February ’22 at-a-glance … energy

SBA considers advocating for DOE to reopen Process Rule for comments

In response to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s 2021 Review of Methods Used by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Setting Appliance and Equipment Standards report, the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy (SBAOA) held a discussion Feb. 11 on whether DOE should reopen comments on the 2021 Process Rule. In the report, the Academies recommend DOE:

• Gather more empirical data on product pricing, consumer preferences and additional measures of product performance to improve its economic analysis.
• Conduct post analysis of the costs and benefits of standards to confirm assumptions made in standards setting and offer guidance for setting future standards.
• Appreciate consumer needs beyond reduced energy costs, such as comfort, safety, convenience, environmental impact, high-tech attributes, etc.

In its comments to SBAOA, NAFEM advocated for reopening comments, stating, “The 2020 Process Rule provided checks and balances in which members could engage DOE and educate them about the science of their products. This is important because the foodservice industry needs certain products to perform unique functions that may not neatly fit with DOE’s more ‘efficient’ and rushed process outlined in the 2021 Process Rule.”

Unfortunately, the 2020 Process Rule improvements were never allowed to be implemented to experience whether they achieved their original intent.

The Academies report concludes that, “A more forward-leaning analysis might capture more of the potential for the leading edge of technology to enter the market and increase energy and water conservation.”

DOE accepts comments on energy conservation standards for misc. refrigeration products

The comment period closed Feb. 22 for DOE’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) to amend the test procedures for automatic commercial ice makers (ACIM). NAFEM will continue sharing information on the agency’s work in this area as it evolves.

DOE in process of evaluating changes to ACIM test procedures

The comment period closed Feb. 22 for DOE’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) to amend the test procedures for automatic commercial ice makers (ACIM). NAFEM will continue sharing information on the agency’s work in this area as it evolves.

New DOE interim waiver process effective Feb. 14

The new DOE test procedure interim waiver process took effect Feb. 14. It removes the provision that interim waivers will be automatically granted if DOE fails to notify the petitioner of the disposition of the petition within 45 business days. Instead, DOE intends to “make best efforts to process any interim waiver request within 90 days of receipt.”

Manufacturers invited to share ideas for decarbonizing industrial sector

Opportunities and challenges for decarbonizing the U.S. industrial sector are being sought by the DOE in a recent Request for information (RFI). DOE’s Advance Manufacturing Office (AMO) seeks to better understand how the U.S. manufacturing sector can reduce emissions while also making technologies to power the clean economy and increase global competitiveness. AMO is specifically looking at energy efficiency; electrification; low-carbon fuels and feedstocks; and carbon capture, utilization and storage. Comments are due Feb. 28, although this discussion and resulting actions are likely to continue for some time.

Massachusetts’ appliance energy-efficiency standards reminder

Massachusetts’ energy efficiency standards for commercial dishwshers, fryers, ovens, and hot-food holding cabinets took effect January 1. The state’s Department of Energy Resources reminds NAFEM members that manufacturers must certify their products in the Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System (MAEdbs) – hosted by the California Energy Commission (CEC). Information on the process, including a link to the compliance requirements for manufacturers, can be found here.

ENERGY STAR^® updates

• In response to increased interest in lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, ENERGY STAR added a new filter to relevant product finders to highlight products using these refrigerants. The filter is available for commercial ice makers, refrigerators and freezers, and a variety of other commercial and consumer products. ENERGY STAR intends to add this filter to additional product finder pages as lower GWP refrigerants are approved and available in ENERGY STAR models.
• ENERGY STAR version 5.0 specification revision for commercial refrigerators and freezers is final.