Vol. 80 Wednesday, 

No. 37 February 25, 2015 

Part II 

Department of Energy 

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430 

Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Portable Air 

Conditioners; Proposed Rule 

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10212 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

10 CFR Parts 429 and 430 

[Docket No. EERE–2014–BT–TP–0014] 

RIN 1904–AD22 

Energy Conservation Program: Test 

Procedures for Portable Air 

Conditioners 

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) proposes to establish test 

procedures for portable air conditioners 

(ACs) in accordance with the guidance 

and requirements set forth by the Energy 

Policy and Conservation Act to establish 

technologically feasible, economically 

justified energy conservation standards 

for products identified by specific 

criteria to provide national energy 

savings through improved energy 

efficiency. The proposed test procedures 

are based upon industry methods to 

determine energy consumption in active 

modes, off-cycle mode, standby modes, 

and off mode, with certain 

modifications to ensure the test 

procedures are repeatable and 

representative. The proposed test 

procedure would create a new appendix 

CC, which would be used to determine 

capacities and energy efficiency metrics 

that could be the basis for any future 

energy conservation standards for 

portable ACs. DOE also proposes adding 

a sampling plan and rounding 

requirements for portable ACs, 

necessary when certifying capacity and 

efficiency of a basic model. 

DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, 

and information regarding this notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NOPR) before and 

after the public meeting, but no later 

than May 11, 2015. See section V, 

‘‘Public Participation,’’ for details. 

DOE will hold a public meeting on 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015, from 9 

a.m. to 12 p.m., in Washington, DC. The 

meeting will also be broadcast as a 

webinar. See section V, ‘‘Public 

Participation,’’ for webinar registration 

information, participant instructions, 

and information about the capabilities 

available to webinar participants. 

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be 

held at the U.S. Department of Energy, 

Forrestal Building, Room 8E–089, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585. To attend, 

please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at 

(202) 586–2945. See section V Public 

Participation for additional meeting 

information. 

Any comments submitted must 

identify the NOPR for Test Procedures 

for Portable Air Conditioners, and 

provide docket number EERE–2014– 

BT–TP–0014 and/or regulatory 

information number (RIN) number 

1904–AD22. 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: PortableAC2014TP0014@

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, which includes 

Federal Register notices, public meeting 

attendee lists and transcripts, 

comments, and other supporting 

documents/materials, is available for 

review at regulations.gov. All 

documents in the docket are listed in 

the regulations.gov index. However, 

some documents listed in the index, 

such as those containing information 

that is exempt from public disclosure, 

may not be publicly available. 

A link to the docket Web page can be 

found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#

!docketDetail;D=EERE-2014-BT-TP0014. This Web page will contain a link 

to the docket for this notice on the 

regulations.gov site. The regulations.gov 

Web page will contain simple 

instructions on how to access all 

documents, including public comments, 

in the docket. See section VII 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: Mr. 

Bryan Berringer, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of Building Technology 

Programs, Appliance Standards 

Division, 950 L’Enfant Plaza SW. Room 

603, Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: 202–586–0371. Email: 

Bryan.Berringer@ee.doe.gov. 

Ms. Sarah Butler, U.S. Department of 

Energy, Office of the General Counsel, 

Mailstop GC–33, 1000 Independence 

Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. 

Telephone: 202–586–1777; Email: 

Sarah.Butler@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE 

intends to incorporate by reference the 

following industry standards into 10 

CFR part 430: Portable Air Conditioners 

AHAM PAC–1–2014, 2014. 

Copies of AHAM PAC–1–2014 can be 

obtained from the Association of Home 

Appliance Manufacturers, 1111 19th 

Street NW., Suite 402, Washington, DC 

20036, 202–872–5955, or by going to 

http://www.aham.org/ht/d/

ProductDetails/sku/PAC12009/from/

714/pid/. 

Table of Contents 

I. Authority and Background 

A. General Test Procedure Rulemaking 

Process 

B. Test Procedure for Portable Air 

Conditioners 

II. Summary of the Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking 

III. Discussion 

A. Products Covered by the Proposed Test 

Procedure 

B. Determination, Classification, and 

Testing Provisions for Operational 

Modes 

1. Active Modes 

a. Cooling Mode 

b. Heating Mode 

2. Off-Cycle Mode 

3. Standby Mode and Off Mode 

a. Mode Definitions 

b. Determination of Standby Mode and Off 

Mode Power Consumption 

4. Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio 

a. CEER Calculations 

b. Mode Annual Operating Hours 

C. Sampling Plan and Rounding 

Requirements 

D. Compliance With Other Energy Policy 

and Conservation Act Requirements 

1. Test Burden 

2. Potential Incorporation of International 

Electrotechnical Commission Standard 

62087 

IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory Review 

A. Review Under Executive Order 12866 

B. Review under the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act 

C. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 

D. Review Under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

E. Review Under Executive Order 13132 

F. Review Under Executive Order 12988 

G. Review Under the Unfunded Mandates 

Reform Act of 1995 

H. Review Under the Treasury and General 

Government Appropriations Act, 1999 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 10213 

1For editorial reasons, upon codification in the 

U.S. Code, Part B was re-designated Part A. 

2Transparency Media Research, ‘‘Air 

Conditioning Systems Market—Global Scenario, 

Trends, Industry Analysis, Size, Share and Forecast, 

2012–2018,’’ January 2013. 

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 Materials Incorporated 

by Reference 

V. Public Participation 

A. Attendance at Public Meeting 

B. Procedure for Submitting Prepared 

General Statements for Distribution 

C. Conduct of Public Meeting 

D. Submission of Comments 

E. Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment 

VI. Approval of the Office of the Secretary 

I. Authority and Background 

Title III of the Energy Policy and 

Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended 

(42 U.S.C. 6291, et seq.; ‘‘EPCA’’ or, ‘‘the 

Act’’) sets forth various provisions 

designed to improve energy efficiency. 

Part A of title III of EPCA (42 U.S.C. 

6291–6309) establishes the ‘‘Energy 

Conservation Program for Consumer 

Products Other Than Automobiles,’’ 

which covers consumer products and 

certain commercial products 

(hereinafter referred to as ‘‘covered 

products’’).1 EPCA authorizes DOE to 

establish technologically feasible, 

economically justified energy 

conservation standards for covered 

products or equipment that would be 

likely to result in significant national 

energy savings. (42 U.S.C. 

6295(o)(2)(B)(i)(I)–(VII)) In addition to 

specifying a list of covered consumer 

and industrial products, EPCA contains 

provisions that enable the Secretary of 

Energy to classify additional types of 

consumer products as covered products. 

(42 U.S.C. 6292(a)(20)) For a given 

product to be classified as a covered 

product, the Secretary must determine 

that: 

(1) Classifying the product as a 

covered product is necessary for the 

purposes of EPCA; and 

(2) The average annual per-household 

energy use by products of each type is 

likely to exceed 100 kilowatt-hours 

(kWh) per year. (42 U.S.C. 6292(b)(1)) 

To prescribe an energy conservation 

standard pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6295(o) 

and (p) for covered products added 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6292(b)(1), the 

Secretary must also determine that: 

(1) The average household energy use 

of the products has exceeded 150 kWh 

per household for a 12-month period; 

(2) The aggregate 12-month energy use 

of the products has exceeded 4.2 

terawatt-hours (TWh); 

(3) Substantial improvement in energy 

efficiency is technologically feasible; 

and 

(4) Application of a labeling rule 

under 42 U.S.C. 6294 is unlikely to be 

sufficient to induce manufacturers to 

produce, and consumers and other 

persons to purchase, covered products 

of such type (or class) that achieve the 

maximum energy efficiency that is 

technologically feasible and 

economically justified. (42 U.S.C. 

6295(l)(1)) 

Under EPCA, the 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: (1) Certifying to 

DOE that their products comply with 

the applicable energy conservation 

standards adopted under EPCA, and (2) 

making representations about the 

efficiency of those products. Similarly, 

DOE must use these test procedures to 

determine whether the products comply 

with any relevant standards 

promulgated under EPCA. 

A. General Test Procedure Rulemaking 

Process 

Under 42 U.S.C. 6293, EPCA sets forth 

the criteria and procedures DOE must 

follow when prescribing or amending 

test procedures for covered products. 

EPCA provides in relevant part that any 

test procedures prescribed or amended 

under this section shall be reasonably 

designed to produce test results that 

measure energy efficiency, energy use or 

estimated annual operating cost of a 

covered product during a representative 

average use cycle or period of use and 

shall not be unduly burdensome to 

conduct. (42 U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)) 

In addition, if DOE determines that a 

test procedure should be prescribed or 

amended, it must publish proposed test 

procedures and offer the public an 

opportunity to present oral and written 

comments on them. (42 U.S.C. 

6293(b)(2)) 

B. Test Procedure for Portable Air 

Conditioners 

There are currently no DOE test 

procedures or energy conservation 

standards for portable ACs. On July 5, 

2013, DOE issued a notice of proposed 

determination (NOPD) of coverage 

(hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘July 2013 

NOPD’’), in which DOE announced that 

it tentatively determined that portable 

ACs meet the criteria under 42 U.S.C. 

6292(b)(1) to be classified as a covered 

product. 78 FR 40403. DOE estimated 

that 973.7 thousand portable AC units 

were shipped in North America in 2012, 

with a projected growth to 1743.7 

thousand units by 2018, representing 

nearly 80-percent growth in 6 years.2 Id. 

at 40404. In addition, DOE estimated the 

average per-household electricity 

consumption by portable ACs to be 

approximately 650 kWh per year. Id. 

In response to the July 2013 NOPD, 

DOE received comments from interested 

parties on several topics regarding 

appropriate test procedures for portable 

ACs that DOE should consider if it 

issues a final determination classifying 

portable ACs as a covered product. 

On May 9, 2014, DOE published in 

the Federal Register a notice of data 

availability (NODA) (hereinafter referred 

to as the ‘‘May 2014 NODA’’), in which 

it agreed that a DOE test procedure for 

portable ACs would provide consistency 

and clarity for representations of energy 

use of these products. DOE evaluated 

available industry test procedures to 

determine whether such methodologies 

would be suitable for incorporation in a 

future DOE test procedure, should DOE 

determine to classify portable ACs as a 

covered product. DOE conducted testing 

on a range of portable ACs to determine 

typical cooling capacities and cooling 

energy efficiencies based on the existing 

industry test methods and other 

modified approaches for portable ACs. 

79 FR 26639, 26640 (May 9, 2014). 

As discussed above, DOE also 

recently initiated a separate rulemaking 

to consider establishing energy 

conservation standards for portable ACs. 

Any new standards would be based on 

the same efficiency metrics derived 

from the test procedure that DOE would 

adopt in a final rule in this rulemaking. 

II. Summary of the Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking 

In this NOPR, DOE proposes to 

establish in Title 10 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), section 

430.2, the definition of portable AC that 

was initially proposed in the July 2013 

NOPD, modified to distinguish from 

room ACs and dehumidifiers. 

DOE also proposes to establish in 10 

CFR part 430, subpart B, a test 

procedure for single-duct and dual-duct 

portable ACs that would provide an 

accurate representation of performance 

in active modes, standby modes, and off 

mode. Because spot cooler portable ACs 

do not provide net cooling to a 

conditioned space, DOE is not 

proposing test procedures for these 

products in this NOPR. The proposed 

active mode testing methodology would 

utilize the Association of Home 

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3A notation in the form ‘‘California IOUs, NOPD 

No. 5 at pp. 1–2’’ identifies a written comment: (1) 

Made by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San 

Diego Gas and Electric Company, and Southern 

California Edison (‘‘the California IOUs’’); (2) 

recorded in document number 5 that is filed in the 

docket of the rulemaking for determination of 

coverage of portable air conditioners as a covered 

consumer product (Docket No. EERE–2013– BT– 

STD–0033) and available for review at 

www.regulations.gov; and (3) which appears on 

pages 1–2 of document number 5. 

Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) 

portable AC test procedure (AHAM 

PAC–1) to measure cooling capacity and 

cooling energy efficiency ratio (EERcm), 

with additional provisions to account 

for heat transferred to the indoor 

conditioned space from the case, ducts, 

and any infiltration air from 

unconditioned spaces. DOE also 

proposes to clarify for such active mode 

testing (1) test duct configuration; (2) 

instructions for condensate collection; 

(3) control settings for operating mode, 

fan speed, temperature set point, and 

louver oscillation; and (4) unit 

placement within the test chamber. DOE 

proposes to define this operating mode 

as ‘‘cooling mode’’ to distinguish it from 

other active modes, such as ‘‘heating 

mode.’’ 

For those single-duct and dual-duct 

portable ACs that incorporate a heating 

function, DOE proposes additional 

testing methodology for measuring 

energy use in heating mode similar to 

the methodology proposed for the 

measurement of cooling capacity and 

EERcm, except that testing conditions 

would be specified that are 

representative of ambient conditions 

when portable ACs would be used for 

heating purposes. The proposed test 

procedure includes a measure of heating 

capacity and heating energy efficiency 

ratio (EERhm). 

The proposed single-duct and dualduct portable AC test procedure also 

includes a measure of energy use in offcycle mode, which occurs when the 

ambient dry-bulb temperature reaches 

the setpoint. This may include 

operation of the fan either continuously 

or cyclically without activating the 

refrigeration (or heating) system, or 

periods in standby mode when the fan 

is not operating. 

In this NOPR, DOE identifies and 

discusses all relevant low-power modes, 

including bucket-full mode, delay-start 

mode, inactive mode, and off mode. 

DOE also proposes definitions for 

inactive mode and off mode, and 

proposes test procedures to determine 

energy consumption representative of 

each of these low-power modes based 

on the procedures outlined in the 

standard published by the International 

Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), 

titled ‘‘Household electrical 

appliances—Measurement of standby 

power,’’ Publication 62301, Edition 2.0 

(2011–01) (hereinafter referred to as 

‘‘IEC Standard 62301’’). 

In addition, DOE proposes a 

combined energy efficiency ratio (CEER) 

metric to be used in reporting the 

overall energy efficiency of a single-duct 

and dual-duct portable AC. The CEER 

metric would represent energy use in all 

available operating modes. DOE also 

proposes to define a separate CEER 

metric for cooling mode that would also 

apply to units that include heating 

mode and would be a common metric 

used for comparison among portable 

ACs. DOE also proposes an EER metric 

to represent performance in cooling and 

heating modes that could be used to 

compare cooling and heating 

performance with other similar 

products. 

Finally, DOE proposes adding a 

sampling plan and rounding 

requirements for portable ACs to a new 

section 10 CFR 429.62. These 

instructions are necessary when 

certifying capacity and efficiency of a 

basic model. 

III. Discussion 

A. Products Covered by the Proposed 

Test Procedure 

A portable AC is a self-contained, 

refrigeration-based product that, similar 

to a room AC, removes latent and 

sensible heat from the ambient air in a 

single space such as a room. Similar to 

room ACs, portable ACs are standalone 

appliances designed to operate 

independently of any other air treatment 

devices, though they may also be used 

in conjunction with other pre-existing 

air treatment devices. However, unlike 

room ACs, portable ACs are not 

designed as a unit to be mounted in a 

window or through the wall. Portable 

ACs are placed in the conditioned space 

and may have flexible ducting, typically 

connected to a window to remove 

condenser outlet air from the 

conditioned space. 

DOE is generally aware of 3 categories 

of portable ACs including single-duct 

models, dual-duct models, and spot 

coolers. Single-duct portable ACs utilize 

a single condenser exhaust duct to vent 

heated air to the unconditioned space. 

Other configurations include dual-duct, 

which intakes some or all condenser air 

from and exhausts to unconditioned 

space, and spot coolers, which have no 

ducting on the condenser side and may 

utilize small directional ducts on the 

evaporator exhaust. Spot coolers are 

often used in applications that require 

cooling in one localized zone and can 

tolerate exhaust heat outside of this 

zone. 

In the July 2013 NOPD, DOE proposed 

to define ‘‘portable air conditioner’’ as: 

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 portable unit 

that may rest on the floor or other 

elevated surface for the purpose of 

providing delivery of conditioned air to 

an enclosed space. It includes a prime 

source of refrigeration and may include 

means for ventilating and heating. 78 FR 

40403, 40404 (July 5, 2013). 

DOE maintained this proposed 

definition in the May 2014 NODA. In 

the July 2013 NOPD, DOE also stated 

that portable ACs are moveable units 

typically designed to provide 8,000 to 

14,000 British thermal units per hour 

(Btu/h) of cooling capacity for a single 

room. Id. 

In response to the proposed 

definition, Pacific Gas and Electric 

Company, Southern California Gas 

Company, San Diego Gas and Electric, 

and Southern California Edison 

(hereinafter referred to as the 

‘‘California Investor-Owned Utilities 

(IOUs)’’) and Edison Electric Institute 

(EEI) stated that the requirement in the 

definition to be powered by a singlephase electric current may exclude 

some equipment designed for 

commercial applications. The California 

IOUs encouraged DOE to consider a 

large range of portable ACs, both 

residential and commercial, to ensure 

that all potential savings are examined 

and analyzed. In particular, the 

California IOUs recommended that DOE 

consider covering portable ACs with 

capacities above 14,000 Btu/h because 

there are units currently on the market 

with cooling capacities up to and above 

65,000 Btu/h. (California IOUs, NOPD 

No. 5 at pp. 1–2; 3 EEI, NOPD No. 3 at 

p. 5) EEI also commented that DOE 

should consider revising the definition 

of ‘‘portable air conditioner’’ to ensure 

that three-phase electrical current units 

are covered, and to better reflect 

products that currently are on the 

market with and without heating 

capability. (EEI, NOPD No. 3 at p. 5) 

Oceanaire Inc. (Oceanaire) 

commented that according to the EPCA 

definition, commercial spot coolers 

(portable ACs that do not have ducting 

attached to the condenser) are not 

covered products. According to 

Oceanaire, commercial spot coolers are 

mainly used in the rental market where 

emergencies create a need for immediate 

and focused cooling systems, with 

example applications including food 

and cosmetics processing plants, 

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4A notation in the form ‘‘Oceanaire, No. 2 at pp. 

1–2’’ identifies a written comment: (1) Made by 

Oceanaire, Inc. (Oceanaire); (2) recorded in 

document number 2 that is filed in the docket of 

the portable air conditioner test procedure 

rulemaking (Docket No. EERE–2014– BT–TP–0014) 

and available for review at www.regulations.gov; 

and (3) which appears on pages 1–2 of document 

number 2. 

5For example: www.air-n-water.com/portable-acsize.htm. 

outdoor entertainment venues, and steel 

processing factories. Oceanaire noted 

that the cooling capacity of these rental 

units range between 1 and 5 tons 

(12,000 to 60,000 Btu/h), where actual 

performance is determined by a wide 

range of operating environments, which 

may include high and low temperatures, 

high humidity, and corrosive conditions 

that are not experienced in household 

applications. Further, Oceanaire noted 

that its commercial product 

construction is robust, comprising 

mainly 18 gauge and thicker steel 

cabinetry and support structures. 

(Oceanaire, No. 2 at pp. 1–2 4) 

Portable ACs, most commonly in 

single-duct or dual-duct configuration, 

typically range in cooling capacity from 

5,000 to 14,000 Btu/h when measured 

according to existing industry test 

methods. According to sizing charts 

provided by vendors, these portable ACs 

are intended to cool rooms of up to 

approximately 525 square feet in area,5

are often heavier than 50 pounds, and 

so are designed with wheels to provide 

mobility from room to room. Spot 

coolers, a category of portable ACs 

under DOE’s proposed definition, are 

typically intended for larger spaces and 

harsher applications. Most have cooling 

capacities greater than 14,000 Btu/h, 

when measured according to existing 

industry test methods, and are typically 

larger than single-duct and dual-duct 

portable ACs, often weighing more than 

100 pounds. Because they are frequently 

moved from site to site, spot coolers are 

more rugged in construction, although 

they also have wheels to maintain 

portability. During interviews, 

manufacturers indicated that spot cooler 

shipments represent no more than 

approximately 1.5 percent of the total 

portable AC market in the United States, 

and that only about half of those 

shipments are for spot coolers with 

single-phase, 120-volt, and 60-Hertz 

power supply requirements (the power 

supply appropriate for consumer 

products). Additionally, manufacturers 

noted that the spot coolers typically 

incorporate more powerful and louder 

blowers, condensate collection without 

auto-evaporation, and larger case sizes 

than typical single-duct and dual-duct 

portable ACs. Manufacturer interviews 

confirmed that spot coolers are often 

rented on a seasonal or emergency basis, 

unlike other portable ACs, which are 

generally purchased for regular use on 

a seasonal or occasional basis. Based on 

these considerations, DOE is not 

considering a test procedure for spot 

coolers at this time even though DOE 

believes spot coolers would meet the 

proposed definition of portable AC if 

DOE finalizes the coverage 

determination as proposed. 

DOE recognizes that certain portable 

ACs also include options for operating 

as a dehumidifier and/or heater, with 

heating means provided by either an 

electric resistance heater or by 

modifying internal refrigerant flow to 

operate the unit as a heat pump. The 

dehumidification function may be 

achieved in some units by decreasing 

fan speeds, removing the condenser 

duct(s), and for some units, disabling 

the self-evaporative feature by draining 

the condensate before it reaches the 

condenser coils or deactivating the 

condensate slinger fan when the 

controls are set to dehumidification 

mode. In all of these cases, the air flow 

pattern and psychrometrics differ 

fundamentally from those of a 

dehumidifier, resulting in different 

energy efficiencies during 

dehumidification operation, even 

though both products may use a 

refrigeration system to remove moisture 

from the air. 

DOE also recognizes that although 

room ACs and portable ACs share many 

of the same components that operate 

similarly to provide cooled air to a 

conditioned space, a portable AC, 

unlike a room AC, may be entirely 

located within the conditioned space so 

that some or all of the condenser air 

may be drawn from that space, and 

some heat from the refrigeration system 

and ducting is transferred to the 

conditioned space as well. These 

differences would lead to differing 

cooling mode energy efficiencies 

between room ACs and portable ACs, 

even if the products were to incorporate 

the same components. In addition, 

operation of the portable AC without 

activation of the refrigeration system 

may be more accurately characterized as 

‘‘air circulation’’ rather than 

‘‘ventilation’’ because the portable AC 

may be operated without drawing air 

from outside the conditioned space. 

Thus, DOE proposes to clarify in the 

definition of ‘‘portable air conditioner’’ 

that the primary function of the product 

is to provide cooled, conditioned air to 

the space in addition to other functions 

such as air circulation or heating, and 

that it is a product other than a room AC 

or dehumidifier. DOE also proposes to 

restructure the portable AC definition to 

align with both the room AC and 

dehumidifier definitions. In sum, DOE 

proposes to add to 10 CFR 430.2 the 

following definition for ‘‘portable air 

conditioner.’’ 

An encased assembly, other than a 

‘‘packaged terminal air conditioner,’’ 

‘‘room air conditioner,’’ or 

‘‘dehumidifier,’’ designed as a portable 

unit for delivering cooled, conditioned 

air to an enclosed space, that is powered 

by single-phase electric current, which 

may rest on the floor or other elevated 

surface. It includes a source of 

refrigeration and may include additional 

means for air circulation and heating. 

Although this proposed definition 

differs from the definition presented in 

the July 2013 NOPD, DOE maintains its 

tentative determination that portable 

ACs qualify as a covered product under 

Part A of Title III of EPCA, as amended. 

A product may be added as a covered 

product, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 

6292(b)(1), if (1) classifying products of 

such type as covered products is 

necessary and appropriate to carry out 

the purposes of EPCA; and (2) the 

average per-household energy use by 

products of such type is likely to exceed 

100 kWh (or its Btu equivalent) per year. 

As discussed in the July 2013 NOPD, 

DOE determined that portable ACs meet 

the first requirement because: 

Shipments are projected to increase 80 

percent over a 6-year period from 2012 

to 2017, coverage of portable ACs would 

allow for conservation of energy through 

labeling programs and the regulation of 

portable AC energy efficiency, and there 

is significant variation in the annual 

energy consumption of different 

portable AC models currently available 

on the market. 78 FR 40403, 40404 (July 

5, 2013). For the second requirement, 

DOE determined that a typical portable 

AC uses approximately 650 kWh/year, 

well above the 100 kWh/year threshold. 

78 FR 40403, 40404–40405 (July 5, 

2013). The updated portable AC 

definition proposed in this NOPR only 

includes additional clarification to 

differentiate portable ACs from 

dehumidifiers and room ACs, it does 

not alter the intended scope of the 

definition. Accordingly, the 

determinations from the July 2013 

NOPD remain valid for the revised 

proposed portable AC definition. 

DOE also proposes to include in the 

new test procedure at appendix CC the 

following definitions for different 

portable AC configurations to clarify the 

testing provisions to be used to obtain 

representative results for cooling 

capacity, heating capacity (where 

applicable), and CEER: 

‘‘Single-duct portable air conditioner’’ 

means a portable air conditioner that 

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10216 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

6T. Burke, et al., Using Field-Metered Data to 

Quantify Annual Energy Use of Portable Air 

Conditioners, Lawrence Berkeley National 

Laboratory, Report No. LBNL–6868E (December 

2014). Available at: www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/

purl/1166989. 

draws all of the condenser inlet air from 

the conditioned space without the 

means of a duct, and discharges the 

condenser outlet air outside the 

conditioned space through a single duct. 

‘‘Dual-duct portable air conditioner’’ 

means a portable air conditioner that 

draws some or all of the condenser inlet 

air from outside the conditioned space 

through a duct, and may draw 

additional condenser inlet air from the 

conditioned space. The condenser outlet 

air is discharged outside the 

conditioned space by means of a 

separate duct. 

DOE is also proposing a definition for 

‘‘spot cooler’’ as a portable air 

conditioner that draws condenser inlet 

air from and discharges condenser 

outlet air to the conditioned space, and 

draws evaporator inlet air from and 

discharges evaporator outlet air to a 

localized zone within the conditioned 

space. DOE is proposing such a 

definition in this NOPR to clarify that 

testing these products would not be 

required at this time, as discussed 

previously in this section. 

DOE requests comment on these 

proposed definitions for portable ACs 

and their specific configurations, 

including the proposal that spot coolers 

not be addressed in this rulemaking. 

B. Determination, Classification, and 

Testing Provisions for Operational 

Modes 

1. Active Modes 

Portable ACs are typically purchased 

by consumers to provide cooled air to a 

conditioned space, although certain 

models provide additional functions 

such as heating, dehumidification, and 

air circulation. Because room ACs and 

dehumidifiers share many of the same 

internal components and incorporate 

some of the same operating modes as 

portable ACs, DOE considered the mode 

definitions for these products to develop 

applicable mode definitions for portable 

ACs. 

Appendix F of title 10, part 430, 

subpart B of the CFR defines ‘‘active 

mode’’ for room ACs as a mode in 

which the room AC is connected to a 

mains power source, has been activated 

and is performing the main function of 

cooling or heating the conditioned 

space, or circulating air through 

activation of its fan or blower, with or 

without energizing active air-cleaning 

components or devices such as 

ultraviolet (UV) radiation, electrostatic 

filters, ozone generators, or other aircleaning devices. Appendix X within 

that same subpart of the CFR defines 

‘‘active mode’’ for dehumidifiers as a 

mode in which a dehumidifier is 

connected to a mains power source, has 

been activated, and is performing the 

main functions of removing moisture 

from air by drawing moist air over a 

refrigerated coil using a fan, or 

circulating air through activation of the 

fan without activation of the 

refrigeration system. 

Portable ACs provide the same main 

functions as room ACs: (1) Cooling with 

activation of the refrigeration system 

and blower or fan; (2) for certain 

models, heating by means of activation 

of a blower or fan and either the 

refrigeration system and a reverse-cycle 

solenoid valve or a resistance heater; or 

(3) air circulation by activating only the 

blower or fan. As with dehumidifiers, a 

portable AC evaporator may also 

experience frosting and may need to 

perform a defrost operation. DOE, 

therefore, proposes the following 

definition for portable AC active mode: 

‘‘Active mode’’ means a mode in 

which the portable air conditioner is 

connected to a mains power source, has 

been activated, and is performing the 

main functions of cooling or heating the 

conditioned space, circulating air 

through activation of its fan or blower 

without activation of the refrigeration 

system, or defrosting the refrigerant coil. 

DOE proposes to designate active 

mode functions performed when the 

temperature setpoint is not yet reached 

as either ‘‘cooling mode’’ or ‘‘heating 

mode,’’ depending upon the userselected function. 

Portable ACs may also operate in ‘‘offcycle mode,’’ during which the fan or 

blower may operate without activation 

of the refrigeration system after the 

temperature setpoint has been reached. 

Under these conditions, the fan may be 

operated to ensure that air is drawn over 

the thermostat to monitor ambient 

conditions, or for air circulation in the 

conditioned space. It is also possible 

that immediately following a period of 

cooling or heating, fan operation may be 

initiated to remove any remaining frost 

or moisture from the evaporator. 

Although the periods of fan operation 

would classify those periods of off-cycle 

mode as an active mode, DOE notes that 

the portable AC may also enter one or 

more periods of a standby mode during 

off-cycle mode, in which the fan or 

blower does not operate. Therefore, DOE 

proposes to define off-cycle mode to 

include all periods of fan operation and 

standby mode that occur when the 

temperature set point has been reached, 

and further proposes to measure the 

energy consumption during off-cycle 

mode according to methodology 

discussed in section III.B.2 of this 

NOPR. 

Portable ACs may also operate in a 

consumer-selected mode during which 

the blower is operated with all other 

cooling or heating components disabled. 

The blower may operate cyclically or 

continuously to circulate air in the 

conditioned space. DOE refers to this 

consumer-selected, active mode as ‘‘aircirculation mode.’’ DOE does not 

currently have information on the usage 

of this consumer-initiated air circulation 

feature and, therefore is not proposing 

to measure energy usage during ‘‘aircirculation mode.’’ However, DOE seeks 

information on annual hours associated 

with this mode. 

Some portable ACs also include a 

dehumidification or ‘‘dry’’ function. 

DOE learned through manufacturer 

interviews that portable AC operation in 

this mode is adjusted to maximize latent 

rather than sensible heat removal, 

typically by decreasing the evaporator 

fan or blower speed. Though not always 

specified in the user manual, when 

operating in dry mode, the installation 

may be modified to direct condenser 

exhaust into the conditioned space. In 

this case, a drain setup is necessary to 

remove condensate before it passes over 

the condenser to be re-evaporated into 

the condenser exhaust. Though the 

evaporator and condenser outlet air 

streams are not fully mixed, the net 

effect is minimal heating or cooling 

within the conditioned space and a 

reduction in relative humidity. DOE 

considered addressing dehumidification 

performance as part of this test 

procedure proposal, and determined 

that it is not technically feasible to 

combine dehumidification performance, 

in units of liters per kWh, with a cooling 

or heating performance, in units of Btu/ 

Wh. Because dehumidification is not 

the primary mode of operation for 

portable ACs, DOE does not believe that 

the annual operating hours in 

dehumidification mode would be 

significant and would therefore not 

substantially impact a metric that 

considers the combined annual energy 

consumption of each operating mode. 

DOE’s tentative conclusion is supported 

by a recent field study conducted by 

Burke, et al., (hereinafter referred to as 

the Burke Portable AC Study), in which 

portable ACs were monitored over 

multiple summer months in 19 

locations in New York and 

Pennsylvania.6 No users in this study 

reported operating their portable AC in 

dehumidification mode. DOE also notes 

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7ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37 was updated in 

2009. DOE reviewed the 2005 and 2009 versions 

and concluded there would be no measurable 

difference in portable air conditioner results 

obtained from each. Therefore, DOE utilized ANSI/ 

ASHRAE Standard 37–2009 when testing according 

to AHAM PAC–1–2009. 

that including dehumidification mode 

in a portable AC test procedure would 

significantly and disproportionately 

increase test burden. Therefore, DOE 

does not propose to include 

dehumidification mode as an operating 

mode to be addressed in a portable AC 

test procedure. 

In summary, DOE proposes to include 

the following definitions in new 

appendix CC to clarify the types of 

portable AC operation within active 

mode: 

‘‘Cooling mode’’ means an active 

mode in which a portable air 

conditioner has activated the main 

cooling function according to the 

thermostat or temperature sensor signal, 

including activating the refrigeration 

system, or the fan or blower without 

activation of the refrigeration system. 

‘‘Heating mode’’ means an active 

mode in which a portable air 

conditioner has activated the main 

heating function according to the 

thermostat or temperature sensor signal, 

including activating a resistance heater, 

the refrigeration system with a reverse 

refrigerant flow valve, or the fan or 

blower without activation of the 

resistance heater or refrigeration system. 

Further discussion of off-cycle mode, 

including a proposed definition, is 

included in section III.2 of this NOPR. 

a. Cooling Mode 

As discussed in the May 2014 NODA, 

DOE identified three industry test 

procedures that measure portable AC 

performance in cooling mode and that 

are applicable to products sold in North 

America: 

(1) AHAM PAC–1–2009 ‘‘Portable Air 

Conditioners’’ (AHAM PAC–1–2009) 

specifies cooling mode testing conducted in 

accordance with American National 

Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Society 

of Heating, Refrigerating, and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 

37–2005 ‘‘Methods of Testing for Rating 

Electrically Driven Unitary Air-Conditioning 

and Heat Pump Equipment’’ (ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37–2005).7 The metrics 

incorporated in AHAM PAC–1–2009 include 

capacity and energy efficiency ratio (EER) for 

the following configurations: Single-Duct, 

Dual-Duct, Spot Cooling, and Water Cooled 

Condenser. 

(2) Canadian Standards Association (CSA) 

C370–2013 ‘‘Cooling Performance of Portable 

Air Conditioners’’ (CSA C370–2013) is 

harmonized with AHAM PAC–1–2009, and 

thus also incorporates testing provisions from 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37–2009. 

(3) ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128–2011 

‘‘Method of Rating Unitary Spot Air 

Conditioners’’ (ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 

128–2011) is adapted from the previous 2009 

version of CSA C370. It too references ANSI/ 

ASHRAE Standard 37–2009. The previous 

version of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128, 

published in 2001, is required by California 

regulations to be used to certify spot cooler 

performance for such products sold in that 

State. A key difference between ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 128–2011 and ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 128–2001 is that the older 

version specifies a higher indoor ambient 

testing temperature, which increases 

measured cooling capacity and EER. 79 FR 

26639, 26640–26641 (May 9, 2014). 

DOE found no significant differences 

that would produce varying results 

among the three test procedures. The 

aforementioned versions of the AHAM, 

CSA, and ASHRAE test procedures each 

measure cooling capacity and EER based 

on an air enthalpy approach that 

measures the airflow rate, dry-bulb 

temperature, and water vapor content of 

air at the inlet and outlet of the indoor 

(evaporator) side. In addition, for aircooled portable ACs with cooling 

capacity less than 135,000 Btu/h, which 

include the products that are the subject 

of this NOPR, the indoor air enthalpy 

results must be validated by measuring 

cooling capacity by either an outdoor air 

enthalpy method or a compressor 

calibration method. As explained in the 

May 2014 NODA, DOE selected the 

outdoor air enthalpy method for its 

investigative testing to minimize test 

burden because it only requires 

additional metering components, 

similar to those used for the indoor air 

enthalpy method. DOE conducted initial 

testing according to AHAM PAC–1– 

2009 to establish baseline capacities and 

efficiencies of a preliminary sample of 

test units according to the existing 

industry test procedures. 79 FR 26639, 

26641 (May 9, 2014). 

To investigate the contribution of 

operational factors on the apparent 

reduction in cooling capacity observed 

for units in the field, DOE compared the 

results of AHAM PAC–1–2009 testing 

with the results of additional testing 

with a test room calorimeter approach 

based on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16– 

1983 (RA 99), ‘‘Method of Testing for 

Rating Room Air Conditioners and 

Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners’’ 

(ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16–1983), 

with certain modifications to allow 

testing of portable ACs. The room 

calorimeter approach allowed DOE to 

determine the cooling capacity of a 

portable AC that accounts for any air 

infiltration effects and heat transfer to 

the conditioned space through gaps in 

the product case and seams in the duct 

connections, along with an associated 

EER. Values of these performance 

metrics measured accordingly may more 

accurately reflect real-world portable 

AC operation. In that test series, DOE 

also investigated cooling capacity and 

EER as a function of the infiltration air 

temperature for single-duct and dualduct units, and the effect of condenser 

exhaust air entrainment at the intake for 

dual-duct portable ACs. DOE presented 

the results of this preliminary testing in 

the May 2014 NODA. 79 FR 26639, 

26643–26648 (May 9, 2014). 

Although AHAM PAC–1–2009, CSA 

C370–2013, and ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 128–2011, all reference the 

test setup and methodology from ANSI/ 

ASHRAE Standard 37, AHAM PAC–1– 

2009 did not specify the particular 

sections in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37 

that are to be used. However, AHAM 

recently published an updated version 

of its portable AC test procedure, 

AHAM PAC–1–2014, that references 

specific sections in ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37 for equipment setup, 

cooling capacity determination, power 

input determination, data recording, 

and results reporting, consistent with 

the approach in CSA C370–2013 and 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128–2011. 

These clarifications will likely improve 

testing reproducibility by eliminating 

different possible interpretations of the 

provisions to reference from ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 37. AHAM also 

slightly revised the evaporator inlet and 

condenser inlet temperatures for its 

standard rating conditions in AHAM 

PAC–1–2014, in order to harmonize 

with the temperatures specified in CSA 

C370–2013 and ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 128–2011. Conditions that had 

been specified as 80 degrees Fahrenheit 

(°F) dry-bulb temperature and 67 °F wetbulb temperature were adjusted to 80.6 

°F/66.2 °F, and conditions that had been 

specified as 95 °F/75 °F were adjusted 

to 95 °F/75.2 °F. DOE did not identify 

other substantive changes between the 

2009 and 2014 versions of AHAM PAC– 

1 that would affect testing results. 

For the May 2014 NODA, DOE 

conducted an initial round of 

performance testing on a preliminary 

sample of test units representative of 

products available at that time on the 

U.S. market. The test sample included a 

total of eight portable ACs (four singleduct, two dual-duct, and two spot 

coolers), covering a range of rated 

cooling capacities (8,000–13,500 Btu/h) 

and EERs (7.0–11.2 Btu per watt-hour 

(Btu/Wh)). Following publication of the 

May 2014 NODA, DOE performed 

additional testing on a larger set of test 

units. This second test sample included 

a total of eighteen portable ACs; thirteen 

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8One of the dual-duct units was shipped with a 

conversion kit to enable testing in single-duct 

configuration. DOE performed all tests on this 

‘‘convertible’’ unit in both single-duct and dualduct configurations. 9ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128–2011 specifies 

80.6 degrees °F dry-bulb temperature and 66.2 °F 

wet-bulb temperature for the standard rating 

conditions for the evaporator inlet of dual-duct 

portable ACs and both the evaporator and 

condenser inlets of single-duct units. It also 

specifies standard rating conditions of 95 °F drybulb temperature and 75.2 °F wet-bulb temperature 

for the condenser inlet side of dual-duct portable 

ACs and both the evaporator and condenser inlets 

of spot coolers. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128–2001 

specifies 95 °F dry-bulb temperature and 83 °F wetbulb temperature for the standard rating conditions 

for both the evaporator and condenser inlets of all 

portable ACs, including spot coolers. 

10 DOE also tested two spot coolers for the May 

2014 NODA. However, because DOE is not 

proposing testing provisions for these units at this 

time, the results for those units are not considered 

further in this analysis. 

11 DOE’s testing and analysis was completed prior 

to the publication of AHAM PAC–1–2014. Because, 

as discussed earlier, DOE concludes that the 

differences between the 2009 and 2014 versions of 

the test standard would not affect testing results 

substantively, DOE proposes a test procedure in this 

rule that would referenece certain provisions of the 

current versions of the standard (AHAM PAC–1– 

2014). 

single-duct and 5 dual-duct 8 units, 

expanding the range of rated cooling 

capacities (5,000–14,000 Btu/h) and the 

maximum rated EER to 12.1 Btu/Wh. 

DOE did not include any spot coolers in 

the second test sample because it is not 

proposing testing provisions for them at 

this time for reasons discussed in 

section IIII.A of this NOPR. 

Because DOE does not currently 

regulate portable ACs, manufacturers 

may advertise or market their products 

using any available test procedure. For 

those models that are included in the 

California Energy Commission (CEC) 

product database and that are sold in 

California, however, manufacturers 

must report cooling capacity and EER 

according to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 

128–2001. DOE notes that the cooling 

capacities and EERs obtained from using 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128–2001 are 

higher than those obtained using the 

current ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 128– 

2011, primarily due to higher 

temperature evaporator inlet air in the 

2001 version of the test procedure.9

Due to the consistent method of 

reporting performance required by the 

CEC, DOE selected units for its test 

sample largely from cooling capacities 

and EERs listed in the CEC product 

database. However, due to the difference 

in testing temperature, DOE expected 

that these values would differ from the 

cooling capacities and EERs that would 

be obtained using any of the three 

current industry test methods. For 

additional products not listed in the 

CEC product database, DOE utilized 

information from manufacturer 

literature to inform its selection. 

The 24 test units 10 (comprising the 

samples from the May 2014 NODA 

testing and testing for this proposal) and 

their key features are presented in Table 

III.1, with cooling capacity expressed in 

Btu/h and EER expressed in Btu/Wh. 

TABLE III.1—PORTABLE AC TEST SAMPLE

Test unit Duct type 

Rated cooling 

capacity 

(Btu/h) 

Rated EER 

(Btu/Wh) 

SD1 1 ......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 8,000 7.0 

SD2 1 ......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 9,500 9.6 

SD3 1 ......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 12,000 8.7 

SD4 1 ......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 13,000 9.7 

SD5 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 8,000 10.2 

SD6 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 14,000 8.9 

SD7 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 12,000 8.1 

SD8 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 9,000 9.2 

SD9 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 9,000 10.3 

SD10 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 10,000 9.5 

SD11 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 12,000 12.6 

SD12 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 10,000 8.8 

SD13 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 12,500 3 N/A 

SD14 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 12,000 10.0 

SD15 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 5,000 8.6 

SD16 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 11,000 9.2 

SD17 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 12,000 3 N/A 

DD1 1 ......................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 9,500 9.4 

DD2 1 ......................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 13,000 8.9 

DD3 ........................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 11,600 8.8 

DD4 2 ......................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 14,000 3 N/A 

DD5 ........................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 9,000 9.2 

DD6 ........................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 14,000 9.5 

DD7 ........................................................................... Dual ............................................................................ 13,500 9.5 

1These units were tested and discussed in the May 2014 NODA. This table does not include the two spot coolers that were tested in support 

of the May 2014 NODA. 2This test unit shipped with the capabilities of operating in both single-duct and dual-duct configuration. Therefore, it was tested according to 

both configurations. 3 No rated value was published in the CEC database or in manufacturer documentation. 

Baseline Testing 

DOE first performed testing in 

accordance with AHAM PAC–1–2009 11

to determine baseline performance 

according to industry standards. This 

baseline performance was then 

compared to performance measured 

according to modified or alternate test 

approaches to determine an optimal 

approach. 

AHAM PAC–1–2009 requires twochamber air enthalpy testing for singleduct and dual-duct units, and a singlechamber setup for spot coolers. For each 

ducted configuration, the portable AC 

and any associated ducting is located 

entirely within a chamber held at 

‘‘indoor’’ standard rating conditions at 

the evaporator inlet of 80 °F dry-bulb 

temperature and 67 °F wet-bulb 

temperature, which correspond to 51- 

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percent relative humidity. For the 

condenser-side exhaust on single-duct 

and dual-duct units, the manufacturersupplied or manufacturer-specified 

flexible ducting connects the unit under 

test to a separate test chamber 

maintained at ‘‘outdoor’’ standard rating 

conditions. The outdoor conditions 

specify 95 °F dry-bulb temperature and 

75 °F wet-bulb temperature (40-percent 

relative humidity) at the condenser inlet 

for dual-duct units. The outdoor 

conditions for single-duct units, 

however, are not explicitly specified. 

AHAM PAC–1–2009 only requires that 

the condenser inlet conditions, which 

would be set by air intake from the 

indoor side chamber, be maintained at 

80 °F dry-bulb temperature and 67 °F 

wet-bulb temperature. Because the 

single-duct condenser air is discharged 

to the outdoor side with no intake air 

from that location, DOE does not believe 

that the results obtained using AHAM 

PAC–1–2009 would be measurably 

affected by the conditions in the 

outdoor side chamber. Nonetheless, for 

consistency with the testing of dualduct units, DOE chose to maintain the 

outdoor side conditions, measured near 

to the condenser exhaust but not close 

enough to be affected by that airflow, at 

95 °F dry-bulb temperature and 75 °F 

wet-bulb temperature. 

Section 6.1 of AHAM PAC–1–2009, 

‘‘Method of Test,’’ instructs that the 

details of testing are as specified in 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37–2005, but 

does not identify particular provisions 

to be used other than noting that 

references in Section 8.5.1 of ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 37–2005 refer to the 

indoor side (the cooling, or evaporator 

side) and the outdoor side (the heat 

rejection, or condenser, side) of the 

portable AC under test. DOE determined 

that additional relevant sections to 

incorporate would include those 

referring to test setup, test conduct, 

cooling capacity and power input 

determination, data recording, and test 

result reporting. The following 

paragraphs describe the equivalent 

clauses from ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 

37–2009 that DOE decided were 

appropriate for conducting its baseline 

tests for both the May 2014 NODA and 

this proposal. 

The test apparatus (i.e., ducts, air 

flow-measurement nozzle, and 

additional instrumentation) were 

adjusted according to Section 8.6, 

‘‘Additional Requirements for the 

Outdoor Air Enthalpy Method,’’ of 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37–2009, 

which ensures that air flow rate and 

static pressure in the condenser exhaust 

air stream, and condenser inlet air 

stream for dual-duct units, are 

representative of actual installations. 

The test room conditioning apparatus 

and the units under test were then 

operated until steady-state performance 

was achieved according to the specified 

test tolerances in Section 8.7, ‘‘Test 

Procedure for Cooling Capacity Tests,’’ 

of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37–2009. 

Airflow rate, dry-bulb temperature, and 

water vapor content were recorded to 

evaluate cooling capacity at equal 

intervals that spanned 5 minutes or less 

until readings over one-half hour were 

within the same tolerances, as required 

by that section. 

These collected data were then used 

to calculate total, sensible, and latent 

indoor cooling capacity based on the 

equations in Section 7.3.3, ‘‘Cooling 

Calculations,’’ of ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37–2009. This section 

provides calculations to determine 

indoor cooling capacity based on both 

the indoor and outdoor air enthalpy 

methods. As described in Section 

7.3.3.3 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37– 

2009, the indoor air enthalpy cooling 

capacity calculation was adjusted for 

heat transferred from the surface of the 

duct(s) to the conditioned space. DOE 

estimated a convective heat transfer 

coefficient of 4 Btu/h per square foot per 

°F, based on a midpoint of values for 

forced convection and free convection 

as recommended by the test laboratory 

for this specific test and setup. Four 

thermocouples were placed in a grid on 

the surface of the condenser duct(s). The 

heat transfer was determined by 

multiplying the estimated heat transfer 

coefficient by the surface area of each 

component and by the average 

temperature difference between the duct 

surface and test chamber air. 

Although AHAM PAC–1–2009 

specifies in Section 5.1 that the 

evaporator circulating fan heat shall be 

included in the total cooling capacity by 

means of fan power measurement, DOE 

selected an alternate calculation that it 

concluded would provide a more 

accurate measure of overall heat transfer 

to the conditioned space. DOE estimated 

this heat transferred to the conditioned 

space by monitoring the temperature 

differential between the case surfaces 

and the indoor room, with 

measurements and calculations similar 

to those used for the ducts. This 

estimate was made by placing four 

thermocouples on each surface of the 

case and measuring the surface area to 

determine the total heat transfer through 

the case. This approach directly 

estimates the heating contribution of all 

internal components within the case to 

the cooling capacity, while making no 

assumption regarding whether the heat 

from individual components is 

transferred to the cooling or heat 

rejection side. 

Based on the provisions discussed 

above, DOE used the following equation 

when calculating the cooling capacity 

and EER for portable ACs according to 

AHAM PAC–1–2009: 

Cooling Capacity = Qindoor ¥ Qduct ¥ 

Qcase

Where: 

Qindoor is the evaporator air enthalpy cooling 

capacity, in Btu/h, as calculated 

according to Section 7.3.3.1 of ANSI/

ASHRAE 37–2009. 

Qduct is the heat transferred from the 

condenser exhaust duct (and condenser 

inlet duct for dual-duct units) to the 

conditioned space, in Btu/h, as 

calculated according to Section 7.3.3.3 of 

ANSI/ASHRAE 37–2009. 

Qcase is the heat transferred from the portable 

AC case to the conditioned space, in Btu/ 

h, also calculated using the methodology 

in 7.3.3.3 of ANSI/ASHRAE 37–2009, 

but using temperature measurements 

located on the case surfaces rather than 

the ducts. 

From the calculated evaporator air 

enthalpy cooling capacity, DOE 

determined the associated EER 

consistent with the definitions in 

Sections 3.8 and 3.9 and ratings 

requirements in Sections 5.3 and 5.4 of 

AHAM PAC–1–2009. Table III.2 shows 

the results of the baseline testing for all 

test units according to AHAM PAC–1– 

2009, including results from testing for 

the May 2014 NODA and this proposal. 

TABLE III.2—BASELINE TEST RESULTS

Test unit Duct type Cooling capacity 

(Btu/h) EER (Btu/Wh) 

SD1 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 5,850 6.8 

SD2 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 6,600 7.4 

SD3 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 10,950 7.5 

SD4 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 9,500 6.6 

SD5 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 5,600 8.3 

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TABLE III.2—BASELINE TEST RESULTS—Continued 

Test unit Duct type Cooling capacity 

(Btu/h) EER (Btu/Wh) 

SD6 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 10,250 8.0 

SD7 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 8,550 6.4 

SD8 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 6,750 5.9 

SD9 ............................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 6,700 6.9 

SD10 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 8,100 8.1 

SD11 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 5,700 5.7 

SD12 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 8,050 7.3 

SD13 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 10,350 8.6 

SD14 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 9,250 8.1 

SD15 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 4,250 8.2 

SD16 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 8,200 7.3 

SD17 .......................................................................... Single ......................................................................... 5,800 6.8 

SD18 1 ........................................................................ Single ......................................................................... 7,200 5.4 

DD1 ............................................................................ Dual ........................................................................... 8,600 7.4 

DD2 ............................................................................ Dual ........................................................................... 7,200 5.5 

DD3 ............................................................................ Dual ........................................................................... 5,950 4.8 

DD4 1 .......................................................................... Dual ........................................................................... 5,900 4.1 

DD5 ............................................................................ Dual ........................................................................... 5,250 5.3 

DD6 ............................................................................ Dual ........................................................................... 7,450 6.0 

DD7 ............................................................................ Dual ........................................................................... 7,300 5.7 

1This test unit shipped with the capabilities of operating in both single-duct and dual-duct configuration. Therefore, it was tested according to 

both configurations. 

Calorimeter Method Testing 

For the May 2014 NODA and this 

proposal, DOE further investigated heat 

transfer effects not currently captured in 

available portable AC test procedures, 

through additional testing according to 

the room calorimeter approach 

described in the May 2014 NODA. 79 

FR 26639, 26644 (May 9, 2014). This 

approach, adapted from ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 16–1983, used two test 

chambers, one maintained at the indoor 

conditions and the other adjusted to 

maintain the outdoor conditions as 

specified below. The portable AC under 

test was located within the indoor test 

room with the condenser duct(s) 

interfacing with the outdoor test room 

by means of the manufacturer-supplied 

or manufacturer-recommended 

mounting fixture, unless otherwise 

noted. Infiltration air from the outdoor 

chamber at 95 °F dry-bulb and 75 °F 

wet-bulb (40-percent relative humidity) 

was introduced by means of a pressureequalizing device to the indoor 

chamber, which was maintained at 80 

°F dry-bulb and 67 °F wet-bulb (51- 

percent relative humidity). The 

pressure-equalizing device maintained a 

static pressure differential of less than 

0.005 inches of water between the 

chambers, as specified in Section 4.2.3 

of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16–1983. 

DOE measured all energy consumed 

by the indoor chamber components to 

maintain the required ambient 

conditions while the portable AC under 

test operated continuously at its 

maximum fan speed during a 1-hour 

stable period following a period of no 

less than 1 hour with stabilized 

conditions. All heating and cooling 

contributions to the indoor chamber 

were summed, including: Chamber 

cooling, heat transferred through the 

chamber wall, air-circulation fans, 

dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and scales. 

The net indoor chamber cooling was 

recorded as the portable AC’s cooling 

capacity. This approach encompasses 

all cooling and heating effects generated 

by the portable AC, including air 

infiltration effects that are not captured 

or estimated by the air enthalpy 

approach. 

The test units were installed with the 

manufacturer-provided ducting, duct 

attachment collar, and mounting fixture. 

This test approach included the impacts 

of heat transfer from the ducts and air 

leaks in the duct connections and 

mounting fixture, in addition to heat 

leakage through the case and infiltration 

air. Table III.3 shows the measured net 

cooling capacities and EER values for all 

units tested according to the calorimeter 

approach when the infiltration air drybulb temperature was 95 °F. Also 

included are the results for the rated 

and baseline values. Figure III.1 also 

presents the comparison of baseline and 

calorimeter testing results. 

TABLE III.3—RATED, BASELINE, AND CALORIMETER RESULTS

Test unit 

Cooling capacity (Btu/h) EER (Btu/Wh) 

Rated Baseline Calorimeter Rated Baseline Calorimeter 

SD1 .................................................................................. 8,000 5,850 -450 7.0 6.8 -0.5 

SD2 .................................................................................. 9,500 6,600 -650 9.6 7.4 -0.7 

SD3 .................................................................................. 12,000 10,950 3,500 8.7 7.5 2.3 

SD4 .................................................................................. 13,000 9,500 1,850 9.7 6.6 1.3 

SD5 .................................................................................. 8,000 5,600 150 10.2 8.3 0.2 

SD6 .................................................................................. 14,000 10,250 3,000 8.9 8.0 2.3 

SD7 .................................................................................. 12,000 8,550 2,850 8.1 6.4 2.1 

SD8 .................................................................................. 9,000 6,750 900 9.2 5.9 0.8 

SD9 .................................................................................. 9,000 6,700 1,050 10.3 6.9 1.1 

SD10 ................................................................................ 10,000 8,100 1,900 9.5 8.1 1.9 

SD11 ................................................................................ 12,000 5,700 1,100 12.6 5.7 1.1 

SD12 ................................................................................ 10,000 8,050 1,600 8.8 7.3 1.5 

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TABLE III.3—RATED, BASELINE, AND CALORIMETER RESULTS—Continued 

Test unit 

Cooling capacity (Btu/h) EER (Btu/Wh) 

Rated Baseline Calorimeter Rated Baseline Calorimeter 

SD13 ................................................................................ 12,500 10,350 3,900 1 N/A 8.6 3.2 

SD14 ................................................................................ 12,000 9,250 2,300 10.0 8.1 2.0 

SD15 ................................................................................ 5,000 4,250 -2,450 8.6 8.2 -4.7 

SD16 ................................................................................ 11,000 8,200 1,700 9.2 7.3 1.5 

SD17 ................................................................................ 12,000 5,800 -650 1 N/A 6.8 -0.7 

SD18 2 .............................................................................. 14,000 7,200 850 1 N/A 5.4 0.6 

DD1 .................................................................................. 9,500 8,600 3,400 9.4 7.4 2.9 

DD2 .................................................................................. 13,000 7,200 3,450 8.9 5.5 2.6 

DD3 .................................................................................. 11,600 5,950 3,100 8.8 4.8 2.5 

DD4 2 ................................................................................ 14,000 5,900 2,400 1 N/A 4.1 1.7 

DD5 .................................................................................. 9,000 5,250 2,700 9.2 5.3 2.8 

DD6 .................................................................................. 14,000 7,450 2,800 9.5 6.0 2.2 

DD7 .................................................................................. 13,500 7,300 4,000 9.5 5.7 3.0 

1 No rated value was published in the CEC database or on manufacturer documentation. 

2This test unit shipped with the capabilities of operating in both single-duct and dual-duct configuration. Therefore, it was tested according to 

both configurations. 

Figure III.1 demonstrates that there is 

little correlation between EER and 

cooling capacity for the baseline results 

when the effects of air infiltration and 

heat losses are not accounted for. When 

such effects are included, the values of 

both EER and cooling capacity are 

reduced for a given test unit, but the 

data evidence a clear relationship 

between EER and cooling capacity. 

Figure III.1 also demonstrates that the 

net cooling of portable ACs may be 

significantly lower than an air enthalpy 

measurement would suggest, due to the 

effects of infiltration air. Thus, DOE 

determined that the existing 

representations of capacity and EER, 

which are based on air enthalpy 

methods, are likely to be inconsistent 

and may not represent true portable AC 

performance. Further, the varying 

differences between the calorimeter and 

baseline results indicate that varying 

infiltration air flow rates and heat losses 

would preclude a fixed translation 

factor that could be applied to the 

results of an air enthalpy measurement 

to account for the impact of these 

effects. For these reasons, DOE 

determined that a DOE test procedure 

for portable ACs that includes a measure 

of infiltration air effects and heat losses 

would provide consistency and clarity 

for representation of capacity and 

energy use for these products. Specific 

proposals for such a test procedure are 

discussed in the following sections. 

i. General Test Approach 

As discussed in the previous section, 

the results from baseline testing 

according to AHAM PAC–1–2009 and 

investigative testing according to the 

calorimeter approach suggest that the 

calorimeter approach most accurately 

represents portable AC performance by 

accounting for the effects of air 

infiltration and heat losses. 

DOE considered comments received 

in response to the initial baseline and 

calorimeter approach results presented 

in the May 2014 NODA. Appliance 

Standards Awareness Project, Alliance 

to Save Energy, American Council for an 

Energy-Efficient Economy, Consumers 

Union, Natural Resources Defense 

Council, and Northwest Energy 

Efficiency Alliance (hereinafter referred 

to as the ‘‘Joint Commenters’’) and the 

California IOUs observed that the 

current industry test procedures do not 

capture the effects of infiltration air and 

duct heat loss and leakage, which would 

lead to an overestimation of portable AC 


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performance in real-world settings. In 

addition, according to the Joint 

Commenters, the current industry test 

procedures do not provide an accurate 

relative ranking of portable AC units, 

such that single-duct units appear to be 

more efficient than dual-duct units. 

Therefore, the Joint Commenters and the 

California IOUs urged DOE to adopt a 

test procedure for portable ACs based on 

the calorimeter approach, which would 

align with the current test procedures 

for room ACs and would better reflect 

real-world cooling capacities and EERs 

of both single-duct and dual-duct 

configurations. The California IOUs 

commented that because portable ACs 

can be used as a substitute for room 

ACs, they support the adoption of a test 

procedure for portable ACs that would 

allow consumers to make realistic 

comparisons of capacity and efficiency 

between comparable product types. 

(California IOUs, No. 5 at pp. 2–3; Joint 

Commenters, No. 6 at pp. 1–2) 

AHAM supports the incorporation by 

reference of AHAM PAC–1–2014, which 

is harmonized with CSA C370–2013, in 

a DOE test procedure for portable ACs. 

AHAM indicated that AHAM PAC–1– 

2014 best measures representative 

performance for each portable AC 

configuration, in comparison to other 

approaches. AHAM commented that, 

unlike other air conditioning products, 

portable ACs are intended to be easily 

relocated from one room to another and 

therefore the compressor and condenser 

are both inside the conditioned room, as 

opposed to a room AC, where the 

compressor and condenser are outside 

the room. Because a portable AC does 

not operate in between the conditioned 

and unconditioned space as room ACs 

do, and instead is located solely in the 

conditioned space, AHAM believes that 

the calorimeter approach, intended for 

room ACs, may not be as representative 

as the enthalpy approach for portable 

ACs. AHAM also commented that 

ANSI/ASHRAE 128–2011 instructs that 

it is not to be used for portable ACs with 

cooling capacities less than 65,000 Btu/ 

h, and ANSI/AHAM 128–2001 does not 

address all portable AC configurations. 

AHAM noted that Canada may 

promulgate portable AC standards using 

CSA C370–2013, and stated that North 

American harmonization will provide 

consistency and clarity for regulated 

parties and consumers in both 

countries. (AHAM, No. 4 at p. 2) AHAM 

acknowledged the differences between 

rated values and baseline test results 

obtained using AHAM PAC–1–2009, 

and stated that a conversion factor 

between rated values and results 

obtained using its recommended test 

procedure, AHAM PAC–1–2014, is not 

feasible due to the wide range of 

differences between these values. 

(AHAM, No. 4 at p. 3) 

De’ Longhi Appliances s.r.l. (De’ 

Longhi) indicated that the air enthalpy 

method and a calorimeter method with 

no air infiltration would ensure levels of 

reproducibility and repeatability 

required for regulated products. Further, 

De’ Longhi stated that AHAM PAC–1– 

2009 and CSA C370–2013 are more 

suitable for representing performance of 

all the categories of portable ACs. (De’ 

Longhi, No. 3 at p. 5) 

AHAM and De’ Longhi also stated 

that the calorimeter approach is much 

more burdensome than the air enthalpy 

approach, requiring more expensive test 

equipment and longer test times. AHAM 

believes that adoption of the calorimeter 

method for testing portable ACs would 

also require many laboratories to build 

new test facilities because portable ACs 

are not currently tested using a 

calorimeter approach, representing a 

significant burden. AHAM is also 

concerned that there are few third-party 

test laboratories that have the capability 

to test using a calorimeter approach, 

which would impact choice and 

availability for testing. Therefore, 

AHAM urged DOE to adopt the test 

approach of AHAM PAC–1–2014 to 

produce representative test results that 

are not unduly burdensome to conduct. 

(AHAM, No. 4 at p. 4) De’ Longhi stated 

that the test burden associated with a 

test method should be proportionate to 

the amount of energy consumed by a 

certain product category. According to 

De’ Longhi, because portable ACs are a 

small fraction of the air conditioning 

market with a unique usage pattern, 

being operated generally for short 

period of time, the test burden should 

be minimized. De’ Longhi commented 

that the calorimeter method would 

result in an unreasonably large burden 

for this product category, and therefore, 

the air enthalpy method is preferable 

due to the higher availability of testing 

apparatus and lower cost of testing. (De’ 

Longhi, No. 3 at p. 3) 

The results presented in Table III.3 

and displayed in Figure III.1 

demonstrate that the calorimeter 

method provides a measure of net 

portable AC cooling capacity and EER 

across different product configurations 

and varying air infiltration rates that is 

comparable to the performance trends 

obtained according to AHAM PAC–1– 

2009. However, DOE found in its testing 

that, although equipment setup is 

simpler for the calorimeter approach as 

based on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16 

requirements, maintaining the 

conditions in a calorimeter chamber can 

be difficult, particularly at higher test 

unit cooling capacities. In those cases, 

additional climate control components 

may be necessary, all of which must be 

monitored to measure the heat transfer 

to and from the indoor side test room. 

These additional components may 

include air circulating fans to ensure 

conditions are uniform throughout the 

test room, humidifiers and 

dehumidifiers to maintain the necessary 

relative humidity, and scales to measure 

the evaporated or condensed moisture 

during testing. Incorporating the heating 

and cooling effects from each of these 

components proved to be complex, with 

potential uncertainties in the net 

cooling capacity accumulating with 

each additional component. After 

considering the burdens and complexity 

of the calorimeter approach, DOE 

determined the air enthalpy approach 

provided in AHAM PAC–1–2009 and 

AHAM PAC–1–2014 to be a less 

burdensome approach. Although AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 requires comprehensive 

instrumentation to monitor air stream 

enthalpies and specific measures to 

ensure that this instrumentation has no 

impact on performance, it also provides 

a straight-forward calculation for 

determining indoor-side cooling based 

on a well-defined set of variables. Many 

of the instruments required for the air 

enthalpy approach, as specified in 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37, are used in 

testing central ACs and heat pumps, and 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37 is also 

referenced in the DOE test procedure to 

determine energy consumption of 

furnace fans. Thus, DOE believes that 

many commercial laboratories have the 

capability to perform the air enthalpy 

test, while few laboratories in the 

United States have the test chamber and 

instrumentation required to test 

according to the calorimeter approach. 

In addition, the air enthalpy approach, 

as specified in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 

37 with additional guidance in AHAM 

PAC–1–2014, is specifically applicable 

for testing portable ACs, while the 

calorimeter approach requires 

modifications from the room AC test 

procedure specified in ANSI/ASHRAE 

16 to accommodate portable ACs. 

Therefore, if DOE determines that 

portable ACs are covered products and 

establishes a test procedure for them, 

DOE proposes that AHAM PAC–1–2014 

be the basis of the DOE test procedure 

to ensure that multiple labs are capable 

of performing the test, to minimize 

added test burden, and to align with 

current industry practices. However, as 

described in the remaining subsections 

of section III.1.a, DOE believes that 

additional provisions and clarifications 

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would be necessary to incorporate 

AHAM PAC–1–2014 into a DOE 

portable AC test procedure. 

ii. Infiltration Air Effects and Cooling 

Capacity 

Infiltration from outside the 

conditioned space in which the portable 

AC is located occurs due to the negative 

pressure induced as condenser air is 

exhausted to the outdoor space. 

Although this effect is most pronounced 

for single-duct units, which draw all of 

their condenser air from within the 

conditioned space, dual-duct units also 

draw a portion of their condenser air 

from the conditioned space. In its 

testing, DOE estimated the infiltration 

air flow rate as equal to the condenser 

exhaust flow rate to the outdoor 

chamber minus any condenser intake 

flow rate from the outdoor chamber 

because it had determined that air 

leakage from the outdoor chamber to 

locations other than the indoor chamber 

was negligible. 

For a single-duct unit, the air balance 

equation results in the infiltration air 

flow rate being equal to the condenser 

exhaust air flow rate. For dual-duct 

units, the condenser exhaust duct flow 

rate may be higher than the inlet duct 

flow rate. This is due to some intake air 

being drawn from the indoor chamber 

via louvers or leakage through the case, 

duct connections, or between the 

evaporator and condenser sections. 

Table III.4 presents the estimated 

infiltration air flow rates for the full test 

sample. 

TABLE III.4—INFILTRATION AIR FLOW RATE

Test unit 

Condenser 

outlet air 

flow rate 

(CFM) 

Condenser 

inlet air flow 

rate 

(CFM) * 

Net infiltration air flow 

rate 

(CFM) 

SD1 .......................................................................................................................................................... 268.03 .................... 268.03 

SD2 .......................................................................................................................................................... 262.59 .................... 262.59 

SD3 .......................................................................................................................................................... 285.45 .................... 285.45 

SD4 .......................................................................................................................................................... 254.30 .................... 254.30 

SD5 .......................................................................................................................................................... 217.77 .................... 217.77 

SD6 .......................................................................................................................................................... 228.43 .................... 228.43 

SD7 .......................................................................................................................................................... 221.83 .................... 221.83 

SD8 .......................................................................................................................................................... 224.61 .................... 224.61 

SD9 .......................................................................................................................................................... 229.09 .................... 229.09 

SD10 ........................................................................................................................................................ 220.80 .................... 220.80 

SD11 ........................................................................................................................................................ 175.07 .................... 175.07 

SD12 ........................................................................................................................................................ 237.37 .................... 237.37 

SD13 ........................................................................................................................................................ 247.39 .................... 247.39 

SD14 ........................................................................................................................................................ 262.52 .................... 262.52 

SD15 ........................................................................................................................................................ 278.89 .................... 278.89 

SD16 ........................................................................................................................................................ 250.69 .................... 250.69 

SD17 ........................................................................................................................................................ 249.37 .................... 249.37 

SD18 ........................................................................................................................................................ 246.48 .................... 246.48 

Average of Single-Duct .................................................................................................................... .................... .................... 242.26 

DD1 .......................................................................................................................................................... 271.85 170.79 101.06 

DD2 .......................................................................................................................................................... 214.83 128.05 86.78 

DD3 .......................................................................................................................................................... 234.87 146.29 88.58 

DD4 .......................................................................................................................................................... 251.67 126.60 125.07 

DD5 .......................................................................................................................................................... 207.85 113.15 94.71 

DD6 .......................................................................................................................................................... 272.43 76.61 195.82 

DD7 .......................................................................................................................................................... 244.47 107.49 136.99 

Average of Dual-Duct ....................................................................................................................... .................... .................... 118.43 

* Condenser inlet air flow rate is only applicable for dual-duct units. 

As discussed in the May 2014 NODA, 

DOE investigated various infiltration air 

temperatures. In its initial calorimeter 

tests, DOE maintained the outdoor test 

chamber conditions at 95 °F dry-bulb 

temperature and 75 °F wet-bulb 

temperature, which would be 

representative of outdoor air being 

drawn directly into the conditioned 

space to replace any condenser inlet air 

from that same conditioned space. 

However, it is possible that some or all 

of the replacement air is drawn from a 

location other than the outdoors 

directly, such as a basement, attic, 

garage, or a space that is conditioned by 

other equipment. Because varying 

infiltration air temperature would have 

a significant impact on cooling capacity 

and EER, DOE performed additional 

testing over a range of dry-bulb 

temperatures for the infiltration air that 

spanned 78 °F to 95 °F, all at the 40- 

percent relative humidity specified at 

the 95 °F condition. 79 FR 26639, 26646 

(May 9, 2014). 

In response to the May 2014 NODA, 

the Joint Commenters and California 

IOUs stated that the current industry 

standard outdoor air conditions (95 °F 

dry-bulb temperature and 75 °F wetbulb temperature) are appropriate for 

infiltration air. (Joint Commenters, No. 6 

at p. 3; California IOUs, No. 5 at p. 3) 

The Joint Commenters added that 

although some or all of the infiltration 

air may be drawn from a location other 

than the outdoors directly, such as a 

basement, attic, garage, or a space that 

is conditioned by other equipment, all 

infiltration air is ultimately coming from 

the outdoors and adding heat to the 

home where the portable AC is 

installed. (Joint Commenters, No. 6 at p. 

3) 

AHAM stated that in the field, there 

is a mixture of indoor and outdoor air, 

and infiltration air will be at different 

temperature and humidity levels in 

every home, due to varying home 

designs. Therefore, AHAM does not 

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believe there is an ‘‘average’’ condition 

that DOE could select to replicate in a 

test procedure condition and would not 

support an approach that utilizes 

existing test procedures with numerical 

adjustments for infiltration air. (AHAM, 

No. 4 at p. 5) De’ Longhi concurred, 

stating that the effect of air infiltration 

would be complex to standardize. De’ 

Longhi commented that air infiltration 

flow pathways are determined by the 

path of minimum air flow resistance, 

and therefore it is not possible to 

determine the amount of infiltration air 

that originates from adjacent indoor 

rooms versus from outdoors. De’ Longhi 

believes that in most situations, 

unconditioned outdoor air is just a 

small portion of the total infiltration air. 

Accordingly, De’ Longhi stated that the 

standard outdoor air conditions of 95 °F 

dry-bulb temperature and 75 °F wetbulb temperature are not representative 

of the infiltration air temperatures. De’ 

Longhi suggested that if DOE 

determines to include portable ACs as a 

covered product, the heat transfer 

effects of infiltration air should not be 

taken into account in a DOE test 

procedure. (De’ Longhi, No. 3 at p. 4) 

DOE agrees that, as for all covered 

products, real-world installations 

experience varying ambient conditions. 

The test procedure must thus consider 

the most representative operation in 

selecting appropriate specifications for 

those conditions. Recognizing that in 

some cases the infiltration air enters the 

conditioned space directly from 

outdoors, and that any air infiltrating 

from other conditioned spaces likely 

also originated from outdoors before 

being conditioned by other cooling 

equipment, DOE concludes that 95 °F 

dry-bulb temperature and 75 °F wetbulb temperature is most representative 

for infiltration air conditions, in 

accordance with the outdoor conditions 

specified in AHAM PAC–1–2014, and 

proposes to specify these conditions in 

the portable AC test procedure. Such 

conditions would also produce 

comparable results for single-duct and 

dual-duct configurations. 

DOE also developed methodology for 

the May 2014 NODA that would adjust 

the results obtained from an air 

enthalpy method to account for the total 

heat added to the room by the 

infiltration air. The infiltration air mass 

flow rate of dry air would be calculated 

as: 

Where: 

m ̇ sd is the dry air mass flow rate of infiltration 

air for a single-duct unit, in pounds per 

minute (lb/m). 

m ̇ dd is the dry air mass flow rate of 

infiltration air for a dual-duct unit, in lb/ 

m. 

Vco is the volumetric flow rate of the 

condenser outlet air, in cubic feet per 

minute (cfm). 

Vci is the volumetric flow rate of the 

condenser inlet air, in cfm. 

rco is the density of the condenser inlet air, 

in pounds mass per cubic feet (lbm/ft3). 

rci is the density of the condenser inlet air, 

in lbm/ft3. 

wco is the humidity ratio of condenser outlet 

air, in pounds mass of water vapor per 

pounds mass of dry air (lbw/lbda). 

wci is the humidity ratio of condenser inlet 

air, in lbw/lbda. 

The sensible heat contribution of the 

infiltration air would be calculated as 

follows: 

Where: 

Qs is the sensible heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h; 

m ̇ is the dry air mass flow rate of infiltration 

air for a single-duct or dual-dual duct 

unit, in lb/m; 

cp_da is the specific heat of dry air, 0.24 Btu/ 

lbm- °F. 

cp_wv is the specific heat of water vapor, 

0.444 Btu/lbm- °F. 

wia is the humidity ratio of the infiltration air, 

0.0141 lbw/lbda. 

wei is the humidity ratio of the evaporator 

inlet air, in lbw/lbda. 

60 is the conversion factor from minutes to 

hours. 

Tei is the indoor chamber dry-bulb 

temperature measured at the evaporator 

inlet, in °F. 

Tia is the infiltration air dry-bulb 

temperature, 95 °F. 

DOE used the following equation for 

the latent heat contribution of the 

infiltration air: 

Where: 

Ql is the latent heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

m ̇ is the mass flow rate of infiltration air for 

a single-duct or dual-dual duct unit, in 

lb/m. 

wia is the humidity ratio of the infiltration air, 

0.0141 lbw/lbda. 

wei is the humidity ratio of the evaporator 

inlet air, in lbw/lbda. 

Hfg is the latent heat of vaporization for water 

vapor, 1061 Btu/lbm. 

60 is the conversion factor from minutes to 

hours. 

The total heat contribution of the 

infiltration air is the sum of the sensible 

and latent heat. 

Qinfiltration = Qs + Ql

Where: 

Qinfiltration is the total infiltration air heat, in 

Btu/h. 

Qs is the sensible heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

Ql is the latent heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

Table III.5 displays the cooling 

capacity as determined by the baseline 

air enthalpy testing approach of AHAM 

PAC–1–2009, and the modified air 

enthalpy approach that subtracts the 

estimated infiltration air heat input from 

the cooling capacity measurement. 

TABLE III.5—MODIFIED AIR ENTHALPY PERFORMANCE

Test unit 

Cooling capacity (Btu/h) EERcm (Btu/Wh) 

Baseline Modified 

AHAM Baseline Modified AHAM 

SD1 .................................................................................................................. 5,850 ¥900 6.8 ¥1.0 

SD2 .................................................................................................................. 6,600 200 7.4 0.2 

SD3 .................................................................................................................. 10,950 4,050 7.5 2.8 


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TABLE III.5—MODIFIED AIR ENTHALPY PERFORMANCE—Continued 

Test unit 

Cooling capacity (Btu/h) EERcm (Btu/Wh) 

Baseline Modified 

AHAM Baseline Modified AHAM 

SD4 .................................................................................................................. 9,500 4,000 6.6 2.8 

SD5 .................................................................................................................. 5,600 400 8.3 0.6 

SD6 .................................................................................................................. 10,250 4,750 8.0 3.7 

SD7 .................................................................................................................. 8,550 3,500 6.4 2.6 

SD8 .................................................................................................................. 6,750 1,500 5.9 1.3 

SD9 .................................................................................................................. 6,700 1,150 6.9 1.2 

SD10 ................................................................................................................ 8,100 2,750 8.1 2.7 

SD11 ................................................................................................................ 5,700 1,350 5.7 1.4 

SD12 ................................................................................................................ 8,050 2,250 7.3 2.0 

SD13 ................................................................................................................ 10,350 4,450 8.6 3.7 

SD14 ................................................................................................................ 9,250 2,800 8.1 2.4 

SD15 ................................................................................................................ 4,250 ¥2,900 8.2 ¥5.6 

SD16 ................................................................................................................ 8,200 2,200 7.3 2.0 

SD17 ................................................................................................................ 5,800 ¥850 6.8 ¥1.0 

SD18 ................................................................................................................ 7,200 1,300 5.4 1.0 

DD1 .................................................................................................................. 8,600 6,550 7.4 5.6 

DD2 .................................................................................................................. 7,200 5,500 5.5 4.2 

DD3 .................................................................................................................. 5,950 4,150 4.8 3.4 

DD4 .................................................................................................................. 5,900 3,100 4.1 2.2 

DD5 .................................................................................................................. 5,250 3,200 5.3 3.2 

DD6 .................................................................................................................. 7,450 2,800 6.0 2.2 

DD7 .................................................................................................................. 7,300 4,200 5.7 3.3 

The data above show the significant 

reduction in cooling capacity and EERcm

caused by infiltration air heat input, 

which is greater for single-duct units 

than for dual-duct units. For three of the 

single-duct units, the impacts of 

infiltration air were so great that they 

produced net heating in the conditioned 

space, as indicated by the negative 

cooling capacity values. 

In response to this approach, which 

was presented in the May 2014 NODA, 

the Joint Commenters stated that this 

modified air enthalpy testing approach 

is not a suitable alternative to the 

proposed calorimeter approach. 

According to the Joint Commenters, the 

alternate testing approach would 

provide a significant improvement over 

the current industry test procedures by 

addressing the impact of infiltration air 

with a numerical adjustment, but the 

alternate testing approach fails to 

capture additional impacts on portable 

AC performance such as leakage 

through gaps in the ducts and duct 

connections and heat transfer through 

the ducts. The Joint Commenters 

expressed concern that DOE found no 

consistent difference between the 

calorimeter approach and the alternate 

test approach, and therefore believe the 

alternate test approach would not 

necessarily provide a good indication of 

real-world portable AC performance. 

Although the alternate testing approach 

may represent a lower testing burden 

compared to the calorimeter approach, 

the Joint Commenters reminded DOE 

that the current room AC test procedure 

is based on a calorimeter approach, and 

stated that the calorimeter approach is 

also appropriate for portable ACs. (Joint 

Commenters, No. 6 at p. 3) 

DOE recognizes that the modified air 

enthalpy approach and calorimeter 

approach both greatly reduce the 

cooling capacity and EERcm when 

compared with the results from AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 and other current 

industry-accepted test procedures that 

do not address infiltration air. Based on 

the data presented above and comments 

received from interested parties and 

manufacturer interviews, DOE believes 

that any portable AC test procedure 

must include the heat transfer effects of 

infiltration air, in addition to the effects 

of duct and case heat transfer, discussed 

later in this NOPR. DOE also recognizes 

that the results produced by the 

calorimeter and modified air enthalpy 

approaches do not align. However, as 

discussed earlier in this section, DOE 

found it difficult to maintain the test 

chamber conditions for the calorimeter 

approach, particularly for highercapacity portable ACs. Due to 

significant infiltration of air at 

conditions substantially different than 

the required indoor-side test chamber 

conditions, additional air conditioning 

equipment is required to maintain the 

indoor-side test chamber conditions, all 

of which must be accounted for in 

determining the net heating or cooling 

effect in the test chamber. DOE believes 

the cumulative uncertainty related to 

incorporating the heating and cooling 

effects from each of these components 

may have been significant enough to 

have resulted in the inconsistency 

between the calorimeter and modified 

air enthalpy approaches. The modified 

air enthalpy approach accounts for the 

major heating and cooling effects of the 

portable AC with direct measurements 

of the product air streams and 

temperature measurements of the case 

and ducts. Therefore, DOE is confident 

in the accuracy of the results from this 

test approach. 

Based on the significant heat input 

from infiltration air seen from testing, 

DOE determined that applying such a 

numerical adjustment for infiltration air 

to the results of testing with AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 would accurately reflect 

portable AC performance. Therefore, 

DOE proposes the adjusted cooling 

capacity be determined as follows: 

Adjusted Cooling Capacity = 

Capacitycm¥Qinfiltration¥Qmisc

Where: 

Capacitycm is the cooling capacity as 

determined in accordance with AHAM 

PAC–1–2014. 

Qinfiltration is the sum of sensible (Qs) and 

latent (Ql) heat transfer from infiltration 

air, as calculated above. 

Qmisc is the impact of other heat transfer 

effects, discussed in the following 

sections. 

iii. Test Conditions 

AHAM PAC–1–2014 requires twochamber air enthalpy testing in which 

the ‘‘indoor’’ standard rating conditions 

are maintained at the evaporator inlet of 

80.6 °F dry-bulb temperature and 66.2 

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°F wet-bulb temperature, which 

correspond to approximately 46-percent 

relative humidity. For single-duct units, 

the condenser inlet conditions are the 

same as the evaporator inlet. For dualduct units, the outdoor conditions, as 

monitored at the interface between the 

condenser inlet duct and outdoor test 

room, must be maintained at 95 °F drybulb temperature and 75.2 °F wet-bulb 

temperature (40-percent relative 

humidity). Because these conditions are 

close to those required by the DOE room 

air conditioner test procedure (80 °F 

dry-bulb temperature and 67 °F wetbulb temperature on the indoor side, 

and 95 °F dry-bulb temperature and 75 

°F wet-bulb temperature on the outdoor 

side), test results obtained for portable 

ACs under the proposed test procedure 

would be comparable to those for room 

ACs, which would allow consumers to 

directly compare these product types. 

Therefore, DOE proposes to utilize the 

following ambient conditions presented 

in 

Table III.6 below, based on those test 

conditions specified in Table 3, 

‘‘Standard Rating Conditions,’’ of 

AHAM PAC–1–2014. The test 

configurations in 

Table III.6 refer to the test 

configurations referenced in Table 2 of 

AHAM PAC–1–2014, with Test 

Configuration 3 applicable to dual-duct 

portable ACs and Test Configuration 5 

applicable to single-duct portable ACs. 

TABLE III.6—STANDARD RATING CONDITIONS—COOLING MODE

Test configuration 

Evaporator inlet air, °F (°C) Condenser inlet air, °F (°C) 

Dry bulb Wet bulb Dry bulb Wet bulb 

3 ....................................................................................................................... 80.6 (27) 66.2 (19) 95.0 (35) 75.2 (24) 

5 ....................................................................................................................... 80.6 (27) 66.2 (19) 80.6 (27) 66.2 (19) 

For single-duct units, AHAM PAC–1– 

2014 specifies identical evaporator and 

condenser inlet conditions, with the 

same allowable tolerances on the drybulb and wet-bulb temperatures. 

Depending upon the airflow and unit 

configuration, the evaporator and 

condenser inlet may be directly adjacent 

to one another or on opposite faces of 

the test unit case. Thus, although both 

evaporator and condenser inlets intake 

air from the same conditioned space, it 

is possible that the two inlet air 

conditions may not simultaneously 

meet the requirements in AHAM PAC– 

1–2014 due to slight non-homogeneity 

in the test chamber, even if one or the 

other inlet is within tolerance. 

Table 2b in Section 8.7 of ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 37–2009, referenced 

by AHAM PAC–1–2014, specifies that 

both condenser inlet and evaporator 

inlet dry-bulb temperatures must be 

maintained within a range of 2.0 °F and 

an average within 0.5 °F of the nominal 

values. However, test chambers may 

experience varying levels of 

homogeneity in test conditions and test 

laboratories may differently prioritize 

maintaining conditions at either the 

condenser inlet or evaporator inlet. 

Therefore, to ensure repeatability and 

reproducibility, DOE proposes in this 

NOPR to specify a more stringent 

tolerance for the evaporator inlet drybulb that is consistent with the 

evaporator inlet wet-bulb temperature 

tolerance, within a range of 1.0 °F with 

an average difference of 0.3 °F. The 

condenser inlet dry-bulb temperature 

would be maintained within the test 

tolerance as specified in Table 2b of 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37–2009. This 

tolerance modification will ensure that 

all test laboratories employ the same 

approach in testing, to first maintain the 

evaporator inlet test conditions and then 

ensure that condenser inlet conditions 

satisfy the tolerance requirements. 

As discussed in the May 2014 NODA, 

portable AC manufacturers typically 

provide a single mounting fixture for 

dual-duct units that houses both the 

condenser inlet and exhaust ducts to 

minimize installation time and optimize 

the use of window space. However, this 

approach typically positions the 

condenser inlet and exhaust directly 

adjacent to one another. During 

operation when installed in the field, 

short-circuiting may occur between 

some of the condenser exhaust air and 

the outdoor ambient air. DOE 

investigated the effects of potential 

condenser inlet and exhaust mixing and 

results indicated that there was minimal 

mixing between the condenser exhaust 

and inlet air flows. 79 FR 26639, 26648 

(May 9, 2014). 

In response to the May 2014 NODA, 

De’ Longhi commented that the 

condenser inlet and exhaust mixing 

only has a minimal influence as 

reported by DOE results. (De’ Longhi, 

No. 3 at p. 4) AHAM agreed with DOE’s 

conclusion that condenser exhaust air 

and inlet air mixing in dual-duct units 

need not be addressed or measured in 

a portable AC test procedure. (AHAM, 

No. 4 at p. 5) 

iv. Duct Heat Transfer and Leakage 

In response to the May 2014 NODA, 

the California IOUs commented that it is 

unclear if there is a standard test set-up 

in regards to length of ducting and 

distance from the portable AC to the 

outdoor chamber. They suggested that 

DOE should address alignment of the 

portable AC and the associated ducting, 

in relation to the outdoor chamber, 

including distance, duct length, duct 

insulation, and duct configuration (e.g., 

inclusion of bends). (California IOUs, 

No. 5 at p. 3) Section 7.3.7 and Figure 

2 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 address the 

required ducting arrangement and 

specifies the duct height, duct length, 

and spacing of the test unit in relation 

to the chamber walls. Additionally, duct 

insulation and unit placement are 

further discussed in this section and 

section III.B.1.a.viii of this NOPR. 

DOE also received comments from 

AHAM and De’ Longhi expressing 

concern about including in a portable 

AC test procedure the effects of heat loss 

through minimally insulated ducts. 

They commented that there is no 

standardized method to account for 

such heat loss and that incorporating 

duct heat loss and leakage would impact 

test reproducibility and repeatability. 

AHAM stated that the approach DOE 

used in its investigative testing for 

estimating duct heat transfer is overly 

complicated and unnecessary. 

Accordingly, AHAM and De’ Longhi 

suggested that the DOE test procedure 

should not address these factors. 

(AHAM, No. 4 at pp. 3–4; De’ Longhi, 

No. 3 at p. 3) 

As discussed in the May 2014 NODA, 

DOE investigated cooling performance 

impacts of uninsulated ducts and any 

air leakage at the duct connections or 

mounting fixtures. To quantify the heat 

transfer to the conditioned space 

through the minimally insulated 

condenser duct(s) and from any leaks at 

the duct connections or mounting 

fixture, DOE repeated the calorimeter 

testing with insulation surrounding the 

condenser ducts to benchmark results 

without this heat transfer for the initial 

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four single-duct and two dual-duct test 

units. DOE used insulation having a 

nominal R value of 6 (in units of hours- 

°F-square feet per Btu), with seams 

around the duct, adapter, and mounting 

bracket sealed with tape to minimize air 

leakage. To determine duct losses and 

air leakage effects, DOE compared 

results from these tests to the results 

from the initial calorimeter approach 

tests with no insulation. DOE found that 

uninsulated ducts and leaks in duct 

connections contribute anywhere from 

460 to 1,300 Btu/h, which correlate to 

percentages of uninsulated cooling 

capacity that range from 18 to 199 

percent. 79 FR 26639, 26645 (May 9, 

2014). Therefore, DOE determined that 

duct heat losses and air leakage are nonnegligible effects, and that duct 

configurations during the DOE test must 

be representative of actual usage. In 

addition, DOE notes that Section 7.3.3 

of AHAM PAC–1–2014 states that ‘‘the 

portable AC shall be tested with clean 

filters in place as supplied by the 

manufacturer. Other equipment 

recommended as part of the air 

conditioner shall be in place, as well.’’ 

DOE proposes, therefore, that all 

ducting components (e.g., duct, duct 

connections, and mounting bracket) as 

supplied by the manufacturer would be 

used for determining performance and 

would be installed in accordance with 

the manufacturer instructions. No 

additional sealing or insulation would 

be applied. 

Section 7.3.3.3 of ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37, as referenced by AHAM 

PAC–1–2014, specifies that the indoor 

cooling capacity shall be adjusted for 

heat transferred from the surface of 

ducts to the conditioned space. DOE 

recognizes that additional guidance may 

be necessary to determine such an 

adjustment, and for this reason proposes 

to account for heat transferred from the 

duct surface to the conditioned space in 

a portable AC test procedure 

methodology. 

DOE proposes that four equally 

spaced thermocouples be adhered to the 

side of the entire length of the 

condenser exhaust duct for single-duct 

units and to each of the condenser inlet 

and exhaust ducts for dual-duct units. 

To ensure accurate heat transfer 

estimates, DOE proposes that 

temperature measurements would be 

required to have an accuracy to within 

±0.5 °F. DOE proposes to average the 

four surface temperatures measurements 

to obtain Tduct for each duct. DOE 

further proposes that a convection heat 

transfer coefficient of 4 Btu/h per square 

foot per °F be used, based on an average 

of values for forced convection and free 

convection. The surface area of each 

duct would be calculated as follows: 

Aduct_j = p × dj × Lj

Where: 

dj is the outer duct diameter of duct ‘‘j’’. 

Lj is the extended length of duct ‘‘j’’ while 

under test. 

j represents the condenser exhaust duct and, 

for dual-duct units, condenser inlet duct. 

Heat transferred from the surface of 

the duct(s) to the indoor conditioned 

space while operating in cooling mode 

shall be calculated as follows: 

Qduct_cm = Sj{h × Aduct_j × (Tduct_j ¥ Tei)} 

Where: 

Qduct_cm is the total heat transferred from the 

duct(s) to the indoor conditioned space 

in cooling mode. 

h is the convection coefficient, 4 Btu/h per 

square foot per °F. 

Aduct_j is the surface area of duct ‘‘j’’, in 

square feet. 

Tduct_j is the average surface temperature for 

duct ‘‘j’’, in °F. 

j represents the condenser exhaust duct and, 

for dual-duct units, condenser inlet duct. 

Tei is the average evaporator inlet dry-bulb 

temperature, in °F. 

v. Case Heat Transfer 

As discussed previously in section 

III.B.1.a, DOE baseline testing 

incorporated a case heat transfer 

calculation, similar to that required to 

determine the heat transfer from the 

duct to the conditioned space in ANSI/ 

AHAM Standard 37–2009, in lieu of the 

evaporator circulating fan heat 

measurement specified in AHAM PAC– 

1–2014. To determine case heat transfer, 

DOE placed four thermocouples on each 

face of the case to calculate average 

surface temperatures throughout the 

cooling mode test period. Table III.7 

shows the average surface temperatures 

during the baseline testing for all singleduct and dual-duct test units. 

TABLE III.7—COOLING MODE CASE SURFACE TEMPERATURES

Test unit 

Average surface temperature during AHAM test (°F) 

Average 

Top Front Right Back Left Bottom 

SD1 .............................. 79.4 81.6 81.5 81.3 81.9 84.2 81.7 

SD2 .............................. 79.6 79.0 80.9 89.2 91.5 88.5 84.8 

SD3 .............................. 76.6 82.3 80.0 82.3 84.9 83.0 81.5 

SD4 .............................. 73.0 85.3 92.2 82.9 82.7 84.8 83.5 

SD5 .............................. 77.9 81.3 82.3 83.6 82.4 89.8 82.9 

SD6 .............................. 72.8 80.5 78.5 81.7 81.9 86.0 80.2 

SD7 .............................. 73.2 82.8 82.7 81.4 78.2 87.7 81.0 

SD8 .............................. 88.6 79.7 84.2 91.2 87.8 77.3 84.8 

SD9 .............................. 78.2 85.0 77.8 86.0 80.5 93.3 83.5 

SD10 ............................ 76.8 91.4 84.3 84.5 85.0 97.4 86.6 

SD11 ............................ 79.8 87.7 85.4 84.5 87.6 90.6 85.9 

SD12 ............................ 72.7 82.2 80.8 81.8 80.3 81.2 79.8 

SD13 ............................ 72.8 79.7 81.1 81.8 82.2 83.7 80.2 

SD14 ............................ 75.6 78.9 79.2 84.1 81.5 81.8 80.2 

SD15 ............................ 79.9 83.7 81.1 81.4 85.9 80.6 82.1 

SD16 ............................ 75.5 88.1 88.1 80.3 81.7 84.5 83.0 

SD17 ............................ 80.3 80.0 83.4 94.9 91.0 95.1 87.4 

SD18 ............................ 76.4 78.8 79.1 81.4 78.9 87.2 80.3 

DD1 .............................. 75.1 78.0 80.2 82.7 80.5 81.4 79.7 

DD2 .............................. 80.8 75.9 80.6 86.7 81.0 87.7 82.1 

DD3 .............................. 76.7 80.2 80.7 86.4 81.8 81.4 81.2 

DD4 .............................. 78.2 79.8 80.3 85.2 79.9 89.2 82.1 

DD5 .............................. 75.7 77.0 82.2 84.6 83.2 85.1 81.3 

DD6 .............................. 76.7 78.3 81.0 85.1 79.0 78.1 79.7 

DD7 .............................. 74.4 83.3 79.6 88.0 76.9 80.3 80.4 

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TABLE III.7—COOLING MODE CASE SURFACE TEMPERATURES—Continued 

Test unit 

Average surface temperature during AHAM test (°F) 

Average 

Top Front Right Back Left Bottom 

Average ........................ 77.1 81.6 81.9 84.5 82.7 85.6 ........................

As shown in Table III.7, surface 

temperature varies significantly among 

different case surfaces of a given test 

unit during cooling mode, and that 

variation is a function of the particular 

test unit. For example, temperatures on 

test unit SD1 ranged from a top surface 

temperature of 79.4 °F to a bottom side 

temperature of 84.2 °F, a range of 4.8 °F, 

while test unit SD10 had a top surface 

temperature of 76.8 °F and a bottom side 

temperature of 97.4 °F, a range of 20.7 

°F. Because each surface on a given test 

unit has a unique surface area and 

average surface temperature, DOE 

proposes that the heat transfer from the 

case to the ambient indoor space be 

calculated individually for each surface. 

In response to the same methodology 

proposed in the May 2014 NODA, 

AHAM commented that this approach 

for estimating case heat transfer is 

overly complicated and unnecessary. 

AHAM believes that the approach in 

AHAM PAC–1–2014, which directly 

measures the evaporator circulating fan 

heat, is easier and simpler. AHAM also 

stated that DOE’s method would 

introduce unnecessary variation in test 

results. (AHAM, No. 4 at p. 3) 

DOE acknowledges that the proposed 

case heat transfer approach would 

require additional instrumentation. 

However, DOE believes that the testing 

burden imposed by the use of multiple 

thermocouples to measure surface 

temperatures is likely outweighed by 

the benefit of addressing the heat 

transfer effects of all internal heating 

components. In contrast, AHAM PAC– 

1–2014 only considers the evaporator 

fan heat, which is just one of the 

components that generates heat 

internally. Further, the proposed surface 

temperature approach would provide a 

direct measure of the overall heat 

transfer of heat-contributing 

components within the case to the 

room, without assuming the proportion 

of heat transferred to either the cooling 

or heat rejection side. 

Therefore, DOE proposes in this 

NOPR that cooling mode testing include 

case surface heat transfer measured by 

means of four evenly spaced 

thermocouples placed on each case 

surface. The thermocouples would be 

positioned such that the case surface, 

when divided into quadrants, contains 

at least one thermocouple in each 

quadrant. If even spacing would result 

in a thermocouple being placed on an 

air inlet or exhaust grille, the 

thermocouple would be placed adjacent 

to the inlet or exhaust grille, 

maintaining the even spacing as closely 

as possible. To ensure accurate heat 

transfer estimates, DOE proposes to 

specify that temperature measurements 

be accurate to within ±0.5 °F. DOE 

further proposes to average the four 

surface temperatures measurements on 

each side to obtain Tcase for that side. 

The surface area of each case side, 

Acase, would be calculated as the 

product of the two primary surface 

dimensions, as follows: 

Acase_k = D1_k × D 2_k

Where: 

D1 and D2 are the two primary dimensions of 

the case side ‘‘k’’ exposed to ambient air. 

k represents the case sides including, front, 

back, right, left, top, and bottom. 

Heat transferred from all case sides to 

the indoor conditioned space would be 

calculated according to the following: 

Qcase_cm = Sk{h × Acase_k × (Tcase_k ¥ 

Tei)} 

Where: 

Qcase_cm is the total heat transferred from all 

case sides to the indoor conditioned 

space in cooling mode. 

h is the convection coefficient, 4 Btu/h per 

square foot per °F. 

k represents the case sides including: front, 

back, right, left, top, and bottom. 

Acase_k is the surface area of case side ‘‘k’’, 

in square feet. 

Tcase_k is the average surface temperature of 

case side ‘‘k’’, in °F. 

Tei is the average evaporator inlet air dry-bulb 

temperature, in °F. 

vi. Condensate Collection 

Many portable ACs include a feature 

to re-evaporate the condensate and 

remove it from the indoor space through 

the condenser exhaust air stream. This 

feature is performed by slinging or 

directing condensate that collects and 

drips off of the evaporator on to one or 

multiple condenser coil surfaces. All 

units in DOE’s test sample included this 

feature. In the event that the condensate 

collection rate exceeds the removal rate 

of the auto-evaporation feature and the 

internal condensate collection bucket 

fills, all of the units provide a drain 

option to remove the collected 

condensate. Portable ACs typically ship 

with this drain sealed with a temporary 

plug, although a consumer-supplied 

drain line may also be installed. 

Manufacturer setup instructions 

typically do not specify that a drain line 

be installed during normal operation, 

relying primarily instead on the autoevaporative condensate removal feature. 

In response to the May 2014 NODA, 

the California IOUs confirmed DOE’s 

research and indicated that there are 

different methods of handling 

condensate. Units may include an 

internal reservoir with a fill sensor to 

interrupt operation until the reservoir is 

emptied, a heater to re-evaporate the 

water into the exhaust air stream, or 

slingers that pass the condensate over 

the condenser to re-evaporate 

condensate and improve heat transfer. 

The California IOUs recommended that 

DOE address the different means of 

condensate handling. (California IOUs, 

No. 5 at p. 4) DOE agrees that a portable 

AC test procedure should recognize 

various methods of condensate removal 

to ensure comparable results among 

units with different condensate removal 

approaches. 

DOE’s investigative testing was 

conducted with a drain line attached to 

simplify condensate draining if 

necessary, but the line was elevated to 

simulate testing with the drain plug in 

place. Nonetheless, DOE observed that 

the auto-evaporation feature was 

effective for all test units under testing 

conditions so that no unit cycled off due 

to a full condensate bucket. Therefore, 

DOE proposes that the portable AC 

under test be set up in accordance with 

manufacturer instructions. If an autoevaporative feature is provided along 

with a condensate drain, and the drain 

setup is unspecified, the drain plug 

would remain in place as shipped and 

no means of condensate removal would 

be installed for the duration of cooling 

mode testing. If the internal bucket fills 

during testing, the test would be invalid 

and halted, the drain plug would be 

removed, means would be provided to 

drain the condensate from the unit, and 

the test would be started from the 

beginning. 

Section 7.1.2 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

contains provisions for portable ACs 

that incorporate condensate pumps that 

cycle to dispose condensate collected by 

the unit. DOE found through market 

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research and by investigating units in its 

test sample that units that include a 

condensate pump typically include an 

auto-evaporative feature. However, the 

activation of the condensate pump may 

differ in different operating modes. For 

example, one unit in DOE’s sample 

activated the condensate pump only in 

heating mode, with condensate removed 

solely via auto-evaporation in cooling 

mode. DOE did not observe any units in 

its test sample that depended upon only 

a condensate pump for removing 

condensate during cooling mode. 

Section 6.3.3 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

states that ‘‘. . . equipment 

recommended as part of the air 

conditioner shall be in place.’’ 

Therefore, DOE proposes that portable 

AC cooling mode testing would be 

performed in accordance with 

manufacturer installation and setup 

instructions, unless otherwise specified 

in the DOE test procedure. In addition, 

where available and as instructed by the 

manufacturer, DOE proposes that the 

auto-evaporation feature would be 

utilized for condensate removal during 

cooling mode testing. If no autoevaporative feature is available, the 

gravity drain would be used. If no autoevaporative feature or gravity drain is 

available, or if the manufacturer 

specifies the use of an included 

condensate pump during cooling mode 

operation, then DOE proposes that the 

portable AC would be tested with the 

condensate pump enabled. For these 

units, DOE also proposes to require the 

use of Section 7.1.2 of AHAM PAC–1– 

2014 if the pump cycles on and off. 

vii. Control Settings 

Portable ACs typically incorporate 

electronic controls that allow selection 

of the fan speed during cooling or 

heating mode. The highest fan speed 

will produce the most rapid rate of 

cooling or heating, while the lower fan 

speeds may be provided to reduce noise. 

Section 7.3.1 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

states that all adjustable settings, 

including fan speed, shall be set to 

achieve maximum capacity. Although 

the fan speed setting is clearly specified, 

it is not clear what setting should be 

selected for the cooling or heating 

setpoint. Many portable ACs have 

controls that allow consumers to select 

a target temperature, for example by 

setting the desired temperature or by 

adjusting a dial to a more or less cool 

setting. When the cooling setpoint 

temperature is lower than the ambient 

temperature, or higher than the ambient 

temperature in heating mode, the 

portable AC will operate continuously. 

AHAM PAC–1–2014 requires that the 

test chamber be maintained at 80.6 °F 

throughout the cooling mode test 

period, during which the unit must 

operate continuously, but does not 

specify a particular cooling setpoint 

temperature. To ensure that the test unit 

does not enter off-cycle mode, the test 

operator must select a control setting 

that corresponds to a temperature lower 

than 80.6 °F, particularly because no 

portable ACs in DOE’s test sample 

included a ‘‘continuous on’’ setting. 

Because DOE acknowledges the 

potential for a unit to operate differently 

when cooling controls are set to 

different target temperatures below 80.6 

°F, DOE proposes during cooling mode 

testing that the fan be set at the 

maximum speed if the fan speed is user 

adjustable and the temperature controls 

be set to the lowest available value. 

Similarly, as discussed in section 

III.B.1.b.i, DOE proposes during heating 

mode testing that the fan be set at the 

maximum speed if the fan speed is user 

adjustable and the temperature controls 

be set to the highest available value. 

These settings would likely best 

represent the settings that a consumer 

would select to achieve the primary 

function of the portable AC, which is to 

cool or heat the desired space as quickly 

as possible and then to maintain these 

conditions. 

A number of test units in DOE’s test 

sample included the option to oscillate 

the evaporator exhaust louvers to help 

circulate air throughout the conditioned 

space. Although AHAM PAC–1–2014 

does not directly address louver 

oscillation, Section 7.3.1 of AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 states that all adjustable 

setting such as louvers, fan speed, and 

special functions must be set for 

maximum capacity. Accordingly, if 

there is a setting that automatically 

opens and closes the louvers, this 

feature would be disabled for the 

entirety of the rating test period, and the 

louvers would be opened to allow 

maximum capacity. If there is a manual 

setting to control louver direction and 

opening size, in accordance with section 

7.3.1 of AHAM PAC–1–2014, the 

louvers shall be fully open to provide 

maximum airflow and capacity, and be 

positioned parallel to the air flow. 

However, this provision does not 

address an oscillating louver function 

that maintains constant and maximum 

louver exhaust area while redirecting 

the evaporator exhaust air flow. DOE 

does note, though, that AHAM PAC–1– 

2014 requires a constant external static 

pressure that is consistent with typical 

operation. The static pressure is initially 

affected by the test instrumentation that 

is placed over the evaporator exhaust 

grille to capture and measure the air 

flow rate, temperature, and humidity, 

such that a variable speed fan is 

required to adjust the external static 

pressure to ensure it is representative of 

normal operation. If the louvers were 

oscillating during the test period, the 

external static pressure measured at the 

evaporator exhaust would vary 

cyclically and thus the test would no 

longer be compliant with the required 

conditions. Also, oscillating louvers 

may interfere with the temperature and 

humidity instrumentation and possibly 

dislodge them, which could impact the 

measured performance and the integrity 

of the test procedure. In addition, DOE 

lacks information on the percentage of 

time that this feature is selected among 

those units equipped with oscillating 

louvers. Therefore, to provide 

comparable testing results in cooling 

mode for products with and without a 

louver oscillation feature, DOE proposes 

that portable AC cooling mode testing 

be conducted with any louver 

oscillation feature disabled. If the 

feature is included but there is no 

option to disable it, testing shall 

proceed with the louver oscillation 

enabled, without altering the unit 

construction or programming. DOE 

requests feedback on the proposal to 

disable louver oscillation where 

available and to maximize louver 

opening, either manually or by disabling 

an automatic feature. 

viii. Test Unit Placement 

Section 8.1.3 of ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37 states that the outdoor 

condition test room must be of sufficient 

volume and circulate air in a manner 

that does not change the normal aircirculation patterns of the unit under 

test. Specifically, the dimensions of the 

room must be sufficient to ensure that 

the distance from any room surface to 

any equipment surface where air is 

discharged is not less than 6 feet and the 

distance to all other equipment surfaces 

must be no less than 3 feet. However, no 

comparable requirements are specified 

for the indoor test room. When tested 

according to AHAM PAC–1–2014 and 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37, a portable 

AC is set up entirely within the indoor 

condition test room with the evaporator 

exhaust connected to instrumentation 

and ducted away from the test unit, and 

the condenser exhaust ducted with 

instrumentation to the outdoor test 

room. In that case, the requirements in 

Section 8.1.3 of ASNI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37 are not applicable, as no 

part of the case is within the outdoor 

condition test room. Instead, the 

portable AC is placed in the indoor 

condition test room, where walls and 

other obstructions may impede air flow 

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for the evaporator inlet for all 

configurations, and the condenser inlet 

for single-duct units. Therefore, to 

ensure performance is as repeatable and 

representative as possible, DOE 

concludes that the same distance 

requirements included in Section 8.1.3 

of ANSI/ASHARE Standard 37 would be 

applicable to the indoor condition test 

room when testing portable ACs. DOE 

proposes that for all portable AC 

configurations, there must be no less 

than 6 feet from the evaporator inlet to 

any chamber wall surfaces, and for 

single-duct units, there must be no less 

than 6 feet from the condenser inlet 

surface to any other wall surface. 

Additionally, there must be no less than 

3 feet between the other surfaces of the 

portable AC with no air inlet or exhaust 

(other than the bottom of the unit) and 

any wall surfaces. 

ix. Electrical Supply 

Section 7.3.2 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

does not require a specific test voltage, 

but rather states that the nameplate 

voltage shall be used. DOE notes that its 

dehumidifier test procedure requires a 

test voltage of either 115 or 230 volts 

(V), and these voltages would be 

comparable to those required for 

portable ACs, which are similar 

consumer products. To maintain 

repeatability and reproducibility for 

portable AC testing, DOE proposes that 

for active mode testing, the input 

standard voltage would be maintained 

at 115 V ±1 percent. DOE also proposes 

that the electrical supply be set to the 

nameplate listed rated frequency, 

maintained within ±1 percent. 

b. Heating Mode 

In response to the May 2014 NODA, 

DOE received a comment from the 

California IOUs suggesting that any 

future DOE test procedure for portable 

ACs include a measure of heating mode 

energy consumption. They stated that 

about 25 percent of models for sale at 

a major home improvement retailer 

include a heating function, and all of 

these models were marketed as a 

portable AC. The California IOUs 

suggested that DOE should ensure that 

the scope of a proposed test procedure 

that covers any products marketed as a 

portable AC also include testing the 

product’s heating performance. 

(California IOUs, No. 5 at pp. 3–4) 

DOE is aware that certain portable 

ACs, including some of the units in 

DOE’s test sample, incorporate a heating 

function in addition to cooling and aircirculation modes. During teardowns, 

DOE found that there are two primary 

approaches to implement a heating 

function for portable ACs. The first, and 

most common, is a reverse-cycle heat 

pump, which requires a four-way 

reversing solenoid valve in the 

refrigerant loop that reroutes the 

refrigerant flow and converts the cooling 

air conditioning system to a heat pump. 

The second type of heating that DOE 

observed during teardowns was a 

resistance heater installed adjacent to 

the evaporator and in line with the 

evaporator exhaust air stream. 

In consideration of the comment 

received and DOE’s market and 

teardown observations, DOE conducted 

additional research to determine 

whether it could incorporate 

appropriate test methodology to 

measure heating mode energy 

consumption in a DOE portable AC test 

procedure. 

i. General Test Approach 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37, the basis 

for DOE’s proposed air enthalpy cooling 

mode test procedure, is intended for 

heat pump equipment in addition to air 

conditioning equipment. Section 1.1 of 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37 states that 

the purpose of the standard is, in 

addition to determining cooling 

capacity of air conditioning equipment, 

providing methods to determine cooling 

and heating capacities of heat pump 

equipment. DOE reviewed ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 37 and determined 

that the same test chamber and 

instrumentation requirements and 

capacity calculations would apply to 

portable AC heating mode testing as for 

the proposed cooling mode testing. 

Further, as with the cooling mode test, 

the unit configurations included in 

AHAM PAC–1–2014 would be 

applicable to a heating mode test. 

Therefore, DOE proposes that the test 

unit be set up for a heating mode energy 

consumption test in accordance with 

the unit and duct setup requirements of 

AHAM PAC–1–2014, including those in 

Table 2 and Figure 1 of that standard. 

DOE also proposes to specify the same 

test requirements as for cooling mode, 

including infiltration air, duct heat 

transfer, case heat transfer, control 

settings, and test unit placement, 

discussed in the subsections of section 

III.B.1.a of this NOPR. However, DOE 

proposes that the temperature setpoint 

for heating mode be at the highest 

available temperature setting to ensure 

continuous operation. 

ii. Ambient Test Conditions 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37 specifies 

the test setup, instrumentation, and test 

conduct, but does not specify the 

ambient test conditions for testing. For 

cooling mode, AHAM PAC–1–2014 

provides the ambient test conditions for 

testing. To determine appropriate test 

conditions for a heating mode test, DOE 

reviewed ANSI/Air-Conditioning, 

Heating, and Refrigeration Institute 

(AHRI) 210/240—2008, ‘‘Performance 

Rating of Unitary Air-Conditioning and 

Air-Source Heat Pump Equipment’’ 

(ANSI/AHRI 210/240), which provides 

test conditions for determining 

performance of ACs and heat pumps. 

Table 4 of Section 6.1.4.2 of ANSI/AHRI 

210/240 provides three test conditions 

in heating mode for a heat pump with 

a single-speed compressor and a fixedspeed indoor fan. The indoor air 

temperatures are the same for all three 

tests, 70 °F dry-bulb and 60 °F wet-bulb. 

For the outdoor air inlet temperatures, 

the high-temperature test, ‘‘H1,’’ 

requires 47 °F dry-bulb and 43 °F wetbulb, while the frost accumulation test, 

‘‘H2,’’ requires 35 °F dry-bulb and 33 °F 

wet-bulb, and the low-temperature test, 

‘‘H3,’’ specifies 17 °F dry-bulb and 15 °F 

wet bulb. 

DOE believes that the test conditions 

for H1 are the most representative of 

typical heating mode use for portable 

ACs, which are likely used as 

supplemental or low-capacity heaters 

when a central heating system is not 

necessary or operating. Therefore, DOE 

proposes the following ambient air test 

conditions as shown in Table III.8 

below, with the test configurations 

referring to the test configurations 

referenced in Table 2 of AHAM PAC–1– 

2014. Test Configuration 3 is applicable 

to dual-duct portable ACs, and Test 

Configuration 5 is applicable to singleduct portable ACs. DOE notes that the 

terms ‘‘Evaporator’’ and ‘‘Condenser’’ 

refer to the heat exchanger configuration 

in cooling mode, not the reverse-cycle 

heating mode. This terminology 

maintains consistency with the cooling 

mode test conditions specification and 

would still be applicable for portable 

ACs that incorporate a resistance heater. 

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TABLE III.8—STANDARD RATING CONDITIONS—HEATING MODE

Test configuration 

Evaporator inlet air, °F (°C) Condenser inlet air, °F (°C) 

Dry LBulb Wet LBulb Dry bulb Wet bulb 

3 ....................................................................................................................... 70.0 (21.1) 60.0 (15.6) 47.0 (8.33) 43.0 (6.11) 

5 ....................................................................................................................... 70.0 (21.1) 60.0 (15.6) 70.0 (21.1) 60.0 (15.6) 

iii. Adjusted Heating Capacity 

Calculation 

Under the proposed heating mode 

testing conditions, DOE expects that the 

calculations provided by AHAM PAC– 

1–2014 would result in negative cooling 

(i.e., heating) capacity values because 

the outdoor side temperature is lower 

than the indoor side temperature. 

Therefore, DOE proposes to multiply the 

resulting capacity by ¥1 to produce a 

positive value that would represent the 

amount of heating produced rather than 

cooling. Further, because heat transfer 

from the ducts and the case to the room 

would decrease the net heating in the 

conditioned space, these negative 

heating values must be added to the 

heating capacity in the adjusted 

capacity calculation. For the infiltration 

air heat transfer, the lower temperature 

of the infiltration air compared to the 

evaporator inlet temperature results in a 

negative temperature differential in the 

heat transfer calculation, which would 

result in a negative value for the heat 

contribution to the conditioned space. 

Thus, the infiltration air provides net 

cooling, and the resulting negative value 

would also be added to the heating 

capacity to obtain the adjusted heating 

capacity (AHC) in the heating mode, 

expressed in Btu/h, according to the 

following: 

AHC = Capacityhm + Qduct_hm + Qcase_hm

+ Qinfiltration_hm

Where: 

Capacityhm is the heating capacity measured 

in section 4.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qduct_hm is the duct heat transfer while 

operating in heating mode, measured in 

section 4.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qcase_hm is the case heat transfer while 

operating in heating mode, measured in 

section 4.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qinfiltration_hm is the infiltration air heat 

transfer while operating in heating mode, 

measured in section 4.1.2 of this 

appendix. 

2. Off-Cycle Mode 

Certain portable ACs maintain blower 

operation without activation of the 

compressor after the temperature 

setpoint has been reached, rather than 

entering standby mode or off mode, or 

may operate with a combination of 

periods of blower operation and standby 

mode after reaching the setpoint. The 

fan-only operation may be intended to 

draw air over the internal thermostat to 

monitor ambient conditions, or may 

occur immediately following a period of 

cooling mode to defrost and dry the 

evaporator coil (or the condenser coil 

when operating in reverse-cycle heating 

mode). The blower may operate 

continuously, or may cycle on and off 

intermittently. In addition, some units 

allow the consumer to select operation 

of the blower continuously for air 

circulation purposes, without activation 

of the refrigeration system. 

The existing industry portable AC test 

procedures do not presently contain 

provisions to measure energy use during 

this fan-only operation. However, DOE 

recently proposed a method for 

determining fan-only mode energy use 

in DOE’s test procedure for 

dehumidifiers based on existing 

methodologies for measuring power 

consumption in standby mode and off 

mode (hereinafter referred to as the 

‘‘dehumidifier test procedure NOPR’’). 

79 FR 29272 (May 21, 2014). In the 

dehumidifier test procedure NOPR, DOE 

proposed measuring fan-only mode 

average power by adjusting the setpoint 

to a relative humidity that is higher than 

the ambient relative humidity to ensure 

that the refrigeration system does not 

cycle on. To minimize testing burden, 

DOE proposed that the testing may be 

conducted immediately after the 

conclusion of dehumidification mode 

testing while maintaining the same 

ambient conditions, or may be 

conducted separately under the test 

conditions specified for standby mode 

and off mode testing. Id. at 29291. 

In the dehumidifier test procedure 

NOPR, DOE observed that the period of 

cyclic fan operation was approximately 

10 minutes for dehumidifiers with 

cyclical fan-operation in fan-only mode. 

In addition, DOE’s research indicated 

that some units may cycle on for a 

period of a few minutes per hour. In 

order to obtain a representative average 

measure of fan-only mode power 

consumption, DOE proposed that the 

fan power be measured and averaged 

over a period of 1 hour for fan-only 

mode in which the fan operates 

continuously. For fan-only mode in 

which the fan operates cyclically, the 

average fan-only mode power would be 

measured over a period of 3 or more full 

cycles for no less than 1 hour. DOE also 

clarified that units with adjustable fan 

speed settings would be set to the 

maximum fan speed during fan-only 

mode testing, because the maximum 

speed is typically recommended to 

consumers as the setting that produces 

the maximum moisture removal rate. Id. 

DOE subsequently published a 

supplemental notice of proposed 

rulemaking (SNOPR) on February 4, 

2015, that modified the proposal in the 

dehumidifier test procedure NOPR 

based on feedback from interested 

parties and further research (hereinafter 

referred to as the ‘‘dehumidifier test 

procedure SNOPR’’). 80 FR 5994. DOE 

withdrew the fan-only mode definition 

proposed in the dehumidifier test 

procedure NOPR and instead modified 

the proposed ‘‘off-cycle mode’’ 

definition to encompass all operation 

when dehumidification mode has 

cycled off after the humidity setpoint 

has been reached. DOE proposed to 

define off-cycle mode as a mode in 

which the dehumidifier: 

(1) Has cycled off its main moisture 

removal function by humidistat, 

humidity sensor, or control setting; 

(2) May or may not operate its fan or 

blower; and 

(3) May reactivate the main moisture 

removal function according to the 

humidistat or humidity sensor signal. 

(Id.) 

During investigative testing for this 

rulemaking, DOE found that all portable 

ACs in its test sample operate the fan in 

off-cycle mode, similar to 

dehumidifiers, once cooling mode 

operation reduces the ambient 

temperature below the set point. DOE 

investigated the approach for measuring 

this fan operation as a part of off-cycle 

mode, as was proposed in the 

dehumidifier test procedure SNOPR, 

and found that it was applicable to 

portable ACs. Table III.9 shows the 

results from this portable AC off-cycle 

mode investigative testing. 

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TABLE III.9—POWER IN OFF-CYCLE MODE * 

Single-duct Dual-duct 

Unit Unit power 

(W) Unit Unit power (W) 

SD1 ............................................................................................................................................ 175 .0 DD1 69.3 

SD3 ............................................................................................................................................ 60 .4 DD2 76.9 

SD4 ............................................................................................................................................ 85 .1 DD4 224.9 

SD5 ............................................................................................................................................ 109 .6 DD5 47.6 

SD6 ............................................................................................................................................ 80 .14 DD6 76.3 

SD7 ............................................................................................................................................ 77 .0 DD7 74.8 

SD8 ............................................................................................................................................ 211 .0 

SD9 ............................................................................................................................................ 91 .2 

SD10 .......................................................................................................................................... 108 .3 

SD11 .......................................................................................................................................... 87 .9 

SD12 .......................................................................................................................................... 49 .7 

SD13 .......................................................................................................................................... 50 .0 

SD14 .......................................................................................................................................... 55 .4 

SD15 .......................................................................................................................................... 38 .9 

SD16 .......................................................................................................................................... 95 .1 

* Data for units SD2 and DD3 were not available 

Due to the similarity between 

dehumidifiers and portable ACs, and to 

maintain harmonization among similar 

test procedures, DOE proposes in this 

NOPR that off-cycle mode for portable 

ACs be defined as proposed in the 

dehumidifier test procedure SNOPR, 

modified for portable AC operation in 

either cooling or heating mode. 

Specifically, DOE proposes to define offcycle mode as a mode in which the 

portable air conditioner: 

(1) Has cycled off its main heating or 

cooling function by thermostat or 

temperature sensor; 

(2) May or may not operate its fan or 

blower; and 

(3) Will reactivate the main cooling or 

heating function according to the 

thermostat or temperature sensor signal. 

In the dehumidifier test procedure 

SNOPR, DOE proposed that off-cycle 

mode measurement begin immediately 

following compressor operation for the 

dehumidification mode test to ensure 

sufficient condensation on the 

evaporator to initiate fan operation for 

those units that dry the evaporator coil. 

DOE asserted that conducting the offcycle mode test subsequent to the 

dehumidification mode test would 

capture all energy use of the 

dehumidifier under conditions that 

meet the newly proposed off-cycle mode 

definition, including fan operation 

intended to dry the evaporator coil, 

sample the air, or circulate the air. 80 

FR 5994. 

In this NOPR, DOE proposes that 

portable AC off-cycle mode energy use 

be measured five minutes after the 

termination of compressor operation in 

cooling mode. Because the evaporator is 

still cool at the end of compressor 

operation in cooling mode, additional 

room cooling is possible through 

continued fan operation at relatively 

low energy consumption. Therefore, 

DOE proposes the 5-minute delay before 

the start of off-cycle mode testing to 

prevent penalizing manufacturers for 

utilizing the cooling potential of the 

evaporator following the compressor 

cycle. Continued fan operation once that 

cooling potential is no longer available 

would be included as off-cycle mode 

energy consumption and factored into 

the CEER measurement. 

In the dehumidifier test procedure 

SNOPR, DOE determined, based on data 

from its testing, that 2 hours is a typical 

off-cycle duration and would therefore 

be a representative test duration for offcycle mode. 80 FR 5994. In lieu of field 

data for portable AC operation in offcycle mode, and due to the similarity 

between typical portable dehumidifiers 

and portable ACs, DOE believes that the 

analysis conducted for dehumidifiers is 

representative for portable ACs. 

Therefore, DOE proposes that the offcycle mode test begin 5 minutes after 

the completion of the cooling mode test 

and end after a period of 2 hours. DOE 

further proposes that the electrical 

supply be the same as specified for 

cooling mode, as discussion section 

III.B.1.a.ix, and that this measurement 

be made using the same power meter 

specified for standby mode and off 

mode, as discussed in section III.3. 

DOE further proposes to require that, 

for units with adjustable fan speed 

settings, the fan be set at the maximum 

speed during fan-only mode testing, 

because the maximum speed is typically 

recommended to consumers as the 

setting that produces the maximum rate 

of cooling or heating. 

DOE estimates that off-cycle mode 

energy consumption is similar for 

periods following both heating mode 

and cooling mode because the fan speed 

setting is selected by the same controls 

and all other significantly energy 

consumptive components are disabled. 

Therefore, to minimize testing burden, 

DOE proposes that off-cycle mode 

testing be conducted only after cooling 

mode. Annual hours for off-cycle mode 

would be allocated for the total hours in 

this mode following either cooling mode 

or heating mode. 

3. Standby Mode and Off Mode 

Section 310 of the Energy 

Independence and Security Act of 2007 

(EISA 2007), Public Law 110–140, 

amended EPCA to require DOE to 

amend the test procedures for covered 

products to address standby mode and 

off mode energy consumption. 

Specifically, the amendments require 

DOE to integrate standby mode and off 

mode energy consumption into the 

overall energy efficiency, energy 

consumption, or other energy descriptor 

for each covered product unless the 

current test procedures already fully 

account for such consumption or 

integration of such test procedure is 

technically infeasible. If integration is 

technically infeasible, DOE must 

prescribe a separate standby mode and 

off mode energy use test procedure, if 

technically feasible. (42 U.S.C. 

6295(gg)(2)(A)) Any such amendment 

must consider the most current versions 

of IEC Standard 62301, ‘‘Household 

electrical appliances—Measurement of 

standby power,’’ and IEC Standard 

62087, ‘‘Methods of measurement for 

the power consumption of audio, video, 

and related equipment.’’ Id. 

In addition, these amendments direct 

DOE to incorporate standby mode and 

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off mode energy use into any final rule 

establishing or revising an energy 

conservation standard for a covered 

product adopted after July 1, 2010. If it 

is not feasible to incorporate standby 

mode and off mode into a single 

amended or new standard, then the 

statute requires DOE to prescribe a 

separate standard to address standby 

mode and off mode energy 

consumption. (42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(3)) 

a. Mode Definitions 

Should DOE determine to classify 

portable ACs as a covered product, DOE 

would be required to promulgate energy 

conservation standards that incorporate 

energy use in active mode, standby 

mode, and off mode into a single metric, 

if feasible, in accordance with EISA 

2007. (42 U.S.C. 6295 (gg)(3)) In 

addition, a DOE test procedure for 

portable ACs would be required to 

measure and, if feasible, integrate 

standby mode and off mode energy 

consumption into the overall energy 

descriptor. (42 U.S.C. 6295 (gg)(2)) 

Therefore, DOE is proposing the 

following definitions and methods to 

measure standby mode and off mode 

energy consumption for portable ACs. 

Based on the similar components and 

primary function to room ACs and 

dehumidifiers, DOE proposes standby 

mode and off mode definitions for 

portable ACs that are similar to those 

included in the room AC and 

dehumidifier test procedures found in 

appendix F and appendix X, 

respectively, codified at 10 CFR part 

430, subpart B. 

‘‘Standby mode’’ would mean any 

mode where a portable air conditioner 

is connected to a mains power source 

and offers one or more of the following 

user-oriented or protective functions 

which may persist for an indefinite 

time: 

(a) To facilitate the activation of other 

modes (including activation or 

deactivation of active mode) by remote 

switch (including remote control), 

internal sensor, or timer; or 

(b) Continuous functions, including 

information or status displays 

(including clocks) or sensor-based 

functions. A timer is a continuous clock 

function (which may or may not be 

associated with a display) that provides 

regular scheduled tasks (e.g., switching) 

and that operates on a continuous basis. 

DOE is aware of two relevant modes 

that would meet the proposed definition 

of standby mode for portable ACs: (1) 

Inactive mode and (2) bucket-full mode. 

Portable ACs often include a digital 

control board with switches or a remote 

control device to modify settings and 

initiate or disable cooling, heating, or air 

circulation. When the unit is plugged in 

and awaiting a signal to initiate one of 

the active modes, it would be 

considered to be in ‘‘inactive mode.’’ 

That is, inactive mode would be defined 

as a standby mode that facilitates the 

activation of active mode by remote 

switch (including remote control), 

internal sensor, or timer, or that 

provides continuous status display. 

Unlike room ACs, portable ACs are 

installed and operated entirely within 

the conditioned space, and thus do not 

have a means to discharge any liquid 

condensate directly outdoors. Although 

many portable ACs incorporate a feature 

to re-evaporate the condensate and 

exhaust it in the condenser outlet air 

stream, under certain ambient 

conditions this moisture removal rate 

may not be high enough to exhaust all 

of the condensate. Thus, portable ACs 

may enter a ‘‘bucket-full mode’’ when 

the condensate level in the internal 

collection container reaches a 

manufacturer-specified threshold or the 

collection container is removed; any 

cooling, heating, or air-circulation 

functions are disabled; and an 

indication is provided to the consumer 

that the container is full. The portable 

AC will reactivate the main cooling, 

heating, or air-circulation function once 

the collection container is drained or 

emptied and is in place in the unit. 

DOE is also aware of an additional 

low-power mode for portable ACs with 

power consumption levels comparable 

to inactive mode and bucket-full modes. 

‘‘Delay-start mode’’ facilitates activation 

of an active mode by a timer. Due the 

similarity in power consumption levels 

between delay-start mode and inactive 

mode, DOE proposes to consider the 

power consumption in inactive mode as 

representative of delay-start mode and 

to include the operating hours for delaystart mode in the estimate for inactive 

mode operating hours for the purposes 

of calculating a combined metric. In 

other words, DOE is not proposing to 

measure delay-start mode. DOE believes 

that this approach will minimize test 

burden and simplify testing and 

determination of overall performance. 

Although all units in DOE’s test 

sample had electronic controls and 

therefore default to inactive mode when 

connected to a power source, DOE 

recognizes that some portable ACs may 

instead utilize electromechanical 

controls, and therefore may employ an 

‘‘off mode,’’ in which a portable AC is 

connected to a mains power source and 

is not providing any active mode or 

standby mode function, and where the 

mode may persist for an indefinite time. 

An indicator that only shows the user 

that the product is in the off position is 

included within the classification of an 

off mode. 

b. Determination of Standby Mode and 

Off Mode Power Consumption 

In accordance with the requirements 

of EISA 2007, DOE is proposing to 

specify testing equipment and 

conditions for measuring standby mode 

and off mode power consumption in the 

portable AC test procedure based on the 

provisions from IEC Standard 62301. (42 

U.S.C. 6295 (gg)(1)(B)) The measured 

wattages would then be used in 

calculations to determine standby mode 

and off mode energy consumption. DOE 

has reviewed IEC Standard 62301, and 

tentatively concluded that it is generally 

applicable to portable ACs, with certain 

clarifications, and notes that a similar 

determination has already been made 

for the DOE test procedures for closelyrelated covered products, such as 

dehumidifiers and room air 

conditioners. AHAM PAC–1–2014 also 

references IEC Standard 62301 for 

portable AC standby power 

measurements. 

In examining portable AC operation, 

DOE recognizes that there is a certain 

commonality between inactive mode 

and bucket-full mode, in that there are 

no major energy-consuming components 

energized and there is typically only a 

display to the consumer that provides 

information as to product status. 

Therefore, DOE expects that the power 

consumption these two modes is 

comparable. 

In the interest of reducing testing 

burden, DOE proposes not to require the 

power consumption in both of these 

modes be measured individually. 

Rather, DOE proposes that the power 

consumption in just inactive mode 

would be measured, and the annual 

hours assigned to that power 

measurement would be the sum of 

annual hours for inactive mode and 

bucket-full mode. DOE requests 

comment on this proposed 

simplification of testing, including 

whether the resulting calculation would 

adequately represent product energy use 

and whether it would instead be 

appropriate to measure each mode 

separately. 

DOE proposes that the test room 

ambient air temperatures for standby 

mode and off mode testing would be 

specified in accordance with Section 4, 

Paragraph 4.2 of IEC Standard 62301. 

The IEC standard specifies a 

temperature range of 73.4 ± 9 °F, while 

the proposed DOE test procedure for 

portable ACs would specify an indoorside test room ambient temperature of 

80.6 ± 0.5 °F dry-bulb temperature for 

the cooling mode test and 70.0 ± 0.5 °F 

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10234 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

dry-bulb temperature for the heating 

mode test. This proposed test procedure 

would allow manufacturers of portable 

ACs to conduct active mode efficiency 

testing and standby mode and off mode 

power consumption testing 

simultaneously in the same room on 

multiple portable ACs, as long as the 

temperature and setup requirements 

(e.g., duct setup, instrumentation, unit 

placement) for both tests are met. 

Alternatively, the proposed temperature 

specifications taken from IEC Standard 

62301 would allow a manufacturer that 

opts to conduct standby mode and off 

mode testing separately from active 

mode testing to use the ambient 

temperature requirements of 73.4 ± 9 °F. 

DOE requests comment on the 

appropriateness of this proposed test 

room ambient temperature range. DOE 

further proposes that the portable AC 

would be installed in accordance with 

the unit installation and preparation 

instructions in Section 5.2 of IEC 62301, 

while disregarding the provisions 

regarding batteries and the 

determination, classification, and 

testing of relevant modes. DOE is not 

aware of any portable ACs that 

incorporate batteries other than in 

remote controls. 

For the duration of standby-mode and 

off-mode testing, DOE proposes that the 

electrical supply voltage shall be 

maintained at 115 V ±1 percent and 

supply frequency would be maintained 

at the rated frequency within ±1 

percent. DOE notes that these 

requirements are consistent with those 

proposed for cooling mode, and the 

tolerances are in accordance with 

Section 4, Paragraph 4.3.1 of IEC 

Standard 62301. The supply voltage 

waveform and wattmeter would comply 

with the requirements in Section 4, 

Paragraphs 4.3.2 and 4.4 of IEC 

Standard 62301, respectively. 

DOE is aware that some portable ACs 

may reduce power consumption after a 

period of user inactivity after entering 

standby mode or off mode. For products 

whose power consumption in standby 

mode or off mode varies in this manner 

during testing, DOE proposes that the 

test for inactive mode and off mode be 

conducted after the power level has 

dropped to its lowest level, as discussed 

in Note 1 in Section 5.1 of IEC Standard 

62301. DOE further proposes that the 

test procedure in Section 5, Paragraph 

5.3.2 of IEC Standard 62301 then be 

followed for inactive mode, off-cycle 

mode, and off mode, as available on the 

test unit. 

4. Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio 

In accordance with the requirements 

of EISA 2007, DOE is required for 

covered products to establish a single 

energy conservation standard metric 

that incorporates standby mode and off 

mode energy use, if feasible, for 

standards adopted after July 1, 2010. (42 

U.S.C. 6295(gg)(3)(A)) For certain 

products, including dehumidifiers and 

room ACs, DOE has combined the 

energy use for active modes, off-cycle 

mode, standby modes, and off mode 

into a single efficiency metric using a 

weighted average based on annual 

operating hours in each mode. DOE 

proposes a similar approach for portable 

ACs based on operating hours per mode 

which may be available on the unit, 

including cooling mode, heating mode, 

off-cycle mode (with and without fan 

operation), inactive mode (including 

bucket-full mode), and off mode. As 

discussed previously in section III.B.1 of 

this NOPR, DOE is not addressing 

dehumidification mode for portable ACs 

in this proposal because the annual 

operating hours are likely small and it 

is not technically feasible to integrate 

the efficiency descriptor with an EER 

metric. 

a. CEER Calculations 

DOE proposes the following approach 

to combine energy use in each of the 

considered modes into a single 

integrated efficiency metric, CEER. 

Average power in each mode would be 

measured according to the proposals in 

section III.B.1.a through section III.B.1.2 

and section III.B.3 of this NOPR, and 

then individually multiplied by the 

annual operating hours for each 

respective mode, discussed in section 

III.4.b of this NOPR. 

AECm = Pm × tm × k 

Where: 

AECm is the annual energy consumption in 

each mode, in kWh/year. 

Pm is the average power in each mode, in 

watts (W). 

tm is the number of annual operating hours 

in each mode. 

m designates the operating mode (‘‘cm’’ 

cooling, ‘‘hm’’ heating, ‘‘oc’’ off-cycle, 

and ‘‘im’’ inactive or ‘‘om’’ off mode). 

k is 0.001 kWh/Wh conversion factor for 

watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. 

Total annual energy consumption in 

all modes except cooling and heating 

would be calculated as follows. 

AECT = SmAECm

Where: 

AECT is the total annual energy consumption 

attributed to all modes except cooling 

and heating, in kWh/year. 

AECm is the annual energy consumption in 

each mode, in kWh/year. 

m represents the operating modes included 

in AECT (‘‘oc’’ off-cycle, and ‘‘im’’ 

inactive or ‘‘om’’ off mode). 

In this NOPR, DOE proposes in 10 

CFR 430.23 that the annual energy 

consumption in cooling mode, AECcm

and the total annual energy 

consumption in all modes except 

cooling and heating, AECT, would be 

utilized in calculating the estimated 

annual operating cost. The sum of the 

two annual energy consumption metrics 

would then be multiplied by a 

representative average unit cost of 

electrical energy in dollars per kilowatthour as provided by the Secretary to 

obtain the estimated annual operating 

cost. 

For units with only cooling mode, a 

combined cooling mode EER (CEERcm) 

can be calculated. For purposes of 

comparison, DOE proposes calculating a 

CEERcm for units that also include 

heating mode. In this case, the metric 

would be calculated assuming heating 

mode is not used and therefore, the 

operating hours that would have been 

attributed to heating mode and other 

associated operating modes during the 

heating season would be apportioned as 

for portable ACs without a heating 

mode. DOE believes that the resulting 

CEERcm is a meaningful metric for 

portable ACs without a heating 

function, a basis for comparing cooling 

mode efficiency for units that include 

heating function, as well as a metric that 

could be compared to other cooling 

products, such as room ACs. 

Where: 

CEERcm is the combined energy efficiency 

ratio in cooling mode, in Btu/Wh. 

ACC is the adjusted cooling capacity, in Btu/ 

h. 

AECcm is the annual energy consumption in 

cooling mode, in kWh/year. 

AECT is the total annual energy consumption 

attributed to all modes except cooling 

and heating, in kWh/year. 

t is the number of hours per year, 8,760. 

k is 0.001 kWh/Wh conversion factor for 

watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. 

For portable ACs without a heating 

function, the overall energy efficiency 

metric, or CEER, would be equal to the 

CEERcm. However, for units with both 

cooling and heating mode, the overall 

CEER, a weighted average of the cooling 

and heating mode capacities and energy 

consumption in all applicable modes, 

would be calculated as follows. 


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12See 73 FR 74639 (Dec.9, 2008). 13RECS data are available at: http://www.eia.gov/ 

consumption/residential/data/2009/‘‘www.eia.gov/

consumption/residential/data/2009/. 

14More information can be found at: 

www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/tenants/heat-and-hotwater.shtml. 

Where: 

CEER is the combined energy efficiency ratio, 

in Btu/Wh. 

ACC is the adjusted cooling capacity, in Btu/ 

h. 

AHC is the adjusted heating capacity, in Btu/ 

h. 

hcm and hhm are the cooling and heating mode 

operating hours, respectively. 

AECcm is the annual energy consumption in 

cooling mode, in kWh/year. 

AEChm is the annual energy consumption in 

heating mode, in kWh/year. 

AECT is the total annual energy consumption 

attributed to all modes except cooling 

and heating, in kWh/year. 

t is the number of hours per year, 8,760. 

k is 0.001 kWh/Wh conversion factor for 

watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. 

b. Mode Annual Operating Hours 

DOE developed several estimates of 

portable AC annual operating mode 

hours for cooling, heating, off-cycle, and 

inactive or off modes. DOE proposes the 

CEER calculations and proposes one of 

the estimates of annual mode hours that 

would be used to obtain an integrated 

measure of energy use in all operating 

modes. DOE requests comment on the 

proposed CEER calculation and 

estimates. 

Because the primary function of 

portable ACs and room ACs is similar, 

DOE considered the room AC annual 

operating hours presented in the room 

AC test procedure NOPR (hereinafter 

referred to as ‘‘the room AC test 

procedure NOPR’’) 12 as a proxy for 

portable AC usage in this analysis. In 

the room AC test procedure NOPR, DOE 

estimated that half of all room ACs are 

unplugged for half of the year. 73 FR 

74639, 74648. Averaging this estimated 

unplugged time over all units resulted 

in a total 2,190 unplugged hours per 

unit in which no energy is consumed, 

leaving 6,570 hours in which the unit is 

plugged in. DOE further estimated that 

the primary cooling season is 90 days 

per year, or 2,160 hours. Id. Portable 

ACs, however, are likely to be 

unplugged for a greater number of hours 

per year during the cooling season 

because, portable ACs are readily 

moveable products that are simpler to 

install and uninstall than room ACs. 

Additionally, because a portable AC and 

associated ducting extend into the room, 

consumers would be more likely to 

unplug and store a portable AC than a 

room AC, which does not extend far 

into the room. Therefore, DOE estimated 

that three quarters of all portable ACs 

are unplugged for all annual hours 

outside of the cooling season (6,600 

hours per unit), and that the remaining 

one quarter of portable ACs are 

unplugged for half of the annual hours 

outside the cooling season (3,300 hours 

per unit). Based on the weighted average 

presented above, portable ACs would 

spend 5,775 unplugged hours and 825 

plugged-in hours outside of the cooling 

season. 

However, DOE notes that these 

calculations consider use of portable 

ACs only during the cooling season. As 

discussed above in section III.1.b, 

certain portable ACs may provide a 

heating function and therefore may be 

operated during the heating season. 

Although DOE believes that the room 

AC cooling season length is relevant and 

representative of the portable AC 

cooling season due to the similar 

function provided to the consumer, DOE 

does not believe that the 2,160 hours 

estimated for cooling season would be 

representative of the heating season 

length. Therefore, DOE researched 

portable AC heating season length. As a 

starting point, DOE looked to the 

furnace test procedure located at 

appendix N of 10 CFR part 430, which 

identifies the heating season length as 

4,160 hours. 

To refine this estimate for portable 

ACs, DOE performed a climate analysis 

using 2012 hourly ambient temperature 

data from the National Climatic Data 

Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA), collected at weather stations in 

44 representative states. DOE first 

calculated the number of annual hours 

per state associated with each 

temperature (in 1 °F intervals) from the 

NCDC data. DOE then reviewed data 

from the 2009 Residential Energy 

Consumption Survey (RECS) 13 to 

identify room AC use in the different 

geographic regions. Because no portable 

AC-specific usage data were available 

through RECS, DOE assumed this data 

would be representative of portable AC 

use. DOE found that of the 25.9 million 

homes that reported using room ACs, 

the majority were in the Northeast 

region (9.6 million homes), though 

significant usage was recorded in the 

remaining regions: Midwest (5.8 

million), South (6.5 million), and West 

(4 million). DOE observed that all subregions in the survey showed room AC 

use; therefore, all sub-regions were 

included in DOE’s analysis, along with 

data for individual states or 

combinations of small numbers of states 

within these sub-regions where 

provided in RECS. 

Based on the RECS ownership data, 

DOE used a weighted-average approach 

to combine the individual states’ total 

number hours per year at or below a 

certain temperature to determine the 

average number of hours at or below any 

given temperature for each sub-region 

represented by the RECS data. DOE used 

a similar weighted average to combine 

the sub-region data for each region and 

subsequently combine the regional data 

into a single representative number of 

hours per year at or below any given 

temperature. DOE found, on average, 

4,388 hours per year with ambient 

temperatures at or below 

55 °F. DOE selected 55 °F as a threshold 

for determining heating season based on 

a New York City regulation that requires 

buildings to be heated when the outdoor 

temperature drops below that level.14

However, DOE notes that portable ACs 

are typically not used as the primary 

heating appliance in a home, and 

therefore may be utilized to supplement 

the home’s heating system. Because this 

supplemental heating is likely only 

necessary at low outdoor temperatures, 

DOE determined, as a third estimate, the 

number of hours in 2012 that average 

national ambient temperatures were at 

or below 45 °F—2,903 hours. DOE then 

calculated the number of plugged in and 

unplugged hours outside of heating and 

cooling season for each of the three 

estimates presented above for portable 

ACs with heating mode. Table III.10 

shows the operating season hourly 

breakdowns for four cases: Cooling Only 

Estimate, Cooling/Heating Estimate 1 

(the furnace fan heating season length), 

Cooling/Heating Estimate 2 (heating 

season based on hours at or below 55 

°F), and Cooling/Heating Estimate 3 

(heating season based on hours at or 

below 45 °F). 


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TABLE III.10—SEASONAL AND REMAINING UNPLUGGED/PLUGGED-IN HOURS

Cooling only Cooling/heating estimate 1 

Cooling/heating estimate 2 Cooling/heating estimate 3 

Annual Hours ................................................................................................... 8,760 8,760 8,760 8,760 

Cooling Season ............................................................................................... 2,160 2,160 2,160 2,160 

Heating Season ............................................................................................... 0 4,160 4,388 2,903 

Remaining Annual Unplugged Hours .............................................................. 5,775 2,135 1,936 3,235 

Remaining Annual Plugged-In Hours .............................................................. 825 305 277 462 

DOE further estimated the hours 

associated with each operating mode 

within the cooling and heating seasons. 

Because the primary cooling function is 

similar between portable ACs and room 

ACs, DOE believes that the mode hours 

in cooling season would be apportioned 

similarly for both products. In its room 

AC analysis, DOE determined that, for 

units capable of all operating modes, 

750 operating hours would be in cooling 

mode, 440 hours would be in off-cycle 

mode, 440 hours would be in fan-only 

mode, 90 hours would be in delay-start 

mode, and 440 hours would be in 

inactive mode and/or off mode during 

the cooling season. 73 FR 74639, 74648– 

74649 (December 9, 2008). In the room 

AC analysis, fan-only mode was defined 

as ‘‘an active mode in which the 

compressor shuts down when operating 

in constant-fan mode or user selection 

of fan-only operation.’’ As discussed 

above, fan operation when the 

compressor has cycled off is considered 

as off-cycle mode for the purposes of 

this NOPR. Also, because DOE is not 

proposing to measure or allocate hours 

to air circulation mode, any hours 

associated with that mode would be 

attributed to off-cycle mode. For 

portable ACs, DOE also proposes to 

allocate any bucket-full and other lowpower mode hours to inactive/off mode 

hours. For portable ACs with a heating 

function, DOE estimated that the same 

ratio of mode hours to season length for 

the cooling season would be applicable 

for the available modes during heating 

season. The operating hours in off mode 

and inactive mode include operation 

during heating and cooling season as 

well as the plugged-in hours during the 

remainder of the year. Applying all of 

these apportionments, DOE developed 

estimates for the hourly operation in 

each mode, shown in Table III.11, based 

on the three approaches described above 

for estimating heating season length. 

TABLE III.11—PROPOSED ANNUAL OPERATING HOURS BY MODE

Modes Cooling only Cooling/heating estimate 1 

Cooling/heating estimate 2 Cooling/heating estimate 3 

Cooling Mode ................................................................................................... 750 750 750 750 

Heating Mode .................................................................................................. 0 1,444 1,524 1,008 

Off-Cycle Mode ................................................................................................ 880 2,575 2,668 2,063 

Off/Inactive Mode ............................................................................................. 1,355 1,856 1,883 1,704 

DOE proposes that the annual 

operating mode hours in the ‘‘Cooling 

Only’’ scenario presented in Table III.11 

be used when calculating CEERcm for all 

portable ACs. For the reasons discussed 

above regarding use of portables ACs for 

heating, DOE also proposes assigning 

the annual operating mode hours in the 

‘‘Cooling/Heating Estimate 3’’ scenario 

in the CEER calculation for units with 

both cooling and heating modes. For 

portable ACs with no heating mode, 

CEER would equal CEERcm. 

DOE requests feedback on these 

proposed annual operating mode hours 

to be used in the CEERcm and CEER 

calculations, and on any alternate 

season durations and operating hour 

estimates. 

To provide further insight on these 

annual operating mode hours and 

explore possible alternate scenarios for 

operating mode allocations during the 

cooling season, DOE considered the 

analysis presented in the Burke Portable 

AC Study. In that study, metered data 

for 19 portable ACs were analyzed to 

develop models that estimate the 

percent of time spent in cooling, fanonly, and standby modes as a function 

of the outdoor temperature. DOE notes 

that these modes as defined in the Burke 

Portable AC Study are not entirely 

consistent with the mode definitions 

proposed in this NOPR; however, DOE 

expects that they would align 

reasonably well with cooling mode, offcycle mode, and inactive or off mode, 

respectively. The models in the Burke 

Portable AC Study were developed for 

two applications for portable ACs: (1) 

Residential use, which DOE expects to 

represent daily consumer interaction 

with the portable AC (e.g., turning the 

unit off and on when leaving or entering 

the house, respectively, or turning the 

unit on only while sleeping); and (2) 

commercial use (i.e., a portable AC unit 

used in an office or similar 

environment), which DOE expects to 

represent units that are installed and 

turned on at a given temperature 

setpoint with minimal additional 

consumer interaction. Because the first 

application represents intermittent use 

and the second application represents 

continuous use of a portable AC, DOE 

expects that the model results for these 

two applications provide a minimum 

and maximum estimate for time spent in 

cooling mode for a typical portable AC, 

from which the corresponding 

variations in the annual operating hours 

for other modes could be calculated. 

DOE presents this sensitivity analysis in 

addition to its proposed annual mode 

hour allocation listed in Table III.11 

because the variation in results for the 

different applications can be significant. 

For example, the model suggests that 

the percent of time spent in cooling 

mode for each application differs by 50 

percentage points when the outdoor 

temperature is 80 °F. 

Because these two models present 

mode operation in cooling season as a 

function of outdoor temperature, DOE 

conducted further analysis based on 

consumer and climate data to determine 

the most representative average cooling 

season outdoor temperature for portable 

AC usage. To do so, DOE used the same 

analytical approach as it used to 

determine heating season length, based 

on the 2009 RECS and 2012 NCDC data. 

From the NCDC data, DOE calculated 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 10237 

15New York City Season Guidelines are available 

online at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dem/

downloads/pdf/NYC_Cooling_Season_Guidelines_

2014.pdf. 

16For example, see: https://www.dom/com/

residential/dominion-virginia-power/ways-to-save/ 

energy-conservation-programs/smart-coolingrewards/smart-cooling-rewards-terms-conditions. 

the average monthly outdoor 

temperature for each of the 44 states 

from June through September. DOE 

selected these months as those with 

primary portable AC usage based on 

New York City Season Guidelines that 

identify the cooling season as running 

from the end of May through September 

24.15 DOE also notes, for example, that 

utilities may define the cooling season 

as June through September.16 DOE 

welcomes input from interested parties 

on whether these are the most 

representative months for the portable 

AC cooling season. 

DOE combined the individual states’ 

average outdoor temperatures from June 

through September using a weightedaverage approach based on the RECS 

ownership data to determine an average 

cooling season ambient temperature for 

each sub-region represented by the 

RECS data. DOE used a similar weighted 

average to combine the sub-region data 

for each region and subsequently 

combine the regional data into a single 

representative average cooling season 

temperature of 70 °F for the United 

States as a whole. 

DOE used this outdoor temperature 

with the models developed in the Burke 

Portable AC Study to calculate the 

estimated percent of time spent in 

cooling, off-cycle, and off or inactive 

modes during the cooling season. The 

operating mode time as a percentage of 

cooling season hours for both residential 

applications (low-use Scenario 1) and 

commercial applications (high-use 

Scenario 2) are shown in Table III.12. 

DOE also presents a third scenario that 

is an average of the low-use and highuse scenarios to estimate overall typical 

portable AC usage patterns. 

TABLE III.12—ANNUAL OPERATING MODE HOUR SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS—PERCENTAGE OF TIME IN EACH MODE DURING

THE COOLING SEASON

Modes 

Scenario 1— 

residential 

application 

(low-use) 

(percent) 

Scenario 2— 

commercial 

application 

(high-use) 

(percent) 

Scenario 3— 

Average-use 

(percent) 

Cooling Mode ............................................................................................................. 5.9 41.1 23.5 

Off-Cycle Mode .......................................................................................................... 2.2 21.7 12.0 

Off/Inactive Mode ....................................................................................................... 91.9 37.9 64.9 

For comparison with DOE’s proposed 

cooling mode annual hour estimate of 

750 hours, DOE applied these 

percentages to the estimated cooling 

season length of 2,160 hours. This 

results in cooling mode operating hours 

of 126, 887, and 507, for the usage 

patterns modeled in Scenario 1, 

Scenario 2, and Scenario 3, respectively. 

Note that if DOE were to use one of 

these model scenarios as the basis for all 

operating mode hours in cooling season, 

the proposed total annual off-cycle 

mode and total off/inactive mode hours 

would also be adjusted to account for 

the cooling season percentages in Table 

III.12. DOE notes that the cooling season 

mode operating hour percentages in 

these scenarios differ from the proposed 

approach that utilizes the room AC 

cooling season mode operating hour 

estimates. 

DOE requests feedback on the 

alternative scenarios presented in this 

NOPR or other data that may inform the 

allocation of annual operating hours in 

each mode. 

C. Sampling Plan and Rounding 

Requirements 

DOE is proposing the following 

sampling plan and rounding 

requirements for portable ACs to enable 

manufacturers to make representations 

of energy consumption or efficiency 

metrics. The sampling requirements 

would be included in the proposed 10 

CFR 429.62. Specifically, DOE is 

proposing that the general sampling 

requirements of 10 CFR 429.11 for 

selecting units to be tested be applicable 

to portable ACs. In addition, DOE is 

proposing that for each portable AC 

basic model, a sufficient sample size 

must be randomly selected to ensure 

that a representative value of energy 

consumption for a basic model is greater 

than or equal to the higher of the mean 

of the sample or upper 95 percent 

confidence limit (UCL) of the true mean 

divided by 1.10. For EERcm, EERhm, 

CEER, or other measure of energy 

consumption where a higher value is 

preferable to the consumer, the 

representative value shall be less than or 

equal to the lower of the mean of the 

sample or the lower 95 percent 

confidence limit (LCL) of the true mean 

divided by 0.90. The mean, UCL, and 

LCL are calculated as follows: 

Where: 

x ̄ is the sample mean; 

xi is the ith sample; 

s is the sample standard deviation; 

n is the number of units in the test sample; 

and 

t0.95 is the t statistic for a 95% one-tailed 

confidence interval with n¥1 degrees of 

freedom. 

This proposed sampling plan for 

portable ACs is consistent with 

sampling plans already established for 

dehumidifiers and other similar 

products. DOE notes that certification 

requirements for portable ACs, which 

would also be located at 10 CFR part 

429, would be proposed in the 

concurrent energy conservation 

standards rulemaking. 

DOE also proposes that all 

calculations be performed with the 

unrounded measured values, and that 

the reported cooling or heating capacity 


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be rounded in accordance with Table 1 

of PAC–1–2014, ‘‘Multiples for 

reporting Dual Duct Cooling Capacity, 

Single Duct Cooling Capacity, Spot 

Cooling Capacity, Water Cooled 

Condenser Capacity and Power Input 

Ratings.’’ DOE further proposes that 

EERcm, EERhm, CEERcm, CEER, or other 

energy efficiency metrics would be 

rounded to the nearest 0.1 Btu/Wh, in 

accordance with section 6.2.2 of AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 and consistent with the 

rounding instructions provided for room 

ACs at 10 CFR 430.23(f)(2). DOE notes 

that these rounding instructions would 

be included in the proposed sampling 

plan for portable ACs. The rounding 

instruction proposal would be updated 

to reference the certification and 

reporting requirements, which would be 

proposed as part of the energy 

conservation standards rulemaking for 

portable ACs. 

D. Compliance With Other Energy Policy 

and Conservation Act Requirements 

1. Test Burden 

EPCA requires that any test 

procedures prescribed or amended shall 

be reasonably designed to produce test 

results which measure energy 

efficiency, energy use, or estimated 

annual operating cost of a covered 

product during a representative average 

use cycle or period of use, and shall not 

be unduly burdensome to conduct. (42 

U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)) For the reasons that 

follow, DOE has tentatively concluded 

that establishing a DOE test procedure 

to measure the energy consumption of 

portable ACs in active mode, standby 

mode, and off mode would produce the 

required test results and would not 

result in any undue burdens. 

As discussed in section IV.B of this 

NOPR, the proposed test procedure 

would require testing equipment and 

facilities that are not substantially 

different than those that manufacturers 

are currently using for testing in order 

to report portable AC ratings to the CEC 

and likely already using for certifying to 

DOE the performance of packaged 

terminal ACs (PTACs), which many of 

the portable AC manufacturers also 

produce. Thus, these manufacturers are 

likely already equipped to test portable 

ACs, or are testing their products in 

third-party laboratories that are 

similarly equipped. Therefore, the 

proposed test procedure would not 

require these manufacturers to make a 

significant investment in test facilities 

and new equipment. 

In addition, DOE carefully considered 

testing burden in proposing a modified 

air enthalpy method for measuring 

energy use in cooling mode and heating 

mode that is significantly less 

burdensome than the calorimeter 

method. DOE is also proposing an 

approach for measuring low-power 

mode energy use that would preclude 

testing of each possible mode 

individually and instead would require 

only testing modes in which the 

portable AC may consume significant 

amounts of energy, thereby reducing 

burden further. 

Therefore, DOE determined that the 

proposed portable AC test procedure 

would produce test results that measure 

energy consumption during 

representative use, and that the test 

procedure would not be unduly 

burdensome to conduct. 

2. Potential Incorporation of 

International Electrotechnical 

Commission Standard 62087 

Under 42 U.S.C. 6295(gg)(2)(A), EPCA 

directs DOE to consider IEC Standard 

62087 when amending test procedures 

for covered products to include standby 

mode and off mode power 

measurements. DOE reviewed IEC 

Standard 62087, ‘‘Methods of 

measurement for the power 

consumption of audio, video, and 

related equipment’’ (Edition 3.0 2011– 

04), and has tentatively determined that 

it would not be applicable to measuring 

power consumption of electrical 

appliances such as portable ACs. 

Therefore, DOE determined that 

referencing IEC Standards 62087 is not 

necessary for the proposed test 

procedure that is the subject of this 

rulemaking. 

IV. Procedural Issues and Regulatory 

Review 

A. Review Under Executive Order 12866 

The Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) has determined that test 

procedure rulemakings do not constitute 

‘‘significant regulatory actions’’ under 

section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866, 

Regulatory Planning and Review, 58 FR 

51735 (Oct. 4, 1993). Accordingly, this 

action was not subject to review under 

the Executive Order by the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs 

(OIRA) in the OMB. 

B. Review Under the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 

U.S.C. 601 et seq.) requires preparation 

of an initial regulatory flexibility 

analysis (IFRA) for any rule that by law 

must be proposed for public comment, 

unless the agency certifies that the rule, 

if promulgated, will not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. As 

required by Executive Order 13272, 

‘‘Proper Consideration of Small Entities 

in Agency Rulemaking,’’ 67 FR 53461 

(August 16, 2002), DOE published 

procedures and policies on February 19, 

2003, to ensure that the potential 

impacts of its rules on small entities are 

properly considered during the DOE 

rulemaking process. 68 FR 7990. 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 and the procedures and 

policies published on February 19, 

2003. The proposed rule prescribes the 

test procedure to measure the energy 

consumption of portable ACs in active 

modes, standby modes, and off mode. 

DOE tentatively concludes that this 

proposed rule would not have a 

significant impact on a substantial 

number of small entities. The factual 

basis for this certification is as follows: 

The Small Business Administration 

(SBA) considers a business entity to be 

small business, if, together with its 

affiliates, it employs less than a 

threshold number of workers specified 

in 13 CFR part 121. These size standards 

and codes are established by the North 

American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS). The threshold number 

for NAICS classification code 333415, 

‘‘Air-Conditioning and Warm Air 

Heating Equipment and Commercial 

and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment 

Manufacturing,’’ which includes 

manufacturers of portable ACs, is 750 

employees. 

DOE surveyed the AHAM member 

directory to identify manufacturers of 

residential portable ACs. DOE then 

consulted publicly available data, 

purchased company reports from 

vendors such as Dun and Bradstreet, 

and contacted manufacturers, where 

needed, to determine if the number of 

manufacturers with manufacturing 

facilities located within the United 

States that meet the SBA’s definition of 

a ‘‘small business manufacturing 

facility.’’ Based on this analysis, DOE 

estimates that there is one small 

business that manufactures portable 

ACs. 

This proposed rule would establish a 

DOE test procedure for portable ACs, 

which would require testing units 

according to an industry standard, 

AHAM PAC–1–2014, with additional 

calculations. Although there are no 

current DOE energy conservation 

standards for portable ACs, many 

manufacturers have reported cooling 

capacity and EER of these products to 

the CEC, which requires testing 

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17Annual revenue estimates are based on 

financial reports obtained from Hoover’s, Inc., 

available online at: www.hoovers.com. 

according to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 

128–2001. The testing equipment and 

methodology for ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 128–2001 are similar to those 

required by AHAM PAC–1–2014, 

although the temperature conditions are 

different. 

The small business mentioned above 

does not list any portable AC models in 

the CEC product database, so DOE is 

uncertain whether it is currently testing 

portable ACs according to ANSI/

ASHRAE Standard 128–2001. However, 

DOE notes that the small business also 

manufactures and markets PTACs that 

must be certified to DOE according to 

ANSI/AHRI Standard 310/380–2004, 

‘‘Standard for Packaged Terminal AirConditioners and Heat Pumps’’ (ANSI/ 

AHRI 310/380–2004). (10 CFR 430.96) 

Section 4.2.1 of ANSI/AHRI 310/380– 

2004 specifies that standard cooling 

ratings shall be verified by tests 

conducted in accordance with either 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16–1999 or 

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 37–1998. Due 

to the complexity of testing facilities 

required to implement the calorimeter 

method specified in ANSI/ASHRAE 16– 

1999, DOE believes that it is likely that 

the small business currently conducts 

compliance testing using the air 

enthalpy methods in ANSI/ASHRAE 

Standard 37–1998, which require 

comparable testing facilities and 

equipment as the methods proposed in 

this NOPR. In addition, the small 

business provides performance data in 

the literature for its portable AC model 

which indicates that testing was 

conducted at 80 °F and 50-percent 

relative humidity. This testing would 

likely have required air enthalpy 

measurements equivalent to those 

specified in AHAM PAC–1–2014 at 80 

°F and 49-percent relative humidity, 

and the same air enthalpy 

measurements would be made when 

testing at 70 °F and 57-percent relative 

humidity according to the proposed 

method for portable AC heating mode. 

Therefore, DOE believes that no small 

businesses would require purchasing 

new equipment or modifying existing 

equipment in order to conduct the 

proposed test methods for measuring 

energy use in portable AC cooling mode 

and heating mode. 

The proposed rule would also require 

the measurement of power input during 

standby mode, off mode, and off-cycle 

mode. These tests could be conducted 

either in the same facilities used for the 

cooling mode and heating mode testing 

of these products, or in facilities that 

meet the requirements for testing 

conditions specified in IEC Standard 

62301, which could consist of any space 

with temperature control typically 

found in an office or living space. 

Therefore, DOE does not expect that the 

small business would incur additional 

facilities costs required by the proposed 

rule. In addition, in the event that the 

manufacturer would be required to 

purchase a wattmeter for measuring 

power input in standby mode, off mode, 

and off-cycle mode, the investment 

required would likely be relatively 

modest. An Internet search of 

equipment that specifically meets the 

proposed requirements reveals a cost of 

approximately $2,000. 

The costs described above are small 

compared to the overall financial 

investment needed to undertake the 

business enterprise of developing and 

testing consumer products, which 

involves facilities, qualified staff, and 

specialized equipment. Based on its 

review of industry data,17 DOE 

estimates that the small portable AC 

business has annual revenues of 

approximately $20 million. 

For these reasons, DOE concludes and 

certifies that the proposed rule would 

not have a significant economic impact 

on a substantial number of small 

entities. Accordingly, DOE has not 

prepared a regulatory flexibility analysis 

for this rulemaking. DOE will transmit 

the certification and supporting 

statement of factual basis to the Chief 

Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA for 

review under 5 U.S.C. 605(b). 

C. Review Under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 

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. DOE published 

a notice of proposed determination 

regarding portable air conditioners on 

July 5, 2013. 78 FR 40403. 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 

portable air conditioners 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 

portable ACs. 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 portable ACs. 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 (August 4, 1999) imposes 

certain requirements on agencies 

formulating and implementing policies 

or regulations that preempt State law or 

that have Federalism implications. The 

Executive Order requires agencies to 

examine the constitutional and statutory 

authority supporting any action that 

would limit the policymaking discretion 

of the States and to carefully assess the 

necessity for such actions. The 

Executive Order also requires agencies 

to have an accountable process to 

ensure meaningful and timely input by 

State and local officials in the 

development of regulatory policies that 

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10240 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

have Federalism implications. On 

March 14, 2000, DOE published a 

statement of policy describing the 

intergovernmental consultation process 

it will follow in the development of 

such regulations. 65 FR 13735. DOE has 

examined this proposed rule and has 

determined that it would not have a 

substantial direct effect on the States, on 

the relationship between the national 

government and the States, or on the 

distribution of power and 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. EPCA governs and 

prescribes Federal preemption of State 

regulations as to energy conservation for 

the products that are the subject of this 

proposed rule. States can petition DOE 

for exemption from such preemption to 

the extent, and based on criteria, set 

forth in EPCA. (42 U.S.C. 6297(d)) No 

further action is required by Executive 

Order 13132. 

F. Review Under Executive Order 12988 

Regarding the review of existing 

regulations and the promulgation of 

new regulations, section 3(a) of 

Executive Order 12988, ‘‘Civil Justice 

Reform,’’ 61 FR 4729 (Feb. 7, 1996), 

imposes on Federal agencies the general 

duty to adhere to the following 

requirements: (1) Eliminate drafting 

errors and ambiguity; (2) write 

regulations to minimize litigation; (3) 

provide a clear legal standard for 

affected conduct rather than a general 

standard; and (4) promote simplification 

and burden reduction. Section 3(b) of 

Executive Order 12988 specifically 

requires that Executive agencies make 

every reasonable effort to ensure that the 

regulation: (1) Clearly specifies the 

preemptive effect, if any; (2) clearly 

specifies any effect on existing Federal 

law or regulation; (3) provides a clear 

legal standard for affected conduct 

while promoting simplification and 

burden reduction; (4) specifies the 

retroactive effect, if any; (5) adequately 

defines key terms; and (6) addresses 

other important issues affecting clarity 

and general draftsmanship under any 

guidelines issued by the Attorney 

General. Section 3(c) of Executive Order 

12988 requires Executive agencies to 

review regulations in light of applicable 

standards in sections 3(a) and 3(b) to 

determine whether they are met or it is 

unreasonable to meet one or more of 

them. DOE has completed the required 

review and determined that, to the 

extent permitted by law, this 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 small governments. On March 18, 

1997, DOE published a statement of 

policy on its process for 

intergovernmental consultation under 

UMRA. 62 FR 12820; also available at 

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

DOE examined this proposed rule 

according to UMRA and its statement of 

policy and determined that the rule 

contains neither an intergovernmental 

mandate, nor a mandate that may result 

in the expenditure of $100 million or 

more in any year, so these requirements 

do not apply. 

H. Review Under the Treasury and 

General Government Appropriations 

Act, 1999 

Section 654 of the Treasury and 

General Government Appropriations 

Act, 1999 (Pub. L. 105–277) requires 

Federal agencies to issue a Family 

Policymaking Assessment for any rule 

that may affect family well-being. This 

proposed rule would not have any 

impact on the autonomy or integrity of 

the family as an institution. 

Accordingly, DOE has concluded that it 

is not necessary to prepare a Family 

Policymaking Assessment. 

I. Review Under Executive Order 12630 

DOE has determined, under Executive 

Order 12630, ‘‘Governmental Actions 

and Interference with Constitutionally 

Protected Property Rights’’ 53 FR 8859 

(March 18, 1988) that this proposed rule 

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 agencies to review most 

disseminations of information to the 

public under guidelines established by 

each agency pursuant to general 

guidelines issued by OMB. OMB’s 

guidelines were published at 67 FR 

8452 (Feb. 22, 2002), and DOE’s 

guidelines were published at 67 FR 

62446 (Oct. 7, 2002). DOE has reviewed 

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 OMB, a 

Statement of Energy Effects for any 

proposed significant energy action. A 

‘‘significant energy action’’ is defined as 

any action by an agency that 

promulgated or is expected to lead to 

promulgation of a final rule, and that: 

(1) Is a significant regulatory action 

under Executive Order 12866, or any 

successor order; and (2) is likely to have 

a significant adverse effect on the 

supply, distribution, or use of energy; or 

(3) is designated by the Administrator of 

OIRA as a significant energy action. For 

any proposed significant energy action, 

the agency must give a detailed 

statement of any adverse effects on 

energy supply, distribution, or use 

should the proposal be implemented, 

and of reasonable alternatives to the 

action and their expected benefits on 

energy supply, distribution, and use. 

This regulatory action to establish the 

test procedure for measuring the energy 

efficiency of portable ACs is not a 

significant regulatory action under 

Executive Order 12866. 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. 

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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), DOE must comply 

with section 32 of the Federal Energy 

Administration Act of 1974, as amended 

by the Federal Energy Administration 

Authorization Act of 1977. (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 inform the 

public of the use and background of 

such standards. In addition, section 

32(c) requires DOE to consult with the 

Attorney General and the Chairman of 

the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 

concerning the impact of the 

commercial or industry standards on 

competition. 

As discussed in this NOPR, the 

proposed rule incorporates testing 

methods contained in the following 

commercial standards: AHAM PAC–1– 

2014, Portable Air Conditions; and IEC 

62301, Household Electrical 

Appliances—Measurement of Standby 

Power. DOE has evaluated these 

standards and is unable to conclude 

whether they fully comply with the 

requirements of section 32(b) of the 

FEAA, (i.e., that they were developed in 

a manner that fully provides for public 

participation, comment, and review). 

DOE will consult with the Attorney 

General and the Chairwoman of the FTC 

concerning the impact of these test 

procedures on competition, prior to 

prescribing a final rule. 

M. Description of Materials 

Incorporated by Reference 

In this NOPR, DOE proposes to 

incorporate by reference the test 

standard published by AHAM, titled 

‘‘Portable Air Conditioners,’’ AHAM 

PAC–1–2014. AHAM PAC–1–2014 is an 

industry accepted test procedure that 

measures portable AC performance in 

cooling mode and is applicable to 

products sold in North America. AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 specifies testing conducted 

in accordance with other industry 

accepted test procedures (already 

incorporated by reference) and 

determines energy efficiency metrics for 

various portable AC configurations. The 

test procedure proposed in this NOPR 

references various sections of AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 that address test setup, 

instrumentation, test conduct, 

calculations, and rounding. AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 is readily available on 

AHAM’s Web site at http://www.aham.

org/ht/d/ProductDetails/sku/PAC12009/

from/714/pid/. 

V. Public Participation 

A. Attendance at Public Meeting 

The time, date and location of the 

public meeting are listed in the DATES

and ADDRESSES sections at the beginning 

of this document. If you plan to attend 

the public meeting, please notify Ms. 

Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945 or 

Brenda.Edwards@ee.doe.gov. 

Please note that foreign nationals 

participating in the public meeting are 

subject to advance security screening 

procedures which require advance 

notice prior to attendance at the public 

meeting. If a foreign national wishes to 

participate in the public meeting, please 

inform DOE of this fact as soon as 

possible by contacting Ms. Regina 

Washington at (202) 586–1214 or by 

email: Regina.Washington@ee.doe.gov 

so that the necessary procedures can be 

completed. 

DOE requires visitors with laptop 

computers and other devices, such as 

tablets, to be checked upon entry into 

the building. Any person wishing to 

bring these devices into the Forrestal 

Building will be required to obtain a 

property pass. Visitors should avoid 

bringing these devices, or allow an extra 

45 minutes to check in. Please report to 

the visitor’s desk to have devices 

checked before proceeding through 

security. 

Due to the REAL ID Act implemented 

by the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS), there have been recent 

changes regarding ID requirements for 

individuals wishing to enter Federal 

buildings from specific states and U.S. 

territories. Driver’s licenses from the 

following states or territory will not be 

accepted for building entry and one of 

the alternate forms of ID listed below 

will be required. DHS has determined 

that regular driver’s licenses (and ID 

cards) from the following jurisdictions 

are not acceptable for entry into DOE 

facilities: Alaska, American Samoa, 

Arizona, Louisiana, Maine, 

Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, 

Oklahoma, and Washington. Acceptable 

alternate forms of Photo-ID include: U.S. 

Passport or Passport Card; an Enhanced 

Driver’s License or Enhanced ID-Card 

issued by the states of Minnesota, New 

York or Washington (Enhanced licenses 

issued by these states are clearly marked 

Enhanced or Enhanced Driver’s 

License); a military ID or other Federal 

government issued Photo-ID card. 

In addition, you can attend the public 

meeting via webinar. Webinar 

registration information, participant 

instructions, and information about the 

capabilities available to webinar 

participants will be published on DOE’s 

Web site http://www1.eere.energy.gov/

buildings/appliance_standards/product.

aspx/productid/79. Participants are 

responsible for ensuring their systems 

are compatible with the webinar 

software. 

B. Procedure for Submitting Prepared 

General Statements for Distribution 

Any person who has plans to present 

a prepared general statement may 

request that copies of his or her 

statement be made available at the 

public meeting. Such persons may 

submit requests, along with an advance 

electronic copy of their statement in 

PDF (preferred), Microsoft Word or 

Excel, WordPerfect, or text (ASCII) file 

format, to the appropriate address 

shown in the ADDRESSES section at the 

beginning of this N. The request and 

advance copy of statements must be 

received at least one week before the 

public meeting and may be emailed, 

hand-delivered, or sent by mail. DOE 

prefers to receive requests and advance 

copies via email. Please include a 

telephone number to enable DOE staff to 

make a follow-up contact, if needed. 

C. Conduct of Public Meeting 

DOE will designate a DOE official to 

preside at the public meeting and may 

also use a professional facilitator to aid 

discussion. The meeting will not be a 

judicial or evidentiary-type public 

hearing, but DOE will conduct it in 

accordance with section 336 of EPCA 

(42 U.S.C. 6306). A court reporter will 

be present to record the proceedings and 

prepare a transcript. DOE reserves the 

right to schedule the order of 

presentations and to establish the 

procedures governing the conduct of the 

public meeting. After the public meeting 

and until the end of the comment 

period, interested parties may submit 

further comments on the proceedings 

and any aspect of the rulemaking. 

The public meeting will be conducted 

in an informal, conference style. DOE 

will present summaries of comments 

received before the public meeting, 

allow time for prepared general 

statements by participants, and 

encourage all interested parties to share 

their views on issues affecting this 

rulemaking. Each participant will be 

allowed to make a general statement 

(within time limits determined by DOE), 

before the discussion of specific topics. 

DOE will permit, as time permits, other 

participants to comment briefly on any 

general statements. 

At the end of all prepared statements 

on a topic, DOE will permit participants 

to clarify their statements briefly and 

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10242 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

comment on statements made by others. 

Participants should be prepared to 

answer questions by DOE and by other 

participants concerning these issues. 

DOE representatives may also ask 

questions of participants concerning 

other matters relevant to this 

rulemaking. The official conducting the 

public meeting will accept additional 

comments or questions from those 

attending, as time permits. The 

presiding official will announce any 

further procedural rules or modification 

of the above procedures that may be 

needed for the proper conduct of the 

public meeting. 

A transcript of the public meeting will 

be included in the docket, which can be 

viewed as described in the Docket 

section at the beginning of this notice. 

In addition, any person may buy a copy 

of the transcript from the transcribing 

reporter. 

D. Submission of Comments 

DOE will accept comments, data, and 

information regarding this proposed 

rule before or after the public meeting, 

but no later than the date provided in 

the DATES section at the beginning of 

this proposed rule. Interested parties 

may submit comments using any of the 

methods described in the ADDRESSES

section at the beginning of this notice. 

Submitting comments via 

www.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 www.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 not 

secured, written in English and free of 

any defects or viruses. Documents 

should not contain special characters or 

any form of encryption and, if possible, 

they should carry the electronic 

signature of the author. 

Campaign form letters. Please submit 

campaign form letters by the originating 

organization in batches of between 50 to 

500 form letters per PDF or as one form 

letter with a list of supporters’ names 

compiled into one or more PDFs. This 

reduces comment processing and 

posting time. 

Confidential Business Information. 

According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any 

person submitting information that he 

or she believes to be confidential and 

exempt by law from public disclosure 

should submit via email, postal mail, or 

hand delivery two well-marked copies: 

One copy of the document marked 

confidential including all the 

information believed to be confidential, 

and one copy of the document marked 

non-confidential with the information 

believed to be confidential deleted. 

Submit these documents via email or on 

a CD, if feasible. DOE will make its own 

determination about the confidential 

status of the information and treat it 

according to its determination. 

Factors of interest to DOE when 

evaluating requests to treat submitted 

information as confidential include: (1) 

A description of the items; (2) whether 

and why such items are customarily 

treated as confidential within the 

industry; (3) whether the information is 

generally known by or available from 

other sources; (4) whether the 

information has previously been made 

available to others without obligation 

concerning its confidentiality; (5) an 

explanation of the competitive injury to 

the submitting person which would 

result from public disclosure; (6) when 

such information might lose its 

confidential character due to the 

passage of time; and (7) why disclosure 

of the information would be contrary to 

the public interest. 

It is DOE’s policy that all comments 

may be included in the public docket, 

without change and as received, 

including any personal information 

provided in the comments (except 

information deemed to be exempt from 

public disclosure). 

E. Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment 

Although DOE welcomes comments 

on any aspect of this proposal, DOE is 

particularly interested in receiving 

comments and views of interested 

parties concerning the following issues: 

1.The description and definition for 

residential and commercial portable ACs, 

different configurations, and the clarification 

that commercial portable ACs are not 

considered a covered product. (See section 

III.A.) 

2.The definitions for active mode, cooling 

mode, and heating mode. DOE also seeks 

information on annual hours associated with 

the consumer initiated air-circulation mode. 

(See section III.B.1.) 

3.The proposal that AHAM PAC–1–2014 

be used as the basis for the test procedure 

proposed in this NOPR (See section 

III.B.1.a.i.) 

4.The proposal to modify the cooling 

capacity equation as included in AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 to address the effects of 

infiltration air. In addition, DOE welcomes 

input on the proposed infiltration air 

conditions of 95 °F dry-bulb temperature and 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 10243 

75.2 °F wet-bulb temperature. (See section 

III.B.1.a.ii.) 

5.The proposal to specify a more stringent 

evaporator inlet air stream dry-bulb 

temperature tolerance for single-duct units 

and to not consider the effects of condenser 

exhaust air and inlet air mixing for dual-duct 

units. (See sectionIII.B.1.a.iii.) 

6.The proposal to use the manufacturersupplied ducting components during 

performance testing and the approach to 

characterize and determine the condenser 

duct(s) heat transfer to the conditioned space. 

(See section III.B.1.a.iv.) 

7.The proposal and approach to include 

case heat transfer effects instead of the 

evaporator fan heat, based on the average 

case surface temperature and temperature. 

(See section III.B.1.a.v.) 

8. The test setup for portable ACs with and 

without means for auto-evaporation to 

remove the collected condensate, including 

the use of any internal pump only if it is 

specified by the manufacturer for use during 

typical cooling operation. (See section 

III.B.1.a.vi.) 

9. The proposed control settings for cooling 

mode and heating mode testing, which 

would require selecting the highest fan 

speed, for units with user-adjustable fan 

speed, and the lowest and highest available 

temperature settings for cooling mode and 

heating mode, respectively. Also, the 

proposed clarification that all portable AC 

performance testing be conducted with the 

maximum louver opening and, where 

applicable, with the louver oscillation feature 

disabled throughout testing. (See section 

III.B.1.a.vii.) 

10. The proposed minimum clearance 

between the test unit and chamber wall 

surfaces. (See section III.B.1.a.viii.) 

11. The proposed test setup, standard 

rating conditions, and conduct for 

determining heating mode performance for 

portable ACs. (See section III.B.1.b.) 

12. The provisions for measuring energy 

consumption in off-cycle mode, including 

the use of the maximum speed setting for 

those units with adjustable fan speed 

settings, the measurement period 

specifications. DOE seeks comment on 

whether off-cycle mode energy consumption 

is independent of ambient conditions. (See 

section III.B.2.) 

13. The proposed definitions and 

provisions for measuring energy 

consumption in various standby modes and 

off mode. (See section III.B.3.) 

14. The proposed equation for calculating 

individual cooling combined energy 

efficiency ratio (CEERcm) and an overall CEER 

that incorporates performance in both 

cooling and heating modes, in addition to 

other low power modes. DOE also seeks 

comment on the proposed annual operating 

hours and their implementation for 

calculating the CEERcm and CEER. (See 

section III.B.4.) 

15. The proposed reporting requirements 

including the sampling plan and rounding 

instructions. (See section III.C.) 

16. The testing burden, including DOE’s 

determination that the test would not be 

unduly burdensome to conduct. (See section 

III.D.1.) 

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 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Buildings and facilities, 

Business and industry, Energy 

conservation, Grant programs-energy, 

Housing, Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Technical assistance. 

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 February 12, 

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 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. Add § 429.62 to read as follows: 

§ 429.62 Portable Air Conditioners. 

(a) Sampling plan for selection of 

units for testing. (1) The requirements of 

§ 429.11 are applicable to portable air 

conditioners; and 

(2) For each basic model of portable 

air conditioner, a sample of sufficient 

size shall be randomly selected and 

tested to ensure that— 

(i) Any represented value of energy 

consumption or other measure of energy 

consumption of a basic model for which 

consumers would favor lower values 

shall be greater than or equal to the 

higher of: 

(A) The mean of the sample: 

Where: 

x ̄ is the sample mean; 

xi is the ith sample; and 

n is the number of units in the test sample. 

Or, 

(B) The upper 95 percent confidence 

limit (UCL) of the true mean divided by 

1.10: 

Where: 

x ̄ is the sample mean; 

s is the sample standard deviation; 

n is the number of units in the test sample; 

and 

t0.95 is the t statistic for a 95% one-tailed 

confidence interval with n ¥ 1 degrees 

of freedom. 

And, 

(ii) Any represented value of the 

cooling or heating energy efficiency 

ratio, combined energy efficiency ratio, 

or other measure of energy consumption 

of a basic model for which consumers 

would favor higher values shall be less 

than or equal to the lower of: 

(A) The mean of the sample: 

Where: 

x ̄ is the sample mean; 

xi is the ith sample; and 

n is the number of units in the test sample. 

Or, 

(B) The lower 95 percent confidence 

limit (LCL) of the true mean divided by 

0.90: 

Where: 

x ̄ is the sample mean; 

s is the sample standard deviation; 

n is the number of units in the test sample; 

and 

t0.95 is the t statistic for a 95% one-tailed 

confidence interval with n ¥ 1 degrees 

of freedom. 

And, 

(3) The value of cooling or heating 

mode capacity of a basic model shall be 

the mean of the capacities for each 

tested unit of the basic model. Round 

the mean capacity value to the nearest 

50, 100, 200, or 500 Btu/h, depending 

on the value being rounded, in 

accordance with Table 1 of PAC–1– 

2014, ‘‘Multiples for reporting Dual 

Duct Cooling Capacity, Single Duct 

Cooling Capacity, Spot Cooling 

Capacity, Water Cooled Condenser 

Capacity and Power Input Ratings.’’ 

(4) The value of energy efficiency 

ratio or combined energy efficiency ratio 

of a basic model shall be the mean of the 

efficiency metric for each tested unit of 


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the basic model. Round energy 

efficiency ratio or combined energy 

efficiency ratio to the, to the nearest 0.1 

Btu/Wh. 

(b) [Reserved] 

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 definition of ‘‘portable air 

conditioner’’ in alphabetical order to 

read as follows: 

§ 430.2 Definitions. 

* * * * * 

Portable air conditioner means an 

encased assembly, other than a 

‘‘packaged terminal air conditioner,’’ 

‘‘room air conditioner,’’ or 

‘‘dehumidifier,’’ designed as a portable 

unit for delivering cooled, conditioned 

air to an enclosed space, that is powered 

by single-phase electric current, which 

may rest on the floor or other elevated 

surface. It includes a source of 

refrigeration and may include additional 

means for air circulation and heating. 

* * * * * 

■ 5. Section 430.3 is amended by adding 

paragraph (h)(8) and revising paragraph 

(o)(4) to read as follows: 

§ 430.3 Materials incorporated by 

reference. 

* * * * * 

(h) * * * 

(8) AHAM PAC–1–2014, Portable Air 

Conditioners, 2014, IBR approved for 

appendix CC to subpart B. 

* * * * * 

(o) * * * 

(4) IEC 62301 (‘‘IEC 62301’’), 

Household electrical appliances— 

Measurement of standby power, 

(Edition 2.0, 2011–01), IBR approved for 

appendices C1, D1, D2, G, H, I, J2, N, O, 

P, X, and CC to subpart B. 

* * * * * 

■ 6. Section 430.23 is amended by 

adding paragraph (dd) to read as 

follows: 

§ 430.23 Test procedures for the 

measurement of energy and water 

consumption. 

* * * * * 

(dd) Portable air conditioners. (1) The 

adjusted cooling capacity, expressed in 

British thermal units per hour (Btu/h), 

the combined energy efficiency ratio in 

cooling mode, expressed in British 

thermal units per Watts per hour (Btu/ 

W-h), and, for units equipped with a 

heating function, the adjusted heating 

capacity, expressed in Btu/h, and the 

total combined energy efficiency ratio, 

expressed in Btu/W-h, for portable air 

conditioners, shall be measured in 

accordance with section 5 of appendix 

CC of this subpart. 

(2) The estimated annual operating 

cost for portable air conditioners in 

cooling mode, expressed in dollars per 

year, shall be determined by 

multiplying the following two factors: 

(i) The sum of the AECcm and AECT

as measured using the ‘‘Cooling Only’’ 

operating hours in accordance with 

section 5.4 of appendix CC of this 

subpart, and 

(ii) A representative average unit cost 

of electrical energy in dollars per 

kilowatt-hour as provided by the 

Secretary, the resulting product then 

being rounded off to the nearest dollar 

per year. 

■ 7. Add appendix CC to read as 

follows: 

Appendix CC to Subpart B of Part 430— 

Uniform Test Method for Measuring the 

Energy Consumption of Portable Air 

Conditioners 

1. Scope 

This appendix covers the test 

requirements used to measure the 

energy performance of single-duct and 

dual-duct portable air conditioners. It 

does not contain testing provisions for 

measuring the energy performance of 

spot coolers at this time. 

2. Definitions 

2.1 Active mode means a mode in 

which a portable air conditioner is 

connected to a mains power source, has 

been activated, and is performing the 

main functions of cooling or heating the 

conditioned space, circulating air 

through activation of its fan or blower 

without activation of the refrigeration 

system, or defrosting the refrigerant coil. 

2.2 AHAM PAC–1 means the test 

standard published by the Association 

of Home Appliance Manufacturers, 

titled ‘‘Portable Air Conditioners,’’ 

AHAM PAC–1–2014 (incorporated by 

reference; see § 430.3). 

2.3 Cooling mode means an active 

mode in which a portable air 

conditioner has activated the main 

cooling function according to the 

thermostat or temperature sensor signal, 

including activating the refrigeration 

system or the fan or blower without 

activation of the refrigeration system. 

2.4 Dual-duct portable air 

conditioner means a portable air 

conditioner that draws some or all of the 

condenser inlet air from outside the 

conditioned space through a duct, and 

may draw additional condenser inlet air 

from the conditioned space. The 

condenser outlet air is discharged 

outside the conditioned space by means 

of a separate duct. 

2.5 Energy efficiency ratio for 

portable air conditioners means a 

measure of energy efficiency of a 

portable air conditioner calculated by 

dividing the cooling mode or heating 

mode capacity by the power 

consumption in that mode, measured in 

Btu per watt-hours (Btu/Wh). 

2.6 Heating mode means an active 

mode in which a portable air 

conditioner has activated the main 

heating function according to the 

thermostat or temperature sensor signal, 

including activating a resistance heater, 

the refrigeration system with a reverse 

refrigerant flow valve, or the fan or 

blower without activation of the 

resistance heater or refrigeration system. 

2.7 IEC 62301 means the test 

standard published by the International 

Electrotechnical Commission, titled 

‘‘Household electrical appliances– 

Measurement of standby power,’’ 

Publication 62301 (Edition 2.0 2011–01) 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

2.8 Inactive mode means a standby 

mode that facilitates the activation of 

active mode by remote switch 

(including remote control), internal 

sensor, or timer, or that provides 

continuous status display. 

2.9 Off-cycle mode means a mode in 

which a portable air conditioner: 

(1) Has cycled off its main heating or 

cooling function by thermostat or 

temperature sensor signal; 

(2) May or may not operate its fan or 

blower; and 

(3) Will reactivate the main cooling or 

heating function according to the 

thermostat or temperature sensor signal. 

2.10 Off mode means a mode in 

which a portable air conditioner is 

connected to a mains power source and 

is not providing any active mode or 

standby mode function, and where the 

mode may persist for an indefinite time. 

An indicator that only shows the user 

that the portable air conditioner is in the 

off position is included within the 

classification of an off mode. 

2.11 Product capacity for portable 

air conditioners means a measure of 

either the cooling or heating, measured 

in Btu/h, provided to the indoor 

conditioned space, measured under the 

specified ambient conditions for each 

active mode. Separate product 

capacities are calculated for cooling and 

heating modes. 

2.12 Single-duct portable air 

conditioner means a portable air 

conditioner that draws all of the 

condenser inlet air from the conditioned 

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space without the means of a duct, and 

discharges the condenser outlet air 

outside the conditioned space through a 

single duct. 

2.13 Spot cooler means a portable 

air conditioner that draws condenser 

inlet air from and discharges condenser 

outlet air to the conditioned space, and 

draws evaporator inlet air from and 

discharges evaporator outlet air to a 

localized zone within the conditioned 

space. 

2.14 Standby mode means any mode 

where a portable air conditioner is 

connected to a mains power source and 

offers one or more of the following useroriented or protective functions which 

may persist for an indefinite time: 

(1) To facilitate the activation of other 

modes (including activation or 

deactivation of active mode) by remote 

switch (including remote control), 

internal sensor, or timer; or 

(2) Continuous functions, including 

information or status displays 

(including clocks) or sensor-based 

functions. A timer is a continuous clock 

function (which may or may not be 

associated with a display) that provides 

regular scheduled tasks (e.g., switching) 

and that operates on a continuous basis. 

3. Test Apparatus and General 

Instructions 

3.1 Active mode. 

3.1.1 Test conduct. The test 

apparatus and instructions for testing 

portable air conditioners in cooling 

mode and heating mode shall conform 

to the requirements specified in Section 

4, ‘‘Definitions’’ and Section 7, ‘‘Tests,’’ 

of AHAM PAC–1–2014 (incorporated by 

reference; see § 430.3), except as 

otherwise specified in this appendix. 

Measure duct heat transfer, case heat 

transfer, and infiltration air heat transfer 

according to section 4.1.1.1, section 

4.1.1.2, and section 4.1.1.3 of this 

appendix, respectively. 

3.1.1.1 Duct setup. Use ducting 

components provided by the 

manufacturer during active mode 

testing, including, where provided by 

the manufacturer, ducts, connectors for 

attaching the duct(s) to the test unit, and 

window mounting fixtures. Do not 

apply additional sealing or insulation. 

3.1.1.2 Single-duct evaporator inlet 

test conditions. When testing singleduct units, maintain the evaporator inlet 

(or condenser inlet for heating mode) 

dry-bulb temperature within a range of 

1.0 °F with an average difference of 0.3 

°F. 

3.1.1.3 Condensate Removal— 

Cooling Mode. Setup the test unit in 

accordance with manufacturer 

instructions. If the unit has an autoevaporative feature, keep any provided 

drain plug installed as shipped and do 

not provide other means of condensate 

removal. If the internal condensate 

collection bucket fills during the test, 

halt the test, remove the drain plug, 

install a gravity drain line, and start the 

test from the beginning. If no autoevaporative feature is available, remove 

the drain plug and install a gravity drain 

line. If no auto-evaporative feature or 

gravity drain is available and a 

condensate pump is included, or if the 

manufacturer specifies the use of an 

included condensate pump during 

cooling mode operation, then test the 

portable air conditioner with the 

condensate pump enabled. For units 

that shall be tested with a condensate 

pump, apply the provisions in Section 

7.1.2 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3) 

if the pump cycles on and off. 

3.1.1.4 Unit Placement. The 

evaporator inlet (condenser inlet in 

heating mode) must be no less than 6 

feet from any test chamber wall surface. 

For single-duct units, the condenser 

inlet (evaporator inlet in heating mode) 

must be no less than 6 feet from any 

other wall surface. Additionally, there 

must be no less than 3 feet between any 

wall surfaces and the other surfaces of 

the portable air conditioner with no air 

inlet or exhaust. 

3.1.1.5 Electrical supply. For active 

mode testing, maintain the input 

standard voltage at 115 V ±1 percent. 

Test at the rated frequency, maintained 

within ±1 percent. 

3.1.2 Control settings. Set the 

controls to the lowest available 

temperature setpoint for cooling mode 

and the highest available temperature 

setpoint for heating mode. If the 

portable air conditioner has a useradjustable fan speed, select the 

maximum fan speed setting. If the 

portable air conditioner has an 

automatic louver oscillation feature, 

disable that feature throughout testing. 

If the louver oscillation feature is 

included but there is no option to 

disable it, testing shall proceed with the 

louver oscillation enabled. If the 

portable air conditioner has adjustable 

louvers, position the louvers parallel 

with the airflow to maximize air flow 

and minimize static pressure loss. 

3.1.3 Measurement resolution and 

rounding. Record measurements at the 

resolution of the test instrumentation. 

Round the final cooling and heating 

capacity values in accordance with 

Table 1 of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

Round EERcm, EERhm, CEERcm, and 

CEER, as calculated in section 5 of this 

appendix, to the nearest 0.1 Btu/Wh. 

3.2 Standby mode and off mode. 

3.2.1 Installation requirements. For 

the standby mode and off mode testing, 

install the portable air conditioner in 

accordance with Section 5, Paragraph 

5.2 of IEC 62301 (incorporated by 

reference; see § 430.3), disregarding the 

provisions regarding batteries and the 

determination, classification, and 

testing of relevant modes. 

3.2.2 Electrical energy supply. 

3.2.2.1 Electrical supply. For the 

standby mode and off mode testing, 

maintain the input standard voltage at 

115 V ±1 percent. Maintain the 

electrical supply at the rated frequency 

±1 percent. 

3.2.2.2 Supply voltage waveform. 

For the standby mode and off mode 

testing, maintain the electrical supply 

voltage waveform indicated in Section 

4, Paragraph 4.3.2 of IEC 62301 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

3.2.3 Standby mode and off mode 

wattmeter. The wattmeter used to 

measure standby mode and off mode 

power consumption must meet the 

requirements specified in Section 4, 

Paragraph 4.4 of IEC 62301 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

3.2.4 Standby mode and off mode 

ambient temperature. For standby mode 

and off mode testing, maintain room 

ambient air temperature conditions as 

specified in Section 4, Paragraph 4.2 of 

IEC 62301 (incorporated by reference; 

see § 430.3). 

3.2.5 Duct temperature 

measurements. Measure the surface 

temperatures of each duct using four 

equally spaced thermocouples per duct, 

adhered to the outer surface of the entire 

length of the duct. Temperature 

measurements must be accurate to 

within ±0.5 °F. 

3.2.6 Case temperature 

measurements. Measure case surface 

temperatures using four equally spaced 

thermocouples adhered to each of the 

six case surfaces: front, right, left, back, 

top, and bottom. Place the 

thermocouples in a configuration that 

ensures that the case surface, when 

divided into quadrants, contains at least 

one thermocouple in each quadrant. If 

an evenly spaced case surface 

temperature thermocouple would 

otherwise be placed on an air inlet or 

exhaust grille, place the thermocouple 

adjacent to the inlet or exhaust grille, as 

close as possible to even spacing with 

the other thermocouples on that surface. 

Temperature measurements must be 

accurate to within ±0.5 °F. 

4. Test Measurement 

4.1 Active mode. 

4.1.1 Cooling mode. Measure the 

indoor room cooling capacity, 

Capacitycm, in accordance with Section 

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7.1.b of AHAM PAC–1–2014 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3). 

Measure the overall power input in 

cooling mode, Pcm, in Watts, in 

accordance with Section 7.1.c of AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 (incorporated by reference; 

see § 430.3). 

4.1.1.1 Duct Heat Transfer. Measure 

the surface temperature of the 

condenser exhaust duct and condenser 

inlet duct, where applicable, calculating 

the average temperature on each duct 

(Tduct_j) from the average of the four 

temperature measurements taken on 

that duct. Calculate the surface area 

(Aduct_j) of each duct according to the 

following: 

Aduct_j = p × dj × Lj

Where: 

dj is the outer diameter of duct ‘‘j’’. 

Lj is the extended length of duct ‘‘j’’ while 

under test. 

j represents the condenser exhaust duct and, 

for dual-duct units, condenser inlet duct. 

Calculate the total heat transferred 

from the surface of the duct(s) to the 

indoor conditioned space while 

operating in cooling mode as follows. 

Qduct_cm = Sj{h × Aduct_j × (Tduct_j ¥ Tei)} 

Where: 

Qduct_cm is the total heat transferred from the 

duct(s) to the indoor conditioned space 

in cooling mode. 

h is the convection coefficient, 4 Btu/h per 

square foot per °F. 

Aduct_j is the surface area of duct ‘‘j’’, in 

square feet. 

Tduct_j is the average surface temperature for 

duct ‘‘j’’, in °F. 

j represents the condenser exhaust duct 

and, for dual-duct units, condenser inlet 

duct. 

Tei is the average evaporator inlet air drybulb temperature, in °F. 

4.1.1.2 Case Heat Transfer. 

Determine the average surface 

temperature, Tcase_k, for each side of the 

test unit case by averaging the four 

temperature measurements on that side. 

Calculate the surface area of each case 

side as the product of the two primary 

surface dimensions. Calculate the 

surface area of the case side according 

to the following: 

Acase_k = D1_k × D2_k

Where: 

D1_k and D2_k are the two primary 

dimensions of the case side ‘‘k’’ exposed 

to ambient air. 

Calculate the heat transferred from all 

case sides to the indoor conditioned 

space according to the following: 

Qcase_cm = Sk{h × Acase_k × (Tcase_k ¥ 

Tei)} 

Where: 

Qcase_cm is the total heat transferred from all 

case sides to the indoor conditioned 

space in cooling mode. 

h is the convection coefficient, 4 Btu/h per 

square foot per °F. 

k represents the case sides, including front, 

back, right, left, top, and bottom. 

Acase_k is the surface area of case side ‘‘k’’, 

in square feet. 

Tcase_k is the average surface temperature of 

case side ‘‘k’’, in °F. 

Tei is the average evaporator inlet air dry-bulb 

temperature, in °F. 

4.1.1.3 Infiltration Air Heat 

Transfer. Measure the heat contribution 

from infiltration air for single-duct units 

and dual-duct units that draw at least 

part of the condenser air from the 

conditioned space. The dry air mass 

flow rate of infiltration air shall be 

calculated according to the following. 

Where: 

m ̇ sd is the dry air mass flow rate of infiltration 

air for a single-duct unit, in pounds per 

minute (lb/m). 

m ̇ dd is the dry air mass flow rate of 

infiltration air for a dual-duct unit, in lb/ 

m. 

Vco is the volumetric flow rate of the 

condenser outlet air, in cubic feet per 

minute (cfm). 

Vci is the volumetric flow rate of the 

condenser inlet air, in cfm. 

rco is the density of the condenser outlet air, 

in pounds mass per cubic foot (lbm/ft3). 

rci is the density of the condenser inlet air, 

in lbm/ft3. 

wco is the humidity ratio of condenser outlet 

air, in pounds mass of water vapor per 

pounds mass of dry air (lbw/lbda). 

wci is the humidity ratio of condenser inlet 

air, in lbw/lbda. 

Calculate the sensible component of 

infiltration air heat contribution 

according to the following: 

Where: 

Qs is the sensible heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

m ̇ is the dry air mass flow rate of infiltration 

air, 

m ̇ SD or 

m ̇ DD, in lb/m. 

cp_da is the specific heat of dry air, 0.24 Btu/ 

lbm-°F. 

cp_wv is the specific heat of water vapor, 

0.444 Btu/lbm-°F. 

wia is the humidity ratio of the infiltration air, 

0.0141 lbw/lbda. 

wei is the humidity ratio of the evaporator 

inlet air, in lbw/lbda. 

60 is the conversion factor from minutes to 

hours. 

Tei is the indoor chamber dry-bulb 

temperature measured at the evaporator 

inlet, in °F. 

Tia is the infiltration air dry-bulb 

temperature, 95 °F. 

Calculate the latent heat contribution 

of the infiltration air according to the 

following:: 

Where: 

Ql is the latent heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

m ̇ is the mass flow rate of infiltration air, 

m ̇ SD or 

m ̇ DD, in lb/m. 

wia is the humidity ratio of the infiltration air, 

0.0141 lbw/lbda. 

wei is the humidity ratio of the evaporator 

inlet air, in lbw/lbda. 

Hfg is the latent heat of vaporization for water 

vapor, 1061 Btu/lbm. 

60 is the conversion factor from minutes to 

hours. 

The total heat contribution of the 

infiltration air is the sum of the sensible 

and latent heat: 

Qinfiltration_cm = Qs + Ql

Where: 

Qinfiltration_cm is the total infiltration air heat in 

cooling mode, in Btu/h. 

Qs is the sensible heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

Ql is the latent heat added to the room by 

infiltration air, in Btu/h. 

4.1.2 Heating Mode. Measure the 

indoor room heating capacity, 

Capacityhm, overall power input in 

heating mode, Phm, duct heat transfer, 

Qduct_hm, case heat transfer, Qcase_hm, and 

infiltration air heat transfer, Qinfiltration_

hm, as for cooling in section 4.1.1 of this 

appendix, except that: (1) The terms 

‘‘Evaporator’’ and ‘‘Condenser’’ shall 

refer to the heat exchanger configuration 

in cooling mode, not the reverse cycle 

heating mode; (2) the resulting 

Capacityhm shall be multiplied by ¥1 to 

convert from cooling capacity to heating 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 10247 

capacity; and (3) the temperatures 

provided in the table below shall be 

used in place of the standard rating 

conditions found in Table 2 of AHAM 

PAC–1–2014 (incorporated by reference; 

see § 430.3). 

Test Configuration from table 2 in AHAM PAC–1–2014 

Evaporator inlet air, °F (°C) Condenser inlet air, °F (°C) 

Dry-bulb Wet-bulb Dry-bulb Wet-bulb 

3 ....................................................................................................................... 70.0 (21.1) 60.0 (15.6) 47.0 (8.33) 43.0 (6.11) 

5 ....................................................................................................................... 70.0 (21.1) 60.0 (15.6) 70.0 (21.1) 60.0 (15.6) 

4.2 Off-cycle mode. Establish the test 

conditions specified in section 3.1.1 of 

this appendix, except that the wattmeter 

specified in section 3.2.3 of this 

appendix shall be used. Begin the offcycle mode test period 5 minutes 

following the cooling mode test period. 

Adjust the setpoint higher than the 

ambient temperature to ensure the 

product will not enter cooling mode and 

begin the test 5 minutes after the 

compressor cycles off due to the change 

in setpoint. The off-cycle mode test 

period shall be 2 hours in duration, 

during which the power consumption is 

recorded at the same intervals as 

recorded for cooling mode testing. 

Measure and record the average offcycle mode power of the portable air 

conditioner, Poc, in watts. 

4.3 Standby mode and off mode. 

Establish the testing conditions set forth 

in section 3.2 of this appendix, ensuring 

that the portable air conditioner does 

not enter any active modes during the 

test. For portable air conditioners that 

take some time to enter a stable state 

from a higher power state as discussed 

in Section 5, Paragraph 5.1, Note 1 of 

IEC 62301, (incorporated by reference; 

see § 430.3), allow sufficient time for the 

portable air conditioner to reach the 

lowest power state before proceeding 

with the test measurement. Follow the 

test procedure specified in Section 5, 

Paragraph 5.3.2 of IEC 62301 

(incorporated by reference; see § 430.3) 

for testing in each possible mode as 

described in sections 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 of 

this appendix. 

4.3.1 If the portable air conditioner 

has an inactive mode, as defined in 

section 2.8 of this appendix, but not an 

off mode, as defined in section 2.10 of 

this appendix, measure and record the 

average inactive mode power of the 

portable air conditioner, Pia, in watts. 

4.3.2 If the portable air conditioner 

has an off mode, as defined in section 

2.10 of this appendix, measure and 

record the average off mode power of 

the portable air conditioner, Pom, in 

watts. 

5. Calculation of Derived Results From 

Test Measurements 

5.1 Adjusted Cooling Capacity. 

Calculate the adjusted cooling capacity 

for portable air conditioners, ACC, 

expressed in Btu/h, according to the 

following: 

ACC = Capacitycm ¥ Qduct_cm ¥ Qcase_cm

¥ Qinfiltration_cm

Where: 

Capacitycm is the cooling capacity measured 

in section 4.1.1 of this appendix. 

Qduct_cm is the duct heat transfer while 

operating in cooling mode, measured in 

section 4.1.1.1 of this appendix. 

Qcase_cm is the case heat transfer while 

operating in cooling mode, measured in 

section 4.1.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qinfiltration_cm is the infiltration air heat 

transfer while operating in cooling mode, 

measured in section 4.1.1.3 of this 

appendix. 

5.2 Adjusted Heating Capacity. 

Calculate the adjusted heating capacity 

for portable air conditioners, AHC, 

expressed in Btu/h, according to the 

following: 

AHC = Capacityhm + Qduct_hm + Qcase_hm

+ Qinfiltration_hm

Where: 

Capacityhm is the heating capacity measured 

in section 4.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qduct_hm is the duct heat transfer while 

operating in heating mode, measured in 

section 4.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qcase_hm is the case heat transfer while 

operating in heating mode, measured in 

section 4.1.2 of this appendix. 

Qinfiltration_hm is the infiltration air heat 

transfer while operating in heating mode, 

measured in section 4.1.2 of this 

appendix. 

5.3 Energy Efficiency Ratio. 

Calculate the cooling energy efficiency 

ratio, EERcm, and heating energy 

efficiency ratio, EERhm, both expressed 

in Btu/Wh, according to the following: 

Where: 

ACC is the adjusted cooling capacity, in Btu/ 

h, calculated in section 5.1 of this 

appendix. 

AHC is the adjusted heating capacity, in Btu/ 

h, calculated in section 5.2 of this 

appendix. 

Pcm is the overall power input in cooling 

mode, in watts, measured in section 

4.1.1 of this appendix. 

Phm is the overall power input in heating 

mode, in watts, measured in section 

4.1.2 of this appendix. 

5.4 Annual Energy Consumption. 

Calculate the annual energy 

consumption in each operating mode, 

AECm, expressed in kilowatt-hours per 

year (kWh/year). The annual hours of 

operation in each mode are estimated as 

follows: 

Operating mode 

Annual operating hours 

for calculating: 

Cooling only Cooling and 

heating 

Cooling .............. 750 750 

Heating ............. 0 1,008 

Off-Cycle ........... 880 2,063 

Inactive or Off ... 1,355 1,704 

AECm = Pm × tm × k

Where: 

AECm is the annual energy consumption in 

each mode, in kWh/year. 

Pm is the average power in each mode, in 

watts. 

t is the number of annual operating time in 

each mode, in hours. 

m represents the operating mode (‘‘cm’’ 

cooling, ‘‘hm’’ heating, ‘‘oc’’ off-cycle, 

and ‘‘ia’’ inactive or ‘‘om’’ off mode). 

k is 0.001 kWh/Wh conversion factor from 

watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. 

Total annual energy consumption in 

all modes except cooling and heating, is 

calculated according to the following: 

AECT = Sm AECm

Where: 

AECT is the total annual energy consumption 

attributed to all modes except cooling 

and heating, in kWh/year; 

AECm is the total annual energy consumption 

in each mode, in kWh/year. 

m represents the operating modes included 

in AECT (‘‘oc’’ off-cycle, and ‘‘im’’ 

inactive or ‘‘om’’ off mode). 

5.5 Combined Energy Efficiency 

Ratio in Cooling Mode. Using the annual 

operating hours for cooling only, as 

outlined in section 5.4 of this appendix, 

calculate the cooling mode combined 

energy efficiency ratio, CEERcm,

expressed in Btu/Wh, according to the 

following: 


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10248 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 37 / Wednesday, February 25, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

Where: 

CEERcm is the combined energy efficiency 

ratio in cooling mode, in Btu/Wh. 

ACC is the adjusted cooling capacity, in Btu/ 

h, calculated in section 5.1 of this 

appendix. 

AECcm is the annual energy consumption in 

cooling mode, in kWh/year, calculated in 

section 5.4 of this appendix. 

AECT is the total annual energy consumption 

attributed to all modes except cooling 

and heating, in kWh/year, calculated in 

section 5.4 of this appendix. 

t is the number of hours per year, 8,760. 

k is 0.001 kWh/Wh conversion factor for 

watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. 

5.6 Total Combined Energy 

Efficiency Ratio. For units with heating 

and cooling modes, use the annual 

operating hours for cooling and heating, 

as outlined in section 5.4 of this 

appendix to calculate the total 

combined energy efficiency ratio, CEER, 

expressed in Btu/Wh. For units with no 

heating mode, CEER shall be equal to 

CEERcm, calculated as described in 

section 5.5 of this appendix. 

Where: 

ACC is the adjusted cooling capacity, in Btu/ 

h, calculated in section 5.1 of this 

appendix. 

AHC is the adjusted heating capacity, in Btu/ 

h, calculated in section 5.2 of this 

appendix. 

hcm and hhm are the cooling and heating mode 

operating hours, respectively. 

AECcm is the annual energy consumption in 

cooling mode, in kWh/year, calculated in 

section 5.4 of this appendix. 

AEChm is the annual energy consumption in 

heating mode, in kWh/year, calculated in 

section 5.4 of this appendix. 

AECT is the total annual energy consumption 

attributed to all modes except cooling 

and heating, in kWh/year, calculated in 

section 5.4 of this appendix. 

t is the number of hours per year, 8,760. 

k is 0.001 kWh/Wh conversion factor for 

watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. 

[FR Doc. 2015–03589 Filed 2–24–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


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