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The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 6291–6309 (EPCA) establishes energy conservation or water use standards and test procedures for certain consumer products, including direct heating equipment. Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 430 (10 CFR 430), defines the term "direct heating equipment" to mean "vented home heating equipment and unvented home heating equipment." Further, (1) "vented home heating equipment” means a class of home heating equipment, not including furnaces, designed to furnish warmed air to the living space of a residence, directly from the device, without duct connections (except that boots not to exceed 10 inches beyond the casing may be permitted) and includes: vented wall furnace, vented floor furnace, and vented room heater;" and (2) “unvented home heating equipment” means a class of home heating equipment, not including furnaces, used for the purpose of furnishing heat to a space proximate to such heater directly from the heater and without duct connections and includes electric heaters and unvented gas and oil heaters." (10 CFR 430.2).
The Department of Energy (DOE) last amended the test procedures for unvented direct heating equipment on December 17, 2012, and vented direct heating equipment on May 20, 2022. DOE made a final determination not to amend the energy conservation standards for direct heating equipment on October 17, 2016.
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
Request for Information; Consumer Hearth Heaters - Federal Register, 87FR36249 (June 16, 2022)
Final Determination - Federal Register, 86FR66403 (November 23, 2021)
Notice of Proposed Determination - Federal Register, 85FR77017 (December 1, 2020)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Request for Information - Federal Register, 84FR6095 (February 26, 2019)
The direct heating equipment energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2019-BT-STD-0002 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
Comment period is closed.
Test Procedure
Final Rule - Federal Register, 87FR30775 (May 20, 2022)
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - Federal Register, 86FR20053 (April 16, 2021)
Request for Information - Federal Register, 84FR6088 (February 26, 2019)
The direct heating equipment and pool heater test procedure docket EERE-2019-BT-TP-0003 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
Comment period is closed.
The annual fuel utilization efficiency of vented home heating equipment, manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(10) and (16) respectively, must be not less than the energy conservation standards under 10 CFR 430.32(i).
To determine that whether vented home heating equipment is in compliance with the annual fuel utilization standards under 10 CFR 430.32(i), a manufacturer must measure the energy consumption in accordance with 10 CFR 430.23(o). For unvented home heating equipment, representations of energy consumption must be in accordance with Appendix G to Subpart B of Part 430.
Compliance
DOE has established regulations for certification, compliance, and enforcement in 10 CFR Part 429. These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement. More information about compliance and enforcement is available on DOE's Implementation webpage.
Waivers
For information on current test procedure waivers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage.
For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR 430.27.
Exceptions
DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for direct 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
A state may petition DOE for exemption from preemption of a federal energy conservation standard in certain cases of unusual or compelling state or local interests. A state may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemption. See 10 CFR part 430, subpart D.
Small Business Exemptions
Any manufacturer of a covered product with annual gross revenues that do not exceed $8,000,000 from all its operations and meets certain other conditions may apply for an exemption to the energy conservation standard. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart E.
ENERGY STAR®
DOE supports the testing and verification of ENERGY STAR® products in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Find tips and guidance for making your home, workplace, or vehicle more energy efficient visit EnergySavers.gov.
For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov