ENERGY STAR Program Proposing to Sunset the ENERGY STAR Recognition for Residential Gas Furnaces – Comments Due June 22.

Yesterday, the EPA announced (attached)  that “Consistent with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) focus on the potential for electric heat pumps to deliver energy-efficiency gains, pollution reduction and cost-savings to consumers, the ENERGY STAR program is proposing to sunset the certification pathway to the ENERGY STAR label for residential furnaces and central air conditioners (CACs). This will allow EPA to evolve the ENERGY STAR portfolio of product specifications toward identifying the most efficient electric equipment now available to consumers.”  Specifically, EPA  proposes to sunset the ENERGY STAR Version 4.1 Specification for Furnaces and remove CAC from the ENERGY STAR V6.1 Specification for CAC and Heat Pump Equipment effective December 30, 2024, with no new certifications accepted after December 30, 2023. Comments can be submitted to  [email protected] by June 22, 2023. With the wide variety of uses of the promotion of ENERGY STAR residential gas furnaces by utilities in company rebate programs, consumer energy reduction programs, etc., federal tax credits, provisions in the energy codes that provide credits for ENERGY STAR rated gas furnaces, the sunset by the EPA will have a serious impact on company programs, consumers, and energy model code provisions.  Note that comments can be submitted to  [email protected] by June 22, 2023.

AGA Comments on the DOE Draft Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Version 2 Requirements.

In the April 14th BECS Update, we reported on the request for comments from the DOE on the Multifamily Version 2 National Program Requirements, the Rater Checklist, drafts of the EV-Ready and PV-Ready checklists; and the draft Energy Rating Index (ERI) Target Procedure document for stakeholder review and comment. On Monday, AGA submitted timely  comments on the DOE draft requesting that the proposed requirements for electric vehicles, electric heat pump water heater ready and electric heat pump space heater ready not be required for compliance since there is no guarantee that those provisions would ever be used or if they were used, would even reduce and could increase energy consumption and emissions for the Zero Energy Ready Multifamily Homes.

AGA, APGA, NPGA and Spire, Inc. File Comments on the DOE Notification of AHAM Petition for Rulemaking Pertaining to the Test Procedures for Conventional Cooking Products.

In the April 14th BECS Update, we reported on the DOE request for comments on April 19, 2023  published Federal Register notification of petition for rulemaking pertaining to test procedures for conventional cooking products. On January 12, 2023, DOE received a petition from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) to consider amendments to the conventional cooking products test procedure to allow a calculation in place of certain testing provisions for conventional cooking tops, clarify the definition of the term specialty cooking zone, clarify the equipment used to measure electric coil heating element diameter, and stay the effectiveness of any mandatory use of the test procedure. Today, AGA, the American Public Gas Association (APGA) the National Propane Gas Association (APGA) and Spire, Inc. filed timely comments (attached) in support of the AHAM request for the alternative calculation in place of certain testing provisions for conventional cooking tops and also submitted concerns with the DOE cooking efficiency test procedure specifically how the measurement of the annual energy consumption for high-capacity gas burners.  The joint comments also requested that the DOE not proceed with finalizing the proposed DOE minimum efficiency requirements listed in the February 1, 2023 Federal Register pending DOE addressing the teat procedure concerns listed in the reply.

State Codes Activity Update.

Attached is a weekly feature of the “Friday Update” covering state code calendar activities as presented by the online utility “Fiscal Note,” which is sponsored by APGA and AGA Code and Standards. Please review the update and determine if there are state code activities that impact your service territory or organization.