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Commercial water heating equipment includes commercial storage water heaters, commercial instantaneous water heaters and hot water supply boilers, and unfired hot water storage tanks. Commercial water heating equipment includes gas-fired, oil-fired, and electric industrial equipment. As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), storage water heaters heat and store water within the appliance at a thermostatically controlled temperature for delivery on demand, and have an input rating less than 4,000 Btu/h per gallon of stored water. Instantaneous water heaters have an input rating not less than 4,000 Btu/h per gallon of stored water. Hot water supply boilers are packaged boilers that heat potable water for purposes other than space heating. Unfired hot water storage tanks store water that is heated externally. 10 CFR 431.102 Manufacturers have been required to comply with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation standards for commercial water heating equipment since 1992.
DOE has published a Federal Register final rule pertaining to energy conservation standards for commercial water heating (CWH). The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) requires DOE to periodically review standards. In this final rule, DOE is adopting amended standards for CWH equipment.
- The effective date of this rule is December 5, 2023.
- Compliance with the amended standards established for CWH equipment in this final rule is required on and after October 6, 2026.
For the latest information on the planned timing of future DOE regulatory milestones, see the current Office of Management and Budget Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. All planned dates are preliminary and subject to change.
Standards
Final Rule - Federal Register, 88FR69686 (October 6, 2023)
Notice of Final Determination; Unfired Hot Water Storage Tanks - Federal Register, 87FR31359 (May 24, 2022)
- The effective date of this Final Determination is July 25, 2022.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Comment Extension
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
- Federal Register, 87FR43226 (July 20, 2022)
- Federal Register, 87FR30610 (May 20, 2022)
- Technical Support Document
Notification of Proposed Determination - Federal Register, 86FR30796 (June 10, 2021)
Request for Information; Reopening of Public Comment Period
Request for Information; Unfired Hot Water Storage Tanks
- Federal Register, 84FR51467 (September 30, 2019)
- Federal Register; 84FR39220 (August 9, 2019)
- Frequently Asked Questions
The commercial water heating equipment energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2021-BT-STD-0027 and EERE-2017-BT-STD-0021 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
Public Meeting Information
There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
The comment period is closed.
Test Procedure
Final Rule - Federal Register, 88FR40406 (June 21, 2023)
Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Federal Register, 87FR42270 (July 14, 2022)
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Federal Register, 87FR1554 (January 11, 2022)
The commercial water heater test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2019-BT-TP-0032 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
Public Meeting Information
There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
The comment period is closed.
Commercial water heating equipment manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 431.110.
To determine that commercial water heating equipment that is currently manufactured or distributed into commerce is in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 431.106.
Compliance
DOE has established regulations on certification, compliance, and enforcement in the CFR at 10 CFR Part 429. These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement. More information on these regulations is available here.
Waivers
For information on current test procedure waivers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage.
For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR part 431, subpart V.
Exceptions
DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for commercial water heating equipment.
For information about obtaining exception relief, see 10 CFR part 1003.
Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions
For information on further guidance and answers to frequently asked questions on all covered products, see DOE’s Further Guidance database.
State Exemptions to Federal Pre-emption
DOE has not exempted any state from this energy conservation standard. States may petition DOE to exempt a state regulation from preemption by the federal energy conservation standard. States may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemptions. For details, see 10 CFR part 431, subpart W.
For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov