September at-a-glance…energy

DOE considering revisions to enforcement process

DOE is considering revising enforcement regulations for certain commercial foodservice equipment covered under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA). In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the agency outlines a process to petition for reexamination of a pending noncompliance determination and for it to be able to consider third-party certification as official test data to provide further clarity and greater transparency. Comments are due by Oct. 20.

DOE seeks to address inconsistency in WIC/WIF standard

In a pre-publication Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, DOE communicated its intention to amend the current test procedure for hot gas unit coolers for walk-in coolers/walk-in freezers to align with an update to Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) standards. For more information, register for DOE’s Oct. 2 webinar from 1 – 4 p.m. Eastern. DOE will accept comments up to 75 days after the NOPR appears in the Federal Register.

CEE evaluating ACIM and PRSV energy-efficiency

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) closed the comment period for Draft 2 of its Commercial Ice Machines Specification that included revisions to maximize energy savings. CEE also reported that it “believes that the market for pre-rinse spray valves (PRSV) has been transformed and that there is limited opportunity to define efficient performance standards beyond the new U.S. federal energy-conservation standards.” As a result, CEE proposes to sunset its PRSV specification and rely on the U.S. standard. Comments on this recommendation also are closed. NAFEM will continue to monitor CEE for next steps on both recommendations.