May ’24 at-a-glance … energy

Advocacy efforts toward “no-new-standard” for proposed DOE CRE regulations continue 

NAFEM continues its aggressive efforts to advocate for a “no-new-standard” to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed energy-efficiency regulations for commercial refrigeration equipment (CRE). During a meeting with the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy (Advocacy), multiple NAFEM members pointed out that DOE’s proposed standards do not meet the required criteria of being economically justified and technologically feasible. The Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) also participated in the multi-stakeholder session.  

SBA Advocacy serves as the conduit between small businesses, which are the backbone of the American economy, and the federal government. The office provides important input on federal rulemaking and regulatory activity. Importantly, SBA Advocacy shared that they are not bound by comment periods and can continue to press DOE for an interagency review of this issue.  

NAFEM also submitted questions on the proposed rulemaking for members of the House Appropriations Committee to use during DOE budget hearings. “These and other levers are important to pull as we work to address the industry’s concerns with as many influencers as possible,” said Alex Bandza, NAFEM legal team, Barnes & Thornburg. 

In December, NAFEM submitted comments to DOE stating that the “industry supports, and will continue to support, energy-efficiency regulations that are tethered to technological and economic reality. DOE’s proposed standards are neither.” If approved as currently drafted, the proposed standards would take effect late 2027. 

NAFEM members also are using the new Advocacy Action Center to reach out to their elected officials virtually and to contact Senators and Representatives for scheduling in person visits and plant tours. This outreach builds important relations that can help the industry effectively advocate for reasonable regulations today and tomorrow. Members who have questions about doing so are encouraged to contact advocacy@nafem.org.  

ENERGY STAR® modifies commercial cooktop specs

ENERGY STAR^® modified Commercial Electric Cooktop Version 1.0 to remove simmer energy efficiency from the definitions and reporting section of the specification. EPA also removed the field for certification bodies to submit data on certified models.