56FR64609

Federal Register / Vol. 56, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 1991 / Notices

Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy

Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products; Application for

Interim Waiver and Petition for Waiver

of Furnace Test Procedures From the

Trane Company (Case No. F-035)

AGENCY: Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Department of

Energy.

SUMMARY: Today's notice publishes a

letter granting an Interim Waiver to The

Trans Company (Trane) from the

existing Department of Energy (DOE)

teat procedures for furnaces regarding

blower time delay for Trane's YC (D,H)

036-060 rooftop furnaces.

Today's notice also publishes a

"Petition for Waiver" from Trane.

Trane's Petition for Waiver requests

DOE to grant relief from the DOE test

procedures relating to the blower time

delay specification. Trane seeks to test

using a blower delay time of 30 seconds

for its YC(D,H) 036-060 rooftop furnaces

instead of the specified 1.5-minute delay

between burner on-time and blower ontime. DOE is soliciting comments, data,

and information respecting the Petition

for Waiver.

DATE: DOE will accept comments, data,

and information not later than January

10,1991.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

statements shall be sent to: Department

of Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Case No. F-035, Mail

Stop CE-90, Room 6B-025, Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW:, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-

3012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department of

Energy, Office of Conservation and

Renewable Energy, Mail Station CE43, Forrestal Building, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9127.

Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department

of Energy, Office of General Counsel,

Mail Station GC-41, Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202)

586-9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The

Energy ConservationProgram for

Consumer Products (other than

automobiles) was established pursuant

64609

to the Energy Policy and Conservation

Act (EPCA), Public Law 94-163, 89 Stat.

917, as amended by the National Energy

Conservation Policy Act (NECPA).

Public Law 95-619. 92 Stat. 3266, the

National Appliance Energy

Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA).

Public law 100-I2, and the National

Appliance Energy Conservation

Amendments of 1988 (NAECA 1988),

Public Law 100-357, which requires DOE

to prescribe standardized test

procedures to measure the energy

consumption of certain consumer

products, including furnaces. The intent

of the test procedures is to provide a

comparable measure of energy

consumption that will assist consumers

in making purchasing decisions. These

test procedures appear at 10 CFR part

430, subpart B.

DOE amended the prescribed test

procedures by adding 10 CFR 430.27 on

September 26,1980, creating the waiver

process. 45 FR 64108. Thereafter DOE

further amended the appliance test

procedure waiver process to allow the

Assistant Secretary for Conservation

and Renewable Energy (Assistant -

Secretary) to grant an Interim Waiver

from test procedure requirements to

manufacturers that have petitioned DOE

for a waiver of such prescribed test

procedures. 51 FR 42823, November 26,

1986.

The waiver process allows the

Assistant Secretary to waive

temporarily test procedures for a

particular basic model when a petitioner

shows that the basic model contains one

or more design characteristics which

prevent testing according to the

prescribed test procedures or when the

prescribed test procedures may evaluate

the basic model in a manner so -

unrepresentative of its true energy

consumption as to provide materially

inaccurate comparative data. Waivers

generally remain in effect until final test

procedure amendments become

effective, resolving the problem that is

the subject of the waiver.

The Interim Waiver provisions, added

by the 1986 amendment, allow the

Assistant Secretary to grant an Interim

Waiver when it is determined that the

applicant will experience economic

hardship if the Application for Interim

Waiver is denied, if it appears likely

that the Petition for Waiver will be

granted, and/or the Assistant Secretary

determines that it would be desirable for

public policy reasons to grant immediate

relief pending a determination on the

Petition for Waiver. An Interim Waiver

remains in effect for a period of 180 days

or until DOE issues its determination on

the Petition for Waiver, whichever is

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56FR64609

64610 Federal Register I Vol. 56, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 1991 / Notices

sooner, and may be extended for an

additional 180 days, if necessary.

On October 11. 1991, Trane filed an

Application for an Interim Waiver

regarding blower time delay. Trane's

Application seeks an Interim Waiver

from the DOE test provisions that

require a 1.5-minute time delay between

the ignition of the burner and starting of

the circulating air blower. Instead,

Trane requests the allowance to test

using a 30-second blower time delay

when testing its YC(D,H) 036-iM

rooftop furnaces. Trane states that the

30-second delay is indicative of how

these furnaces actually operate. Such a

delay results in an energy savings of

approximately 0.7 percent. Since current

DOE test procedures do not address this

variable blower time delay, Trane asks

that the Interim Waiver be granted.

Previous waivers for this type of

timed blower delay control have been

granted by DOE to Coleman Company,

50 FR 2710, January 18, 1985; Magic Chef

Company, 50 FR 41553, October 11, 1985;

Rheem Manufacturing Company, 53 FR

48574, December 1, 1988, 55 FR 3253,

January 31, 1990, and 55 FR 37521,

September 12,1990; Trane Company, 54

FR 19226, May 4, 1989, and 55 FR 41589,

October 12, 1990; Lennox Industries, 54

FR 50525, December 7,1989; DMO

Industries, 55 FR 4004, February 6, 1990;

Heil-Quaker Corporation, 55 FR 13184,

April 9, 1990; Carrier Corporation, 55 FR

13182, April 9, 1990; Inter-City Products

Corporation, 55 FR 31099, July 31, 1990,

and 56 FR 27959, June 18, 1991; Amana

Refrigeration Inc., 56 FR 853, January 9,

1991, and 56 FR 29957, July 1, 1991;

Armstrong Air Conditioning, Inc., 56 FR

10553, March 13, 1991, and 56 FR 34200,

July 26,1991; Snyder General,

Corporation, 56 FR 14511, April 10, 1991;

Goodman Manufacturing Corporation,

56 FR 20421, May 3, 1991; Thermo

Products, Inc., 56 FR 32205, July 15, 1991;

and the Ducane Company, 56 FR 45958,

September 9, 1991. Thus, it appears

likely that the Petition for Waiver will

be granted for blower time delay.

In those instances where the likely

success of the Petition for Waiver has

been demonstrated based upon DOE

having granted a waiver for a similar

product design, it is in the public interest

to have similar products tested and

rated for energy consumption on a

comparable basis.

Therefore, based on the above, DOE is

granting Trane an Interim Waiver for its

YC(D,H) 036-060 rooftop furnaces.

Pursuant to paragraph (e).of section

430.27 of the Code of Federal

Regulations, the following letter granting

the Application for Interim Waiver to

Trane was issued.

Pursuant to paragraph (b) of 10 CFR

430.27, DOE is hereby publishing the

"Petition for Waiver" in its entirety.

December 5,1991

Mr. John Leutert, Engineering Manager.

The Trane Company, Guthrie Highway,

Clarksville, TN37040

Dear Mr. Leutert: This is in response to

your October 11, 1991. Application for Interim

Waiver and Petition for Waiver from the

Department of Energy (DOE) test procedures

for furnaces regarding blower time delay for

The Trans Company (Trane) YC(D,H) 036-060

rooftop furnaces.

Previous waivers for this type of timed

blower delay control have been granted by

DOE to Coleman Company, 50 FR 2710,

January 18,1985; Magic Chef Company, 50 FR

41553, October 11,1985; Rheem

Manufacturing Company 53 FR 48574,

December 1, 1988, 55 FR 3253, January 31,

1990, and 55 FR 37521, September 12,1990;

Trane Company, 54 FR 19226. May 4, 1989.

and 55 FR 41589, October 12,1990; Lennox

Industries, 54 FR 50525, December 7,1989:

DMO Industries, 55 FR 4004, February 6,1990;

Heil-Quaker Corporation, 55 FR 13184, April

9, 1990; Carrier Corporation, 55 FR 13182,

April 9, 1990; Inter-City Products Corporation.

55 FR 31099, July 31,1990, and 56 FR 27959,

June 18,1991: Amana Refrigeration Inc., 56 FR

853, January 9, 1991, and 58 FR 29957, July 1,

1991: Armstrong Air Conditioning, Inc., 58 FR

10553, March 13,1991, and 58 FR 34200, July

26,1991; Snyder General Corporation, 56 FR

14511, April 10, 1991; Goodman

Manufacturing Corporation, 56 FR 20421, May

3, 1991; Thermo Products, Inc., 56 FR 32205,

July 15,1991; and The Ducane Company, 56

FR 45958, September 9, 1991.

Trane's Application for Interim Waiver

does not provide sufficient information to

evaluate what, if any, economic impact or

competitive disadvantage Trane will likely

experience absent a favorable determination

on its application. However, in those

instances where the likely success of the

Petition for Waiver has been demonstrated,

based upon DOE having granted a waiver for

a similar product design, it is in the public

interest to have similar products tested and

rated for energy consumption on a

comparable basis.

Therefore, Trane's Application for an

Interim Waiver from the DOE test procedures

for its YC(D,H) 036-060 rooftop furnaces

regarding blower time delay is granted.

Trane shall be permitted to test its line of

YC(D,H) 036-060 rooftop furnaces on the

basis of the test procedures specified in 10

CFR Part 430, Subpart B, Appendix N, with

the modification set forth below.

(i) Section 3.0 in Appendix N is deleted and

replaced with the following paragraph:

3.0 Test Procedure . Testing and

measurements shall be as specified in section

9 in ANSI/ASHRAE 103-82 with the

exception of sections 9.2.2, 9.3.1, and 9.3.2.

and the inclusion of the following additional

procedures:

(ii) Add a new paragraph 3.10 in appendix

N as follows:

3.10 Gas- and Oil-Fueled Central Furnaces.

After equilibrium conditions are achieved

following the cool-down test and the required

measurements performed , turn on the furnace

and measure the flue gas temperature, using

the thermocouple grid described above, at 0.5

and 2.5 minutes after the main burner(s)

comes on. After the burner start-up , delay the

blower start-up by 1.5 minutes (t-), unless: (1)

the furnace employs a single motor to drive

the power burner and the indoor air

circulation blower, in which case the burner

and blower shall be started together, or (2)

the furnace is designed to operate using an

unvarying delay time that is other than 1.5

minutes, in which case the fan control shall

be permitted to start the blower, or (3) the

delay time results in the activation of a

temperature safety device which shuts off the

burner, in which case the fan control shall be

permitted to start the blower. In the latter

case, if the fan control is adjustable , set it to

start the blower at the highest temperature. If

the fan control is permitted to start the

blower, measure time delay . (t-), using a stop

watch. Record the measured temperatures.

During the heat-up test for oil-fueled

furnaces, maintain the draft in the flue pipe

within to.01 inch of water column of the

manufacturer's recommended on-period

draft.

This Interim Waiver is based upon the

presumed validity of statements and all

allegations submitted by the company. This

Interim Waiver may be revoked or modified

at any time upon a determination that the

factual basis underlying the application is

incorrect.

The Interim Waiver shall remain in effect

for a period of 160 days or until DOE acts on

the Petition for Waiver, whichever is sooner,

and may be extended for an additional 180.

day period, if necessary.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Davis,

Assistant Secretary, Conservation and

Renewable Energy.

October 11, 1M.

Mr. Cyrus Nasseri, Assistant Secretary,

Conservation and Renewable Energy,

Department EN, IOL70Independence A venue,

S.W., Washington, DC 20585.

Dear Mr. Nasseri: On May 7, 1991 Trane

submitted a petition for waiver and interim

waiver for Trane YC(D,H) 036-060 Rooftop

Furnaces. I am requesting that petition be.

disregarded.

Trane is requesting approval for a waiver

and interim waiver to Title 10 CFR Part 430-

27 to allow a 30 second delay in place of the

1.5 minute delay in the furnace test procedure

found in Appendix N to subpart B of part 430.

The 1.5 minute delay in the current test

procedure allows significant energy loss at

startup, thus providing inaccurate

comparative data for the product.

The current test procedures do not give

Trane credit for the energy savings which

averages approximately 0.7% on the AFUE

test results on the Trane YC(D,H) 036-060

Rooftop Furnaces.

Similar waivers for a 30 second delay have

been granted to several other manufacturers.

Confidential supporting test data is

available upon request.

I

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 70
56FR64609

Federal Register / Vol. 58, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 1991 / Notices 64611

Sincerely,

John Leutert,

Engineering Manager.

May 7,1991.

Assistant Secretary, Conservation and

Renewable Energy.

United States Department of Energy,

1000 Independence A venue, S. W

Washington, DC 20585.

Gentleman: This petition for waiver and

interim waiver is submitted pursuant to Title

10 CFR Part 430.27. Waiver is requested from

the furnace test procedure found at Appendix

N to subpart B of part 430.

The test procedure requires a 1.5 minute

delay between burner on and blower on.

Trane is requesting authorization to use a

zero (0) second delay instead of 1.5 minutes.

Trane is manufacturing a series of furnaces

with a fixed control that activates the blower

at the same time the burner comes on. This

series includes the YC (D,H) 036-060 rooftop

furnaces used for residential , commercial and

industrial installations.

Maximum energy efficiency is achieved by

the fixed timing controls in the YC (D,H) 036-

060 series. The current test procedures do not

give Trane credit for the energy saving which

averages approximately 0.9% on the AFUE

test results.

The heat exchanger design on the YC (D,H)

036-060 series is such that the heat-up is

rapid and the 1.5 minute delay in the current

test procedure allows significant energy loss

at startup, thus providing inaccurate

comparative data.

Similar waivers to the timed blower

operation have been granted to several other

manufacturers. All rooftop manufacturers

known to Trane have been notified by letter

of our application.

Confidential supporting test data is

available upon request. -

Sincerely.

John Leutert,

Engineering Manager.

[FR Doc. 91-29617 Filed 12-10-91: &45 am)

BILLING CODE $4504H- M

CAS-RM-79-104 COMMENT 70