CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1	 PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENT ................................................................................. 1­1
 

1.2	 OVERVIEW OF ASHRAE STANDARD 90.1 COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT

ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS ................................................................ 1­1

1.3	 OVERVIEW OF THE ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS AND ASHRAE

STANDARD 90.1­2007 FOR COMMERCIAL PACKAGED BOILERS ..................... 1­2

1.4	 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT............................................................................ 1­3
 

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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
 

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE DOCUMENT
 

This technical support document (TSD) is a stand­alone report that documents the

technical analyses and results in support of the information presented in the final rule notice for

establishing amended energy conservation standards for certain commercial and industrial

equipment covered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ American Society of

Heating, Refrigerating and Air­Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) /Illuminating Engineering

Society of North America (IESNA) Standard 90.1­2007 Energy Standard for Buildings Except

Low­Rise Residential Buildings (ASHRAE Standard 90.1­2007),a including commercial

packaged boilers.

1.2	 OVERVIEW OF ASHRAE STANDARD 90.1 COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT

ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS

Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), Pub. L. 94­163, as

amended, sets forth a variety of provisions concerning energy efficiency. Part A­1 of Title III

created the energy conservation program for certain industrial equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6311­6317)

In general, this program addresses the energy efficiency of certain types of commercial and

industrial equipment. Part A­1 specifically includes definitions (42 U.S.C. 6311), energy

conservation standards (42 U.S.C. 6313), test procedures (42 U.S.C. 6314), labeling provisions

(42 U.S.C. 6315), and the authority to require information and reports from manufacturers (42

U.S.C. 6316).

EPCA contains mandatory energy conservation standards for commercial heating, airconditioning, and water­heating equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)) Specifically, the statute sets

standards for small, large, and very large commercial package air­conditioning and heating

equipment, packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs) and packaged terminal heat pumps

(PTHPs), warm air furnaces, packaged boilers, storage water heaters, and unfired hot water

storage tanks. Id. In doing so, EPCA established Federal energy conservation standards that

generally correspond to the levels in ASHRAE Standard 90.1, as in effect on October 24, 1992

(i.e., ASHRAE Standard 90.1­1989), for each type of covered equipment listed in 42 U.S.C.

6313(a).

In acknowledgement of technological changes that yield energy efficiency benefits,

Congress further directed DOE through EPCA to consider amending the existing Federal energy

conservation standard for each type of equipment listed, each time ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is

amended with respect to such equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(A)) For each type of equipment,

EPCA directs that if ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is amended, DOE must adopt amended standards at

the new efficiency level in ASHRAE Standard 90.1, unless clear and convincing evidence

supports a determination that adoption of a more stringent level would produce significant

additional energy savings and be technologically feasible and economically justified. (42 U.S.C.

a For more information see www.ashrae.org

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6313(a)(6)(A)(ii)) If DOE decides to adopt as a national standard the efficiency levels specified

in the amended ASHRAE Standard 90.1, DOE must establish such standard not later than 18

months after publication of the amended industry standard. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(A)(ii)(I))

However, if DOE determines that a more­stringent standard is justified under 42 U.S.C.

6313(a)(6)(A)(ii)(II), then it must establish such more­stringent standard not later than 30

months after publication of the amended ASHRAE Standard 90.1. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(B))

DOE considers stakeholder participation to be a very important part of the process for

setting energy conservation standards. DOE actively encourages the participation and interaction

of all stakeholders during the comment period in each stage of the rulemaking. During comment

periods, interactions among stakeholders provide a balanced discussion of the information that is

required for the standards rulemaking.

1.3	 OVERVIEW OF THE ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS AND ASHRAE

STANDARD 90.1­2007 FOR COMMERCIAL PACKAGED BOILERS

EPCA defines a “packaged boiler” as “a boiler that is shipped complete with heating

equipment, mechanical draft equipment, and automatic controls; usually shipped in one or more

sections.” (42 U.S.C. 6311(11)(B)) In its regulations, DOE further refined the “packaged boiler”

definition to exclude a boiler that is custom designed and field constructed. 10 CFR 431.102.

Additionally, if the boiler is shipped in more than one section, the sections may be produced by

more than one manufacturer, and may be originated or shipped at different times and from more

than one location. Id.

The current Federal energy conservation standards separate commercial packaged boilers

only by the type of fuel used by the boiler, creating two equipment classes: (1) gas­fired, and (2)

oil­fired. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(4)(C)­(D); 10 CFR 431.87) As set forth below, EPCA specified

minimum Federal standards for commercial packaged boilers manufactured on or after January

1, 1994. Id. The minimum combustion efficiency at the maximum rated capacity of a gas­fired

packaged boiler with capacity of 300,000 Btu/h (British thermal units per hour) (300 kBtu/h) or

more must be 80 percent. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(4)(C); 10 CFR 431.87(a)) The minimum

combustion efficiency at the maximum rated capacity of an oil­fired packaged boiler with

capacity of 300,000 Btu/h or more must be 83 percent. (42 U.S.C. 6313 (a)(4)(D); 10 CFR

431.87(b))

On January 9, 2008, the ASHRAE Board of Directors gave final approval to ASHRAE

Standard 90.1­2007, which ASHRAE officially released on January 10, 2008. ASHRAE

Standard 90.1­2007 addresses efficiency levels for several equipment classes of commercial

packaged boilers. The amended ASHRAE Standard 90.1 (ASHRAE Standard 90.1­2007)

revised the efficiency levels for commercial packaged boilers specified in ASHRAE Standard

90.1­2007. ASHRAE Standard 90.1­2007 divides boilers into 10 equipment classes (in place of

the two specified in EPCA), and changes the efficiency metric from combustion efficiency to

thermal efficiency for 8 of the 10 equipment classes.

On July 16, 2008, DOE published a notice of data availability (July 2008 NODA) and

request for public comment in the Federal Register as a preliminary step pursuant to EPCA’s

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requirements for DOE to consider amended energy conservation standards for certain types of

commercial equipment covered by ASHRAE Standard 90.1. 73 FR 40770 (July 16, 2008).

Specifically, the July 2008 NODA presented for public comment DOE’s analysis of the potential

energy savings estimates for amended national energy conservation standards for types of

commercial equipment based on: (1) the modified efficiency levels contained within ASHRAE

Standard 90.1­2007; and (2) more­stringent efficiency levels. Id. at 40772. DOE described these

analyses and preliminary conclusions and sought input from interested parties, including the

submission of data and other relevant information. Id.

After receiving public comments from interested parties on the July 2008 NODA, DOE

revised its NODA analyses for commercial packaged boilers and summarized the assumptions

and presented the results in a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) published on March 20,

2009 (March 2009 NOPR). 74 FR 12000. DOE detailed the NOPR analyses in the accompanying

NOPR TSD. DOE conducted several new analyses in preparation for the NOPR for commercial

packaged boilers. DOE presented all analyses (both the updated NODA analyses, and the new

analyses performed for the NOPR) for comment from interested parties at the public meeting

held on April 7, 2009, and during the written comment period.

In response to the comments received regarding the NOPR analyses, DOE further refined

the analyses for the final rule. A list of the rulemaking analyses performed in preparation for the

final rule and the corresponding chapter number is presented in the next section.

1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT

This final rule TSD outlines the analytical approaches used in this rulemaking. The TSD

consists of eight chapters and four appendices.

Chapter 1	 Introduction: provides an overview of the appliance standards program

and how it applies to the ASHRAE equipment rulemaking, and outlines

the structure of the document.

Chapter 2	 Market Assessment: characterizes the commercial packaged boiler

market.

Chapter 3	 Engineering Analysis: discusses the methods used for developing the

relationship incremental contractor cost and increased efficiency for

commercial packaged boilers.

Chapter 4	 Energy Use Characterization: discusses the process used for generating

energy use estimates of commercial packaged boilers for a variety of

equipment classes, climate locations, and potential amended standard

levels.

Chapter 5	 Life­Cycle Cost and Payback Period Analyses: discusses the economic

effects of standards on commercial customers and users of the equipment

and compares the LCC and PBP of equipment with and without higher

energy conservation standards.

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Chapter 6 Shipments Analysis: discusses the methods used for forecasting

shipments with and without higher energy conservation standards,

including how equipment purchase decisions are economically influenced

and modeled with econometric equations.

Chapter 7 National Impact Analysis: discusses the methods used for forecasting

national energy consumption and national economic impacts based on

annual equipment shipments and estimates of future equipment efficiency

distributions in the absence and presence of higher energy conservation

standards.

Chapter 8 Environmental Assessment: discusses the environmental effects of

amended energy conservation standards, including the impact on

emissions of three pollutants: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX),

and carbon dioxide (CO2).

App. 4­A Annual Efficiency Calculation for Condensing Boilers: provides

calculations used to estimate the seasonal energy performance of a

condensing boiler when applied to a typical existing building.

App. 5­A Detailed Life­Cycle Cost Output: shows the detailed life­cycle results

obtained from running each class of commercial boiler through the LCC

analysis for the AEO 2008 reference case fuel price scenario.

App. 7­A Detailed National Energy Savings and National Impacts Analysis Output:

contains detailed output results from the national energy savings and

national economic impact spreadsheet model.

App. 7­B Impacts of Standards on Natural Gas Prices: summarizes the estimated

impacts of amended commercial packaged boiler standards on natural gas

prices.

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