Federal Register / Vol. 57, No. 151 / Wednesday, August 5, 1992 / Notices

Act (EPCA), Public Law 94-183

, 89 Stat. 917, as amended by the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA), Public Law 95-619, 92 Stat. 3266, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA), Public Law 100-12, and the National Appliance Energy Conservation Amendments of 1988 (NAECA 1988). Public Law 100-357, which requires DOE to prescribe standardized test procedures to measure the energy consumption of certain consumer Office of Conservation and products, including furnaces. The intent Renewable Energy of the test procedures Is to provide a

[Case No . F-0491 comparable measure of energy consumption that will assist consumers Energy Conservation Program for in making purchasing decisions. These

Consumer Products ; Decision and test procedures appear at 10 CFR part
Order Granting a Waiver From the 430, subpart B.

Furnace Test Procedure to Rheem DOE amended the prescribed test
Manufacturing Co. procedures by adding 10 CFR 430.27 to create a waiver process. 45 FR 64108, AGENCY : Office of Conservation and September 26, 1980. Thereafter. DOE Renewable Energy, Department of further amended its appliance test Energy. procedure waiver process to allow the
ACTION : Decision and Order. Assistant Secretary for Conservation

SUMMARY . Notice is given of the and Renewable Energy (Assistant

g Secretary) to grant an Interim Waiver Decision and Order (Case No. F--049) from test procedure requirements to granting a Waiver to Rheem manufacturers that have petitioned DOE Manufacturing Company (Rheem) from for a waiver of such prescribed test the existing Department of Energy procedures. 51 FR 42823, November 28, (DOE) test procedure for furnaces, The 1986. Department is granting Rheem its The waiver process allows the Petition for Waiver regarding blower Assistant Secretary to waive time delay in calculation of Annual Fuel temporarily test procedures for a Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) for its particular basic model when a petitioner GVG series of gas furnaces. shows that the basic model contains one FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT : or more design characteristics which Cyrus H. Nasseri, U.S. Department of Energy. prevent testing according to the Office of Conservation and Renewable prescribed test procedures or when the Energy, Mail Station CE-431, Forrestal prescribed test procedures may evaluate Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., the basic model in a manner so Washington, DC 20585, (202) 580-9127. unrepresentative of its true energy Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of consumption as to provide materially Energy, Office of General Counsel. Mail inaccurate comparative data. Waivers Station GC-41, Forrestal Building 1000 generally remain in effect until final test Independence Avenue SW., Washington, procedure amendments become DC 20585, (202) 588-9507. effective, resolving the problem that is SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION In the subject of the waiver. accordance with 10 CFR 430.27(g), notice The Interim Waiver provisions added is hereby given of the issuance of the by the 1986 amendment allow the Decision and Order as set out below. In Assistant Secretary to grant an Interim the Decision and Order, Rheem has Waiver when it is determined that the been granted a Waiver for its GVG applicant will experience economic series of gas furnaces, permitting the hardship if the Application for Interim company to use an alternate test method Waiver is denied, if it appears likely in determining AFUE, that the Petition for Waiver will be Issued in Washington, DC, July 30,1992. granted, and/or the Assistant Secretary
1. Michael Davis , determines that it would be desirable for Assistant Secretary, Conservation and public policy reasons to grant immediate Renewable Energy. relief pending a determination on the

Background Petition for Waiver. An Interim Waiver remains in effect for a period of 180 days The Energy Conservation Program for or until DOE issues its determination on Consumer Products (other than the Petition for Waiver, whichever is automobiles) was established pursuant sooner, and may be extended for an to the Energy Policy and Conservation additional 180 days, if necessary.

### Federal Register / Vol. 57, No. 151 / Wednesday, August 5, 1992 / Notices 34561

Rheem filed a "Petition for Waiver," dated February 12, 1992, in accordance with § 430.27 of 10 CFR part 430. DOE published in the Federal Register on April 28, 1992, Rheem's petition and solicited comments, data and information respecting the petition. 57 FR 17903. Rheem also filed an "Application for Interim Waiver" under § 430.27(g) which DOE granted on April 17, 1992. 57 FR 17903, April 28, 1992. No comments were received concerning either the "Petition for Waiver" or the "Interim Waiver." DOE consulted with The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning the Rheem Petition. The FTC did not have any objections to the issuance of the waiver to Rheem.

Assertions and Determinations

Rheem's Petition seeks a waiver from the DOE test provisions that require a 1.5-minute time delay between the ignition of the burner and the starting of the circulating air blower. Rheem requests the allowance to test using a 30-second blower time delay when testing its GVG series of gas furnaces. Rheem states that since the 30

- second delay is indicative of how those models actually operate and since such a delay results in an improvement in efficiency of approximately 2.0 percent, the petition should be granted. Under specific circumstances, the DOE test procedure contains exceptions which allow testing with blower delay times or less than the prescribed 1.5- minute delay

. Rheem indicates that it is unable to take advantage of any of these exceptions for its GVG series of gas furnaces. Since the blower controls incorporated on the Rheem furnaces are designed to impose a 30-second blower delay in every instance of start up, and since the current provisions do not specifically address this type of control, DOE agrees that a waiver should be granted to allow the 30

- second blower time delay when testing the Rheem GVG series of gas furnaces. Accordingly, with regard to testing the GVG series of gas furnaces

, today 's Decision and Order exempts Rheem from the existing provisions regarding blower controls and allows testing with the 30-second delay. It is, therefore, ordered that: (1) The "Petition for Waiver" filed by Rheem Manufacturing Company (Case No. F-049) is hereby granted as set forth in paragraph (2) below, subject to the provisions of paragraphs (3), (4), and (5). (2) Notwithstanding any contrary provisions of Appendix N of 10 CFR part 430, Subpart B, Rheem Manufacturing Company shall be permitted to test its GVG series of gas furnaces on the basis of the test procedure specified in 10 CFR part 430, with modifications set forth below. (i) Section 3.0 of Appendix N is deleted and replaced with the following paragraph: 3.0 Test Procedure. Testing and
measurements shall be as specified in
section 9 in ANSI/ASHRAE 103-82 with the exception of sections 9.2.2, 9.3.1, and 9.3.2, and the inclusion of the following additional procedures: (ii) Add a new paragraph 3.10 to Appendix N as follows: 3.10 Gas- and Oil-Fueled Central Furnaces. The following paragraph is in lieu of the requirement specified in section 9.3.1 of ANSI/ASHRAE 103-82. After equilibrium conditions are achieved following the cool-down test and the required measurements performed

, turn on the furnaces and measure the flue gas temperature, using the thermocouple grid described above, at 0.5 and 2

.5 minutes after the main burner( s) comes on

. After the burner start-up, delay the blower start-up by 1.5 minutes (t-), unless : (1) The furnace employs a single motor to drive the power burner and the indoor air circulating blower, in which case the burner and blower shall be started together; or (2) the furnace is designed to operate using an unvarying delay time that is other than 1.5 minutes, in which case the fan control shall be permitted to start the blower; or (3) the delay time results in the activation of a temperature safety device which shuts off the burner, in which case the fan control shall be permitted to start the blower. In the latter case

, if the fan control is adjustable, set it to start the blower at the highest temperature. If the fan control is permitted to start the blower, measure time delay, (t-), using a stopwatch

. Record the measured temperatures

. During the heat

-up test for oil-fueled furnaces, maintain the draft in the flue pipe within ±0.01 inch of water column of the manufacturer's recommended on-period draft. (iii) With the exception of the modifications set forth above, Rheem Manufacturing Company shall comply in all respects with the test procedures specified in Appendix N of 10 CFR part 430, subpart B. (3) The Waiver shall remain in effect from the date of issuance of this Order until DOE prescribes final test procedures appropriate to the GVG series of gas furnaces manufactured by Rheem Manufacturing Company. (4) This Waiver is based upon the presumed validity of statements, allegations

, and documentary materials submitted by the petitioner. This Waiver may be revoked or modified at any time upon a determination that the factual basis underlying the petition is incorrect. (5) Effective July 30, 1992, this Waiver supersedes the Interim Waiver granted The Rheem Manufacturing Company on April 17, 1992.57 FR 17903, April 28,1992 (Case No. F-049). Issued in Washington, DC, July 30,1992. J. Michael Davis, Assistant Secretary, Conservation and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 92-18585 Filed 8-04-•92; 8:45 am)
BILUNO CODE 6450.01-M