CAS-RM-79-114 COMMENT 02

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Thursday 

June 26, 1980 

Part IV 

Department of 

Energy 

Office .of Conservation and Solar Energy 

Test Procedures for Room Air 

Conditioners as Applied to Packaged 

Terminal Air Conditioners 
CAS-RM-79-114 COMMENT 02

43362 Federal Register I Vol. 45, No. 125 I Thursday, June 26,1980 I Rules and Regulations 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of Conservation and Solar 

Energy 

10 CFR Part 430 

Energy·Conservation Program for 

Consumer Products; Test Procedures 

for Room Air Conditioners as Applied 

to Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

amends the general provisions of the 

Department's energy conservation 

program for consumer products by 

changing the definition of "room air 

conditioner" and including a definition 

of "packaged terminal air conditioner." 

The energy conservation program for 

consumer products was established 

pursuant to the Energy Policy and 

Conservation Act. Among other program 

elements; the legislation requires that 

standard methods of testing be 

prescribed for covered products .. These 

amendments are to clarify the scope of 

DOE's room air conditioner test 

procedures. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 28. 1980. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

James A. Smith. U.S. Department of 

Energy. Office of Conservation and 

Solar Energy. Room GH-065. Forrestal 

Building. 1000 Independence Avenue, 

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20545 (202) 

252-9143. 

Eugene Margolis, U.S. Department of 

Energy. Office of General Counsel, 

Forrestal Building. 1000 Independence 

Avenue. S.W., Washington. D.C. 20545 

(202) 252-9510. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background 

On October 1. 1977, the Department of 

Energy (DOE) assumed the authority of 

the Federal Energy Administration 

(FEA) for the energy conservation 

program for consumer products. 

pursuant to section 301 of the 

Department of Energy Organization Act 

(Pub. L. 95-91). The energy conservation 

program for consumer products was 

established by FEA pursuant to Title III. 

Part B of the Energy Policy and 

Conservation Act (Act) (Pub. L. 94-163).1 

Regulations prescribed as part of this 

pro~ram are found at 10 CFR Part 430. 

I Subsequently. the Act was amended by the 

National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) 

(Pub. L. (95-t119j. References in this notice to "the 

Act" or sections of the Act refer to the Energy 

Policy and Conservation Act, as amended by 

NECPA. 

Section 323 (42 U.S.C. 6293) of the Act 

requires that standard methods of 

testing be prescribed for .room air 

conditioners. FEA first proposed test 

procedures for room air conditioners on 

July 22. 1976 (41 FR 31237. July 27. 1976). 

Final test procedures for room air - conditioners were prescribed by FEA 011 

May 24. 1977 (42 FR 27896. June 1. 1977). 

Test procedures appear in Subpart B of 

Part 430 and general proviSions, 

including definitions, appear in Subpart A. 

On November 3, 1978 the Air 

Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute 

submitted a petition for rule making 

requesting DOE to reclassify packaged 

terminal air conditioners in a subclass 

under room air conditioners. On January 

4.1980 (45 FR 2432, January 11, 1980) 

DOE proposed to amend the definition 

of "room air conditioner" in § 430.2 of 

Subpart A, and to add a definition of 

"packaged terminal air conditioner." A 

public hearing was held on February 5, 

1980. at which the proposed changes 

were discussed. 

B. Discussion of Comments 

Comments were received from 

manufacturers, trade associations and 

interested individuals. The major issues 

raised by the comments are discussed' 

below. . 

1. Heat availability. Several 

commenters requested that the 

definition of packaged terminal air 

conditioner encompass a heating mode 

provided by electricity. The proposed 

definition required the packaged 

terminal air conditioner to provide 

heating by steam or hot water supplied 

by a remote boiler. Commenters pointed 

out that packaged terminal air 

conditioners must include various 

means of heating availability, i.e., 

elecfricity. hot water or steam. to be 

specified by the builder to enable the 

builder freedom of choice to specify the 

heating system the builder wishes to 

utilize in the building. Based upon its 

review of the comments. DOE has 

modified the definition of packaged 

terminal air conditioner to include 

heating provided by electricity. 

2. Test voltage. Several commenters 

requested clarification of the 

applicability of the test procedures to 

dual voltage units (200/230 volts) and to 

units designed to operate at voltages 

other than residential voltages (either 

115 or 230 volts). The commenters 

suggested that room air conditioners 

designed to operate at dual voltages 

(208/230) be tested at 230 volts only and: 

those units designed to operate at 

voltages other thim 115 or 230 volts be 

excluded from the program because 

these voltages are not residential 

voltages. In the test procedures for other 

product types, including central air 

conditioners. DOE requires testing at 

normal residential voltage and 

frequency (either 115 or 230 volts and 60 

hertz). DOE agrees with the 

commenter's suggestion that room air 

conditioners be tested at residential 

voltages. Accordingly. the definition of 

"room air conditioner" has been 

changed to make clear that units are to 

be tested as residential voltages. 

3. Built-in units. The Association of 

Home Appliance Manufacturers 

submitted a petition for rulemaking 

requesting DOE to amend the test 

procedures for room air conditioners to 

include a definition of "built-in model" 

of room air conditioner. The commenters 

specifically requested that DOE 

establish a separate category so that the 

Association of Home Appliance 

Manufacturers can petition the Federal 

Trade Commission· (FTC) for exemption 

of built-in room air conditioners from 

the FTC labeling requirements. A 

number of comments supported the 

Association of Home Appliance 

Manufacturers petition that built-in 

models are directed at a specialized 

market which are not seen in retail 

displays. 

One comment stated that precedent 

has been established by DOE for 

multiple classes of a product type where 

only one test procedure has been 

prescribed. The commenter cited the test 

procedure for clothes washers in which 

two categories. standard and compact 

clothes washers. are specified. This 

claim is incorrect. because the clothes 

washer test procedure includes separate 

testing conditions for standard and 

compact washers. These categories 

were established by DOE because test 

loads are necessary for front loading 

'clothes washers in order to get an 

accurate representation of the hot water 

usage of this type of machine. Different 

testing conditions (i.e .• weight of test 

load) were established that recognize 

the different operating characteristics of 

standard and compact units. 

. No comments were received regarding 

whether the present test procedures for 

room air conditioners evaluate built-in 

models in a manner so unrepresentative 

as to provide materially inaccurate 

comparative data. Based upon its review 

of the existing test procedures and the 

industry certification program. DOE 

believes the current test method, 

including testing conditions. test 

measurements, and calculations, 

provides an accurate method of 

measuring efficiency and estimated 

annual operating costs for built-in room 

air conditioners. Therefore. in the 
CAS-RM-79-114 COMMENT 02

Federal Register I Vol. 45, No. 125 I Thursday, June 26, 1980 I Rules and Regulations 

absence of any data for built-in room air 

conditioners that would justify a 

separate test method, including testing 

conditions, test meas~ement and 

calculations, this rule does not include a sep~rate category for built-in room air 

conditioners. 

C. Regulations Prescribed 

1. General Provisions. Prescribed 

today are definitions of "room air . conditioner"-and "packaged terminal air 

conditioner." These defInitions are 

essentially the same as those previously 

proposed in Subpart A {45 FR 2632, 

January 11, 1980}. Comments that were 

received regarding the definition of 

"room air conditioner" and "packaged 

terminal air conditioner" are discussed 

in today's notice. 

Z. Regulatory and Environmental 

Review. In accordance with the 

requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPAl (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), DOE 

evaluated the proposed establishment of 

these test procedures -for consumer 

products to determine if an 

environmental assessment or an 

environmental impact statement was 

required. These test procedures will be 

used only to standardize the 

measurement of energy usage for the 

subject consumer products. The action 

of prescribing the test procedures, by 

itself, will not result in any 

environmental impact. Because it was 

clear that the proposed action was not a 

major Federal action Significantly 

affecting the quality of the human 

environment. DOE determined that 

neither an environmental assessment 

nor an environmental impact statement. 

was required. The potential 

environmental impacts that might occur 

from the application of the test 

procedures in connection with DOE's 

energy efficiency standards program 

will be evaluated by the program. 

This rule has been reviewed in 

accordance with Executive Order 12044 

and DOE Order 2030. It was determined 

that this rule was significant in nature 

but did not have major impacts to 

manufacturers and consumers imposing 

annual economic costs of $100 million or 

more. 

In consideration of the foregoing. Part 

430 of Chapter II of Title 10, Code of 

Federal Regulations, is amended as set 

forth below, effective July 28, 1980. 

Issued in Washington. D.C., June 19. 1980. 

T. E. Stelson. 

Assistant Secretary. Conservation and Solar 

Energy. 

1. Section 430.2 is amended by adding 

the definition of "packaged terminal air 

conditioner". and by revising the 

definition of "room air conditioner" to 

read as follows: 

§ 430.2 Definitions. 

* * * * * 

"Packaged terminal air conditioner" 

means a wall sleeve and a separate 

unencased combination of heating and 

cooling assemblies specified by the 

builder and intended for mounting 

through the wall. It includes a prime 

source of refrigeration. separable 

outdoor louvers. forced ventilation, and 

heating availability by builder's choice 

of hot water, steam or electricity. 

* * * • • 

"Room air conditioner" means a 

consumer product, other than a 

"packaged terminal air conditioner," 

which is powered by a single phase 

electric current and which is an encased 

assembly designed as a unit for 

mounting in a window or through the 

wall for the purpose of providing 

delivery of conditioned air to an 

enclosed space. It includes a prime 

source of refrigeration and may include 

a means for ventilating and heating. 

• • * • * IFR Doc. 80-19326 Filed &-26-80: 8:45 am) 

BlWNG CODE 6450-01-M 

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