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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 190 (Wednesday, October 1, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59153-59154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-23417]

========================================================================
Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 190 / Wednesday, October 1, 2014 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 59153]]

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

10 CFR Part 431

[Docket Number EERE-2014-BT-PET-0041]

Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial 
Equipment: Walk-in Coolers and Freezers; Test Procedure

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is planning to hold a public 
meeting to discuss the various aspects related to testing and 
calculating the energy efficiency ratings for refrigeration systems 
used in walk-in coolers and freezers (WICFs). The discussion will focus 
solely on the mechanics of measuring the relevant values and the 
downstream calculations needed to rate the efficiency of WICF 
refrigeration system basic models that are either sold as mixed or 
matched systems.

DATES: Meeting: DOE will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, October 
22, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Washington, DC. In addition, 
DOE plans to broadcast the public meeting via webinar. You may attend 
the public meeting either in person or via webinar. Registration 
information, participant instructions, and also information about the 
capabilities available to webinar participants will be published in 
advance on DOE's Web site at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/
appliancestandards/product.aspx/productid/26. Webinar 
participants are responsible for ensuring their systems are compatible 
with the webinar software.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, Room GH-019. To attend, 
please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586-2945. Please note that 
foreign nationals visiting DOE Headquarters are subject to advance 
security screening procedures. Any foreign national wishing to 
participate in the meeting should advise DOE as soon as possible by 
contacting Ms. Edwards to initiate the necessary procedures. Please 
also note that any person wishing to bring a laptop into the Forrestal 
Building will be required to obtain a property pass. Visitors should 
avoid bringing laptops, or allow an extra 45 minutes. Persons may also 
attend the public meeting via webinar.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Armstrong, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Program, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-6590, email: Ashley.Armstrong@ee.doe.gov. 
Michael Kido, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel, GC-
71, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-8145, 
email: Michael.Kido@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is 
holding a public meeting to discuss a variety of issues related to the 
testing and calculation of the energy efficiency of refrigeration 
systems used in walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers (collectively, 
``walk-ins'' or ``WICFs''). A walk-in is an enclosed storage space 
refrigerated to temperatures ``above, and at or below'' (depending on 
whether it is a cooler or freezer) 32 [deg]F that can be walked into, 
and has a total chilled storage area of less than 3,000 square feet. 
See 42 U.S.C. 6311(20). Each walk-in is comprised of three key types of 
components: Panels used for the ceiling, walls, and (for freezers) the 
floor; at least one door; and a refrigeration system.
    At its most basic level, a refrigeration system uses two primary 
components--an evaporator coil unit and a condensing unit. Both of 
these components are connected together through the use of a 
refrigerant line. Within the refrigeration system market, some 
manufacturers produce both components, effectively creating a complete 
system for purposes of being able to rate the efficiency of a given 
walk-in refrigeration system. Other manufacturers, however, produce 
only the evaporator coils or the condensing unit. Recent modifications 
to DOE's WICF test procedure enable manufacturers in these single 
component-only scenarios to readily calculate the energy efficiency of 
their respective unit using specified default values for the other 
refrigeration system component that they do not manufacture. See 79 FR 
27388 (May 13, 2014). Those recent modifications also allow 
manufacturers of walk-in refrigeration systems to use a mathematical 
model or computer simulation, known generically as alternative 
efficiency determination methods (AEDMs), in lieu of conducting a test 
when rating a WICF refrigeration system's energy efficiency.
    The scheduled meeting is intended to assist interested parties, 
particularly those individual manufacturers who produce only one of the 
two primary refrigeration system components noted above, with applying 
DOE's calculation methodology when rating the efficiency of that 
manufacturer's component. This calculation methodology must be used 
when determining whether a manufacturer's individual component complies 
with the applicable energy conservation standards DOE recently issued, 
compliance with which is required as of June 5, 2017. See 79 FR 32050 
(June 3, 2014).
    DOE plans to discuss the following issues:

[[Page 59154]]

     The scope of the refrigeration system test procedure, 
particularly, identifying which refrigeration components fall within 
the scope of DOE's walk-in regulations;
     the operation of the test procedure's methodology, 
including the methods used to calculate defrost energy consumption;
     the application of the test procedure when rating 
different walk-in refrigeration systems (i.e., mixed versus matched 
systems);
     the calculation of the ratings of a given walk-in 
refrigeration system component when only component (i.e. the evaporator 
coil unit or condenser unit) is produced; and
     the AEDM requirements as they apply to walk-in 
refrigeration systems.
    DOE encourages all interested persons to submit questions to DOE 
that are relevant to the above topics in advance of the meeting date to 
ensure that the agency is able to fully address these topics. As the 
intent of this meeting is to help manufacturers to better understand 
how to rate their equipment, DOE will not be discussing the methodology 
or analysis used in developing the recently amended energy conservation 
standards for walk-in refrigeration systems.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2014.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014-23417 Filed 9-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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