceiling fans is not a 

significant regulatory action under 

Executive Order 12866 or any successor 

order. 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 

for this rulemaking. 

L. Review Under Section 32 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 

1974 

Under section 301 of the Department 

of Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. 95– 

91; 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), DOE must 

comply with all laws applicable to the 

former Federal Energy Administration, 

including section 32 of the Federal 

Energy Administration Act of 1974 

(Pub. L. 93–275), as amended by the 

Federal Energy Administration 

Authorization Act of 1977 (Pub. L. 95– 

70). (15 U.S.C. 788; FEAA) Section 32 

essentially provides in relevant part 

that, where a proposed rule authorizes 

or requires use of commercial standards, 

the notice of proposed rulemaking must 


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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 FTC concerning the 

impact of the commercial or industry 

standards on competition. 

This proposed rule would incorporate 

testing methods contained in the 

following commercial standard: ANSI/

AMCA Standard 230–12, ‘‘Laboratory 

Methods of Testing Air Circulating Fans 

for Rating and Certification.’’ The 

Department 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., that 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 concerning the 

impact on competition of requiring 

manufacturers to use the test methods 

contained in this standard prior to 

prescribing a final rule. 

M. Description of Material Incorporated 

by Reference 

In this SNOPR, DOE proposes to 

incorporate by reference the test 

standard published by ANSI/AMCA, 

titled ‘‘Air Movement and Control 

Association Laboratory Methods of 

Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating 

and Certification,’’ ANSI/AMCA 230– 

12. ANSI/AMCA 230–12 is an industry 

accepted test standard that specifies test 

methods for ceiling fans with blade 

spans less than six feet (and other air 

circulating fans) and is applicable to 

products sold in North America. The 

test procedures proposed in this SNOPR 

reference ANSI/AMCA 230–12 for the 

test apparatus and instructions for 

testing ceiling fans, as specified in 

Section 3 (‘‘Units of Measurement’’), 

Section 4 (‘‘Symbols and Subscripts’’), 

Section 5 (‘‘Definitions’’), Section 6 

(‘‘Instruments and Methods of 

Measurement’’), and Section 7 

(‘‘Equipment and Setups’’) of ANSI/

AMCA 230–12. ANSI/AMCA 230–12 is 

readily available on AMCA’s Web site at 

http://www.amca.org/store/. 

DOE also proposes to incorporate by 

reference the test standard published by 

IEC, titled ‘‘Household electrical 

appliances—Measurement of standby 

power,’’ IEC 62301 (Edition 2.0). IEC 

62301 is an industry accepted test 

standard that specifies methods for 

measuring the standby mode power of 

electrical products and is applicable to 

products sold in North America. The 

test procedures proposed in this SNOPR 

reference sections of IEC 62301 that 

address test conditions and procedures 

for measuring the standby mode power 

of ceiling fans capable of standby mode 

operation. IEC 62301 is readily available 

on IEC’s Web site at http://

webstore.iec.ch/. 

V. Public Participation 

A. Submission of Comments 

DOE will accept comments, data, and 

information regarding this proposed 

rule 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 SNOPR. 

Submitting comments via 

regulations.gov. The regulations.gov 

Web page will require you to provide 

your name and contact information. 

Your contact information will be 

viewable to DOE Building Technologies 

staff only. Your contact information will 

not be publicly viewable except for your 

first and last names, organization name 

(if any), and submitter 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. 

Persons viewing comments will see only 

first and last names, organization 

names, correspondence containing 

comments, and any documents 

submitted with the comments. 

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 

Web site will waive any CBI claims for 

the information submitted. For 

information on submitting CBI, see the 

Confidential Business Information 

section. 

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. 

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 

written in English, free of any defects or 

viruses, and not secured. 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. 

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 


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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). 

B. 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 concerning the following issues: 

1. Instead of specifically defining ‘‘air 

circulator’’ and exempting air 

circulators from the test procedure, DOE 

proposes to not subject a ceiling fan to 

the test procedure if the plane of 

rotation of the ceiling fan’s blades 

cannot be within 45 degrees of 

horizontal. DOE requests comment on 

this approach. 

2. DOE seeks comment on its proposal 

to test high-volume small-diameter 

ceiling fans based on the low-volume 

ceiling fans test procedures proposed in 

the NOPR, with the distinction that 

high-volume small-diameter ceiling fans 

would be tested at only high speed. 

3. DOE seeks comment and any 

available data on average daily hours of 

use, fan speeds utilized, and fraction of 

time spent at each speed for highvolume small-diameter ceiling fans. 

4. DOE seeks comment on the 

percentage of high-volume small 

diameter ceiling fans that come with 

standby capability. 

5. DOE seeks comment on its proposal 

to mount all ceiling fans with blade 

spans less than or equal to seven feet to 

the real ceiling during testing. 

6. DOE seeks comment on its proposal 

to test all ceiling fans with blade spans 

greater than seven feet at five equallyspaced speeds, specifically 20%, 40%, 

60%, 80% and 100% of maximum 

speed achievable. DOE also specifically 

seeks information on whether there are 

any ceiling fans with blade spans greater 

than seven feet for which the proposed 

test procedure in this SNOPR could not 

be applied (i.e., any ceiling fans larger 

than seven feet in diameter that could 

not achieve the five speeds specified). 

7. DOE seeks comment on the 

proposed daily hours of use for ceiling 

fans larger than seven feet in diameter. 

8. DOE seeks comment on its proposal 

to harmonize the test room dimensions 

for testing high-volume large-diameter 

ceiling fans with the dimensions 

expected to be set forth in an updated 

version of AMCA 230. 

VI. Approval of the Office of the 

Secretary 

The Secretary of Energy has approved 

publication of this proposed rule. 

List of Subjects 

10 CFR Part 429 

Confidential business information, 

Energy conservation, Household 

appliances, Imports, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements. 

10 CFR Part 430 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Confidential business 

information, Energy conservation, 

Household appliances, Imports, 

Incorporation by reference, 

Intergovernmental relations, Small 

businesses. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on May 26, 

2015. 

Kathleen B. Hogan, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy 

Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy. 

For the reasons stated in the 

preamble, DOE proposes to amend parts 

429 and 430 of Chapter II, Subchapter 

D of Title 10, 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 429.32 is amended by 

revising paragraph (a) to read as follows: 

§ 429.32 Ceiling fans. 

(a) Determination of represented 

value. Manufacturers must determine 

the represented value, which includes 

the certified rating, for each basic model 

of ceiling fan by testing, in conjuction 

with the following sampling provisions: 

(1) The requirements of § 429.11 are 

applicable to ceiling fans; and 

(2) For each basic model of ceiling fan 

selected for testing, a sample of 

sufficient size shall be randomly 

selected and tested to ensure that— 

(i) Any represented value of the 

efficiency or airflow shall be less than 

or equal to the lower of: 

(A) The mean of the sample, where: 

And x ̄ is the sample mean; n is the 

number of samples; and xi is the ith

sample; or 

(B) The lower 90 percent confidence 

limit (LCL) of the true mean divided by 

0.9, where: 

And x ̄ is the sample mean; s is the 

sample standard deviation; n is the 

number of samples; and t0.90 is the 

t statistic for a 90% one-tailed 

confidence interval with n-1 

degrees of freedom (from Appendix 

A to this subpart); and 


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(ii) Any represented value of the 

wattage shall be greater than or equal to 

the higher of: 

(A) The mean of the sample, where: 

And x ̄ is the sample mean; n is the 

number of samples; and xi is the ith

sample; or 

(B) The upper 95 percent confidence 

limit (UCL) of the true mean divided by 

1.1, where: 

And x ̄ is the sample mean; s is the 

sample standard deviation; n is the 

number of samples; and t0.95 is the 

t statistic for a 95% one-tailed 

confidence interval with n-1 

degrees of freedom (from Appendix 

A to this subpart). 

* * * * * 

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. 

■ 4. Section 430.2 is amended by adding 

the definitions for ‘‘High-volume ceiling 

fan,’’ ‘‘Hugger ceiling fan,’’ ‘‘Lowvolume ceiling fan,’’ ‘‘Multi-mount 

ceiling fan,’’ and ‘‘Standard ceiling fan’’ 

in alphabetical order to read as follows: 

§ 430.2 Definitions. 

* * * * * 

High-volume ceiling fan means a 

ceiling fan that: 

(1) Is greater than 7 feet in diameter; 

or 

(2) Has a blade thickness of less than 

3.2 mm at the edge or a maximum tip 

speed that exceeds the threshold in the 

table in the definition of low-volume 

ceiling fan in this section and has a 

maximum airflow volume greater than 

5,000 CFM. 

* * * * * 

Hugger ceiling fan means a ceiling fan 

where the lowest point on the fan blades 

is no more than ten inches from the 

ceiling. 

* * * * * 

Low-volume ceiling fan means a 

ceiling fan that: 

(1) Is less than or equal to 7 feet in 

diameter; and 

(2) Has a blade thickness greater than 

or equal to 3.2 mm at the edge and a 

maximum tip speed less than or equal 

to the limit in the table in this 

definition, or has a maximum airflow 

volume less than or equal to 5,000 CFM. 

LOW-VOLUME CEILING FANS, 7 FEET OR LESS IN DIAMETER

Airflow direction 

Thickness (t) of edges of blades Maximum speed at tip of blades 

mm inch m/s feet per minute 

Downward-only .............................................................................. 4.8 > t ≥ 3.2 ...... 3/16 > t ≥ 1/8 .... 16.3 3,200 

Downward-only .............................................................................. t ≥ 4.8 ............... t ≥ 3/16 ............. 20.3 4,000 

Reversible ...................................................................................... 4.8 > t ≥ 3.2 ...... 3/16 > t ≥ 1/8 .... 12.2 2,400 

Reversible ...................................................................................... t ≥ 4.8 ............... t ≥ 3/16 ............. 16.3 3,200 

* * * * * 

Multi-mount ceiling fan means a 

ceiling fan that can be mounted in both 

the standard and hugger ceiling fan 

configurations. 

* * * * * 

Standard ceiling fan means a ceiling 

fan where the lowest point on the fan 

blades is more than ten inches from the 

ceiling. 

* * * * * 

■ 5. Section 430.3 is amended by: 

■ a. Adding paragraph (d)(20); and 

■ b. Removing in paragraph (p)(4), ‘‘and 

X to subpart B’’ and adding in its place, 

‘‘U, and X to subpart B of this part’’. 

The addition reads as follows: 

§ 430.3 Materials incorporated by 

reference. 

* * * * * 

(d) * * * 

(20) ANSI/AMCA 230–12 (‘‘AMCA 

230’’), Air Movement and Control 

Association Laboratory Methods of 

Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating 

and Certification, approved February 22, 

2012, IBR approved for appendix U to 

subpart B of this part. 

* * * * * 

■ 6. Section 430.23 is amended by 

revising paragraph (w) to read as 

follows: 

§ 430.23 Test procedures for the 

measurement of energy and water 

consumption. 

* * * * * 

(w) Ceiling fans. The efficiency of a 

ceiling fan, expressed in cubic feet per 

minute per watt (CFM/watt), shall be 

measured in accordance with sections 

2.3, 2.5, 2.6 and 3 of appendix U to this 

subpart. 

* * * * * 

■ 7. Appendix U to subpart B of part 

430 is revised to read as follows: 


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Appendix U to Subpart B of Part 430— 

Uniform Test Method for Measuring the 

Energy Consumption of Ceiling Fans 

Prior to [DATE 180 DAYS AFTER 

PUBLICATION OF THE FINAL RULE IN 

THE FEDERAL REGISTER], manufacturers 

must make any representations with respect 

to the energy use or efficiency of ceiling fans, 

except hugger ceiling fans, multi-mount 

ceiling fans in the hugger configuration, and 

high-volume ceiling fans, as defined in 10 

CFR 430.2 in accordance with the results of 

testing pursuant to this appendix or the 

procedures in appendix U as it appeared at 

10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix U, in 

the 10 CFR parts 200 to 499 edition revised 

as of January 1, 2015. On or after [DATE 180 

DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION OF 

THE FINAL RULE], manufacturers of ceiling 

fans must make any representations with 

respect to energy use or efficiency in 

accordance with the results of testing 

pursuant to this appendix. 

1. Definitions: 

1.1. Airflow means the rate of air 

movement at a specific fan-speed setting 

expressed in cubic feet per minute (CFM). 

1.2. Ceiling fan efficiency means the ratio 

of the total airflow to the total power 

consumption, in units of cubic feet per 

minute per watt (CFM/W). 

1.3. High speed means the highest 

available ceiling fan speed. 

1.4. 20% speed means the ceiling fan speed 

at which the blade revolutions per minute 

(RPM) are measured to be 20% of the blade 

RPM measured at high speed. 

1.5. 40% speed means the ceiling fan speed 

at which the blade RPM are measured to be 

40% of the blade RPM measured at high 

speed. 

1.6. 60% speed means the ceiling fan speed 

at which the blade RPM are measured to be 

60% of the blade RPM measured at high 

speed. 

1.7. 80% speed means the ceiling fan speed 

at which the blade RPM are measured to 

be80% of the blade RPM measured at high 

speed. 

1.8. Low speed means the lowest available 

ceiling fan speed. 

1.9. Multi-head ceiling fan means a ceiling 

fan with more than one fan head, i.e., more 

than one set of rotating fan blades. 

1.10. Total airflow means the sum of the 

product of airflow and hours of operation at 

all tested speeds. 

2. General Instructions, Test Apparatus, 

and Test Measurement: 

General instructions apply to 

characterizing the energy performance of 

both low-volume and high-volume ceiling 

fans. The test apparatus and test 

measurement used to characterize energy 

performance depend on the ceiling fan’s 

blade span and, if the blade span is less than 

or equal to seven feet, whether the ceiling fan 

is low-volume or high-volume. If the plane of 

rotation of a ceiling fan’s blades is not less 

than or equal to 45 degrees from horizontal, 

or cannot be adjusted based on the 

manufacturer’s specifications to be less than 

or equal to 45 degrees from horizontal, the 

ceiling fan is not subject to these test 

procedures. 

2.1. General instructions 

Record measurements at the resolution of 

the test instrumentation. Round off 

calculations to the same number of 

significant digits as the previous step. Round 

the final ceiling fan efficiency value to the 

nearest whole number as follows: 

2.1.1. A fractional number at or above the 

midpoint between the two consecutive whole 

numbers shall be rounded up to the higher 

of the two whole numbers; or 

2.1.2. A fractional number below the 

midpoint between the two consecutive whole 

numbers shall be rounded down to the lower 

of the two whole numbers. 

For multi-head ceiling fans, the effective 

blade span is the blade span of an individual 

fan head, if all fan heads are the same size. 

If the fan heads are of varying sizes, the 

effective blade span is the blade span of the 

largest fan head. 

2.2. Test apparatus for ceiling fans with a 

blade span less than or equal to seven feet: 

All instruments are to have tolerances 

within ±1% of reading, except for the air 

velocity sensors, which should have 

tolerances within ±5% of reading. Equipment 

is to be calibrated at least once a year to 

compensate for variation over time. 

2.2.1. Air Delivery Room Requirements 

The air delivery room dimensions are to be 

20 ±0.75 ft. × 20 ±0.75 ft. with an 11 ±0.75 

ft. high ceiling. The control room shall be 

constructed external to the air delivery room. 

The ceiling shall be constructed of sheet 

rock or stainless plate. The walls shall be of 

adequate thickness to maintain the specified 

temperature and humidity during the test. 

The paint used on the walls, as well as the 

wall material, must be of a type that 

minimizes absorption of humidity and that 

keeps the temperature of the room constant 

during the test (e.g., oil-based paint). 

The room shall have no ventilation other 

than an air conditioning and return system 

used to control the temperature and humidity 

of the room. The construction of the room 

must ensure consistent air circulation 

patterns within the room. Vents must have 

electronically-operated damper doors 

controllable from a switch outside of the 

testing room. 

2.2.2. Equipment Set-Up 

Hang the ceiling fan to be tested directly 

from the ceiling, according to the 

manufacturer’s installation instructions. All 

standard and hugger ceiling fans shall be 

hung in the fan configuration that minimizes 

the distance between the ceiling and the fan 

blades. Multi-mount fans shall be hung and 

tested in two configurations: In the 

configuration that meets the definition of a 

standard ceiling fan, while minimizing the 

distance the ceiling and the lowest part of the 

fan blades; and in the configuration that 

meets the definition of a hugger ceiling fan, 

while minimizing the distance between the 

ceiling and the lowest part of the fan blades. 

With the ceiling fan installed, adjust the 

height of the air velocity sensors to ensure 

the vertical distance between the lowest 

point on the ceiling fan blades and the air 

velocity sensors is 43 inches. 

Either a rotating sensor arm or four fixed 

sensor arms can be used to take airflow 

measurements along four axes, labeled A–D. 

Axes A, B, C, and D are at 0, 90, 180, and 

270 degree positions. Axes A–D can be 

designated either by using the four walls or 

four corners of the room. See Figure 1 of this 

appendix. 


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The amount of exposed wiring must be 

minimized. All sensor lead wires must be 

stored under the floor, if possible. 

The sensors shall be placed at exactly 

4-inch intervals along a sensor arm, starting 

with the first sensor at the point where the 

four axes intersect. Do not touch the actual 

sensor prior to testing. Enough sensors shall 

be used to record air delivery within a circle 

8 inches larger in diameter than the blade 

span of the ceiling fan being tested. A proper 

experimental set-up is shown in Figure 2 of 

this appendix. 


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31502 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 106 / Wednesday, June 3, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

Table 1 of this appendix shows the 

appropriate number of sensors needed per 

each of four axes (including the first sensor 

at the intersection of the axes) for each fan 

size. 

TABLE 1 TO APPENDIX U TO SUBPART

B OF PART 430: SENSOR SELECTION GUIDE

Fan blade span * 

(inches) 

Number of 

sensors 

36 .............................................. 6 

42 .............................................. 7 

44 .............................................. 7 

48 .............................................. 7 

52 .............................................. 8 

54 .............................................. 8 

56 .............................................. 8 

60 .............................................. 9 

72 .............................................. 10 

* The fan sizes listed are intended simply to 

be illustrative and do not restrict which ceiling 

fan sizes can be tested. 

An RPM (revolutions per minute) meter, or 

tachometer, should be installed so that the 

RPM of the ceiling fan blades can be 

measured during testing. 

Use an RMS sensor capable of measuring 

power with an accuracy of ±1% to measure 

ceiling fan power consumption. Prior to 

testing, the test laboratory must verify the 

performance of the sensor and sensor 

software to be used during the test. 

2.2.3. Multi-Head Ceiling Fan Test Set-Up 

Multi-headed ceiling fans are to be hung 

from the ceiling such that one of the ceiling 

fan heads is directly over sensor 1 (i.e., at the 

intersection of axes A, B, C, and D). The 

distance between the lowest point on the fan 

blades of the centered fan head and the air 

velocity sensors is to be such that it is the 

same as for all other low-volume ceiling fans 

(see Figure 2 of this appendix). Switching on 

only the centered fan head, the airflow 

measurements are to be made in the same 

manner as for all other ceiling fans with 

blade spans less than or equal to seven feet. 

The power consumption measurements are to 

be made separately, with all fan heads on. 

2.2.4. Test Set-Up for Ceiling Fans with 

Airflow Not Directly Downward 

For ceiling fans where the airflow is not 

directly downward, the ceiling fan head is to 

be adjusted such that the airflow is as vertical 

as possible prior to testing. The distance 

between the lowest point on the blades and 

the air velocity sensors should be the same 

as for all other low-volume ceiling fans (43 

inches). For ceiling fans where a fully 

vertical orientation of airflow cannot be 

achieved, the ceiling fan is to be oriented 

such that any remaining tilt is aligned along 

one of the four sensor axes. Instead of 

measuring the air velocity for only those 

sensors directly beneath the ceiling fan, the 

air velocity is to be measured at all sensors 

along that axis, as well as the axis oriented 

180 degrees with respect to that axis. For 

example, if the tilt is oriented along axis A, 

air velocity measurements are to be taken for 

all sensors along the A–C axis. No 

measurements would need to be taken along 

the B–D axis in this case. 

2.3. Active mode test measurement for 

ceiling fans with blade spans less than or 

equal to seven feet. 

2.3.1. Test conditions to be followed when 

testing: 

• The temperature and humidity setting 

shall be 76 degrees ±2 degrees Fahrenheit 

and 50% ±5% relative humidity. These shall 

be held constant during the entire test 

process. 

• Allow the sensors to be turned on and 

the fan to run for 15 minutes at each fan 

speed/setting before taking readings. 

• If present, the ceiling fan light fixture is 

to be installed but turned off during testing. 

• If present, any heater is to be installed 

but turned off during testing. 

• The tests shall be conducted with the fan 

connected to a supply circuit with a voltage 

of (a) 120 V for fans rated on the nameplate 

from 105 to 125 V; and (b) 240 V for fans 

rated on the nameplate from 208 to 250 V. 

The test voltage shall not vary by more than 

±1% during the tests. 

• The test shall be conducted with the fan 

connected to a supply circuit at the rated 

frequency. 

• Air conditioning vents shall be closed 

during testing. 

2.3.2. Airflow and Power Consumption 

Testing Procedure: 

Measure the airflow (CFM) and power 

consumption (watt) for low-volume ceiling 

fans at high and low speed. For high-volume 

ceiling fans with blade spans less than or 

equal to seven feet, measure the airflow and 

power consumption only at high speed. 

Step 1: Make sure the transformer power is 

off. Hang fan and connect wires as directed 

by manufacturer’s wiring instructions. Note: 

Assemble fan prior to the test; lab personnel 

must follow the instructions provided by the 

fan manufacturer. The fan blade assembly 

shall be balanced in accordance with the 

manufacturer’s instructions to avoid 

excessive vibration of the motor assembly (at 

any speed) during operation. 

Step 2: Adjust the height of the air-velocity 

sensors such that the lowest point on the fan 

blades is 43 inches above the height of the 

sensor heads. 

Step 3: Set the first sensor arm (if using 

four fixed arms) or single sensor arm (if using 

a single rotating arm) to the 0 degree Position 

(Axis A). If necessary, use marking as 

reference. If using a single rotating arm, 

adjust the sensor arm alignment until it is at 

the 0 degree position by remotely controlling 

the antenna rotator. 

Step 4: Set software up to read and record 

air velocity, expressed in feet per minute 

(FPM) in 1 second intervals. (Temperature 

does not need to be recorded in 1 second 

intervals.) Record current barometric 

pressure. 

Step 5: Allow test fan to run 15 minutes 

at rated voltage and at high speed. Turn off 

all environmental conditioning equipment 

entering the chamber (e.g., air conditioning), 

close all doors and vents, and wait an 

additional 3 minutes prior to starting test 

session. 

Step 6: Begin recording readings. Take 100 

readings (100 seconds run-time) and save 

these data. 

Step 7: Similarly, take 100 readings (100 

seconds run-time) for Axes B, C, and D; save 

these data as well. If using four fixed sensor 

arms, the readings for all sensor arms should 

be taken simultaneously. 

Step 8: Repeat steps 3 through 7 above on 

low fan speed for low-volume ceiling fans. 

Note: Ensure that temperature and humidity 

readings are held within the required 

tolerances for the duration of the test (all 

tested speeds). It may be helpful to turn on 

environmental conditioning equipment 

between test sessions to ready the room for 

the following speed test. 

Step 9: If testing a multi-mount ceiling fan, 

repeat steps 1 through 8 with the ceiling fan 

hung in the configuration (either hugger or 

standard) not already tested. 

If a multi-head ceiling fan includes more 

than one type of ceiling fan head, then test 

at least one of each unique type. A fan head 

with different construction that could affect 

air movement or power consumption, such as 

housing, blade pitch, or motor, would 

constitute a different type of fan head. 

Measure power input at a point that 

includes all power-consuming components of 

the ceiling fan (but without any attached 

light kit or heater energized). Measure power 

continuously at the rated voltage that 

represents normal operation over the time 

period for which the airflow test is 

conducted for each speed, and record the 

average value of the power measurement at 

that speed in watts (W). 

Measure ceiling fan power consumption 

simultaneously with the airflow test, except 

for multi-head ceiling fans. For multi-head 

ceiling fans, measure power consumption at 

each speed continuously for 100 seconds 

with all fan heads turned on, and record the 

average value at each speed in watts (W). 

2.4. Test apparatus for ceiling fans with 

blade spans greater than seven feet: 

The test apparatus and instructions for 

testing ceiling fans with blade spans greater 

than seven feet shall conform to the 

requirements specified in Section 3 (‘‘Units 

of Measurement’’), Section 4 (‘‘Symbols and 

Subscripts’’), Section 5 (‘‘Definitions’’), 

Section 6 (‘‘Instruments and Methods of 

Measurement’’), and Section 7 (‘‘Equipment 

and Setups’’) of the Air Movement and 

Control Association (AMCA) International’s 

‘‘AMCA 230: Laboratory Methods of Testing 

Air Circulating Fans for Rating and 

Certification,’’ February 22, 2012 

(incorporated by reference, see § 430.3), with 

the following modifications: 

2.4.1. The test procedure is applicable to 

ceiling fans up to 24 feet in diameter. 

2.4.2. A ‘‘ceiling fan’’ is defined as in 

§ 430.2. 

2.4.3. For all ceiling fans, the minimum 

distance between the ceiling and the blades 

of a ceiling fan being tested is 40% of the 

ceiling fan blade span. 

2.4.4. For all ceiling fans, the minimum 

distance between the floor and the blades of 

a ceiling fan being tested is the larger of: 1) 

80% of the ceiling fan blade span, and 2) 15 

feet. 

2.4.5. For all ceiling fans, the minimum 

distance between the centerline of a ceiling 

fan being tested and walls and/or large 

obstructions is 150% of the ceiling fan blade 

span. 


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2.5. Active mode test measurement for 

ceiling fans with blade spans greater than 

seven feet: 

Calculate the airflow (CFM) and measure 

the power consumption (watt) for ceiling fans 

at high speed, 80% speed, 60% speed, 40% 

speed, and 20% speed. When testing at 

speeds other than high speed (i.e., X% speed 

where X is 80. 60, 40, or 20), ensure the 

average measured RPM corresponds to X% ± 

1% of the average RPM at high speed (e.g., 

For testing at 80% speed, the average 

measured RPM should be between 79% and 

81% of the average measured RPM during 

testing at high speed). If the average 

measured RPM falls outside of this tolerance, 

adjust the ceiling fan speed and repeat the 

test. Calculate the airflow and measure the 

power consumption in accordance with the 

test requirements specified in Section 8 

(‘‘Observations and Conduct of Test’’) and 

Section 9 (‘‘Calculations’’) of AMCA 230 

(incorporated by reference, see § 430.3), with 

the following modifications: 

2.5.1. Measure power consumption at a 

point that includes all power-consuming 

components of the ceiling fan (but without 

any attached light kit or heater energized). 

2.5.2. Measure power consumption 

continuously at the rated voltage that 

represents normal operation over the time 

period for which the load differential test is 

conducted. 

2.6. Test measurement for standby power 

consumption 

Standby power consumption must be 

measured for all ceiling fans that offer one or 

more of the following user-oriented or 

protective functions: 

• The ability to facilitate the activation or 

deactivation of other functions (including 

active mode) by remote switch (including 

remote control), internal sensor, or timer. 

• Continuous functions, including 

information or status displays (including 

clocks), or sensor-based functions. 

Standby power consumption must be 

measured after completion of active mode 

testing and after the active mode 

functionality has been switched off (i.e., the 

rotation of the ceiling fan blades is no longer 

energized). The ceiling fan must remain 

connected to the main power supply and be 

in the same configuration as in active mode 

(i.e., any ceiling fan light fixture should still 

be attached). Measure standby power 

consumption according to IEC 62301 

(incorporated by reference, see § 430.3) with 

the following modifications: 

2.6.1. Allow 3 minutes between switching 

off active mode functionality and beginning 

the standby power test. (No additional time 

before measurement is required.) 

2.6.2. Measure power consumption 

continuously for 100 seconds, and record the 

average value of the standby power 

measurement in watts (W). 

3. Calculation of Ceiling Fan Efficiency 

from the Test Results: 

The efficacy of a ceiling fan is the ceiling 

fan efficiency (as defined in section 1 of this 

appendix). Two ceiling fan efficiencies will 

be calculated for low-volume multi-mount 

ceiling fans: One efficiency will correspond 

to the ceiling fan being mounted in the 

hugger configuration, and the other efficiency 

will correspond to the ceiling fan being 

mounted in the standard configuration. 

Using the airflow and power consumption 

measurements from section 2 (high and low 

speed for low-volume ceiling fans, only high 

speed for high-volume ceiling fans with 

blade spans less than or equal to seven feet) 

and section 3 (for all tested settings for 

ceiling fans with blade spans greater than 

seven feet) calculate the efficiency for any 

ceiling fan as follows: 

Where: 

CFMi = airflow at speed i, 

OHi = operating hours at speed i, 

Wi = power consumption at speed i, 

OHSb = operating hours in standby mode, and 

WSb = power consumption in standby mode. 

Table 2 of this appendix specifies the 

daily hours of operation to be used in 

calculating ceiling fan efficiency: 

TABLE 2 TO APPENDIX U TO SUBPART

B OF PART 430: DAILY OPERATING

HOURS FOR CALCULATING CEILING

FAN EFFICIENCY

No 

standby 

With 

standby 

Daily Operating Hours for Low-Volume 

Ceiling Fans 

High Speed ............... 4.2 4.2 

Low Speed ................ 2.2 2.2 

Standby Mode .......... 0.0 17.6 

TABLE 2 TO APPENDIX U TO SUBPART

B OF PART 430: DAILY OPERATING

HOURS FOR CALCULATING CEILING

FAN EFFICIENCY—Continued 

No 

standby 

With 

standby 

Off Mode ................... 17.6 0.0 

Daily Operating Hours for High-Volume 

Ceiling Fans With Blade Spans Less 

Than or Equal to Seven Feet 

High Speed ............... 12.0 12.0 

Standby Mode .......... 0.0 12.0 

Off Mode ................... 12.0 0.0 

Daily Operating Hours for Ceiling Fans 

With Blade Spans Greater Than Seven 

Feet 

High Speed ............... 1.8 1.8 

80% Speed ............... 3.5 3.5 

60% Speed ............... 3.6 3.6 

TABLE 2 TO APPENDIX U TO SUBPART

B OF PART 430: DAILY OPERATING

HOURS FOR CALCULATING CEILING

FAN EFFICIENCY—Continued 

No 

standby 

With 

standby 

40% Speed ............... 2.0 2.0 

20% Speed ............... 4.1 4.1 

Standby Mode .......... 0.0 9.0 

Off Mode ................... 9.0 0.0 

The effective area corresponding to 

each sensor used in the test method for 

ceiling fans with blade spans less than 

or equal to seven feet is to be calculated 

with the following equations: 

For sensor 1, the sensor located 

directly underneath the center of the 

ceiling fan, the effective width of the 

circle is 2 inches, and the effective area 

is: 

For the sensors between sensor 1 and 

the last sensor used in the measurement, 

the effective area has a width of 4 

inches. If a sensor is a distance d, in 

inches, from sensor 1, then the effective 

area is: 


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For the last sensor, the width of the 

effective area depends on the horizontal 

displacement between the last sensor 

and the point on the ceiling fan blades 

furthest radially from the center of the 

fan. The total area included in an 

airflow calculation is the area of a circle 

8 inches larger in diameter than the 

ceiling fan blade span. 

Therefore, for example, for a 42-inch 

ceiling fan, the last sensor is 3 inches 

beyond the end of the ceiling fan blades. 

Because only the area within 4 inches 

of the end of the ceiling fan blades is 

included in the airflow calculation, the 

effective width of the circle 

corresponding to the last sensor would 

be 3 inches. The calculation for the 

effective area corresponding to the last 

sensor would then be: 

For a 46-inch ceiling fan, the effective 

area of the last sensor would have a 

width of 5 inches, and the effective area 

would be: 

3.1.1. Ceiling fan efficiency 

calculations for multi-head ceiling fans 

To determine the airflow at a given 

speed for a multi-head ceiling fan, 

measure the airflow for each fan head. 

Repeat for each fan head. Testing of 

each fan head is not required if the fan 

heads are essentially identical (i.e., do 

not have differences in construction 

such as housing, blade pitch, or motor 

could affect air movement or power 

consumption); instead, the 

measurements for one fan head can be 

used for each essentially identical fan 

head. Sum the measured airflow for 

each fan head included in the ceiling 

fan. The power consumption is the 

measured power consumption with all 

fan heads on. 

Using the airflow and power 

consumption measurements from 

section 2 of this appendix, calculate 

ceiling fan efficiency for a multi-head 

ceiling fan as follows: 

Where: 

CFMi = sum of airflow at a given speed for 

each head, 

OHi = operating hours at a given speed, 

Wi = total power consumption at a given 

speed, 

OHSb = operating hours in standby mode, and 

WSb = power consumption in standby mode. 

3.1.2. Ceiling fan efficiency 

calculations for ceiling fans with airflow 

not directly downward 

Using a set of sensors that cover the 

same diameter as if the airflow were 

directly downward, the airflow at each 

speed should be calculated based on the 

continuous set of sensors with the 

largest air velocity measurements. This 

continuous set of sensors should be 

along the axis that the ceiling fan tilt is 

directed in (and along the axis that is 

180 degrees from the first axis). For 

example, a 42-inch fan tilted toward 

axis A may create the pattern of air 

velocity shown in Figure 3 of this 

appendix. As shown in Table 1 of this 

appendix, a 42-inch fan would normally 

require 7 active sensors. However 

because the fan is not directed 

downward, all sensors must record data. 

In this case, because the set of sensors 

corresponding to maximum air velocity 

are centered 3 sensor positions away 

from the sensor 1 along the A axis, 

substitute the air velocity at A axis 

sensor 4 for the average air velocity at 

sensor 1. Take the average of the air 

velocity at A axis sensors 3 and 5 as a 

substitute for the average air velocity at 

sensor 2, take the average of the air 

velocity at A axis sensors 2 and 6 as a 

substitute for the average air velocity at 

sensor 3, etc. Lastly, take the average of 

the air velocities at A axis sensor 10 and 

C axis sensor 4 as a substitute for the 

average air velocity at sensor 7. Any air 

velocity measurements made along the 

B–D axis are not included in the 

calculation of average air velocity. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 106 / Wednesday, June 3, 2015 / Proposed Rules 31505 

[FR Doc. 2015–13169 Filed 6–2–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of Industry and Security 

15 CFR Parts 734, 740, 750, 764, and 

772 

[Docket No. 141016858–5228–01] 

RIN 0694–AG32 

Revisions to Definitions in the Export 

Administration Regulations 

AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and 

Security, Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: This proposed rule is part of 

the Administration’s Export Control 

Reform Initiative. The Initiative will 

enhance U.S. national and economic 

security, facilitate compliance with 

export controls, update the controls, and 

reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens 

on U.S. exporters. As part of this effort, 

this rulemaking proposes revisions to 

the Export Administration Regulations 

(EAR) to include the definitions of 

‘‘technology,’’ ‘‘required,’’ ‘‘peculiarly 

responsible,’’ ‘‘proscribed person,’’ 

‘‘published,’’ results of ‘‘fundamental 

research,’’ ‘‘export,’’ ‘‘reexport,’’ 

‘‘release,’’ ‘‘transfer,’’ and ‘‘transfer (incountry)’’ to enhance clarity and 

consistency with terms also found on 

the International Traffic in Arms 

Regulations (ITAR), which is 

administered by the Department of 

State, Directorate of Defense Trade 

Controls (DDTC). This rulemaking also 

proposes amendments to the Scope part 

of the EAR to update and clarify 

application of controls to electronically 

transmitted and stored technology and 

software. DDTC is concurrently 

publishing comparable proposed 

amendments to the ITAR’s definitions of 

‘‘technical data,’’ ‘‘required,’’ 

‘‘peculiarly responsible,’’ ‘‘public 

domain,’’ results of ‘‘fundamental 

research,’’ ‘‘export,’’ ‘‘reexport,’’ 

‘‘release,’’ and ‘‘retransfer’’ for the same 

reasons. Finally, this rulemaking 

proposes conforming changes to related 

provisions. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

August 3, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted to the Federal rulemaking 

portal (http://www.regulations.gov). The 

regulations.gov ID for this proposed rule 

is: [BIS–2015–0019]. Comments may 

also be submitted via email to 

publiccomments@bis.doc.gov or on 

paper to Regulatory Policy Division, 

Bureau of Industry and Security, Room 

2099B, U.S. Department of Commerce, 

Washington, DC 20230. Please refer to 

RIN 0694–AG32 in all comments and in 

the subject line of email comments. All 

comments (including any personally 

identifying information) will be made 

available for public inspection and 

copying. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hillary Hess, Director, Regulatory Policy 

Division, Office of Exporter Services, 

Bureau of Industry and Security at 202– 

482–2440 or rpd2@bis.doc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

This proposed rule is part of the 

Administration’s Export Control Reform 

(ECR) Initiative. The Initiative will 

enhance U.S. national and economic 

security, facilitate compliance with 

export controls, update the controls, and 

reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens 

on U.S. exporters. As part of this effort, 

this rulemaking proposes revisions to 

the Export Administration Regulations 

(EAR) to include the definitions of 

‘‘technology,’’ ‘‘required,’’ ‘‘peculiarly 

responsible,’’ ‘‘proscribed person,’’ 

‘‘published,’’ results of ‘‘fundamental 

research,’’ ‘‘export,’’ ‘‘reexport,’’ 

‘‘release,’’ ‘‘transfer,’’ and ‘‘transfer (incountry)’’ to enhance clarity and ensure 

consistency with the International 

Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 

which is administered by the 

Department of State, Directorate of 

Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). This 

rulemaking also proposes amendments 

to the Scope part of the EAR to update 

and clarify application of controls to 

electronically transmitted and stored 

technology and software. The DDTC is 

concurrently publishing comparable 

proposed amendments to the ITAR’s 

definitions of ‘‘technical data,’’ 

‘‘required,’’ ‘‘peculiarly responsible,’’ 

‘‘public domain,’’ results of 

‘‘fundamental research,’’ ‘‘export,’’ 

‘‘reexport,’’ ‘‘release,’’ and ‘‘retransfer’’ 

for the same reasons. Finally, this 

rulemaking proposes conforming 

changes to related provisions. 

One aspect of the ECR Initiative 

includes amending the export control 

regulations to facilitate enhanced 

compliance while reducing unnecessary 

regulatory burdens. For similar national 

security, foreign policy, including 

human rights, reasons, the EAR and the 

ITAR each control, inter alia, the export, 

reexport, and in-country transfer of 

commodities, products or articles, 

technology, technical data, software, 

and services to various destinations, end 

users, and end uses. The two sets of 

regulations have been issued pursuant 

to different statutes, have been 

administered by different agencies with 

missions that are distinct from one 

another in certain respects, and have 

covered different items (or articles). For 

those reasons, and because each set of 

regulations has evolved separately over 

decades without much coordination 

between the two agencies regarding 


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