Portable Air Conditioners

As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), “portable air conditioner” means a portable encased assembly, other than a “packaged terminal air conditioner,” “room air conditioner,” or “dehumidifier,” that delivers cooled, conditioned air to an enclosed space, and is powered by single-phase electric current. It includes a source of refrigeration and may include additional means for air circulation and heating.

  • DOE has published a Federal Register notice proposing to withdraw its prior determination that portable air conditioners (portable ACs) qualify as covered products under Part A of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended (EPCA).

    • DOE will accept comments on or before July 15, 2025.
    • Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number EERE-2025-BT-DET-0024, by email (PortableAC2025DET0024@ee.doe.gov), Federal eRulemaking portal (http://www.regulations.gov).
    • DOE will hold a public webinar on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
    • Click here to register for the webinar.
    • Foreign Nationals interested in participating in this meeting or webinar, must be screened by DOE Headquarters Security prior to being granted access. Please email deborah.ogunshakin@ee.doe.gov to complete the necessary documentation at least two weeks prior to scheduled meeting date.
    • Additional webinar registration information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be published on DOE’s website: https://energy.gov/eere/buildings/public-meetings-and-comment-deadlines 

    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.
     

    DETERMINATION

    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

     

    Standards

    Final Rule
    • Federal Register, 85FR1378 (January 10, 2020)
    • The effective date of this rule is March 10, 2020. Compliance with the standards established for portable ACs in this final rule is required on and after January 10, 2025.
    Public Meeting Information

    There are no public meetings scheduled.

    Submitting Public Comments

    The comment period is closed.

    Test Procedure

    Final Rule
    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
    Request for Information
    • Federal Register,  86FR20044 (April 16, 2021)

    The portable AC test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2020-BT-TP-0029 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents.

    Public Meeting Information

    There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.

    Submitting Public Comments

    The comment period is closed.

  • The current standards for portable air conditioners were established in a final rule published on January 10, 2020 (85 FR 1378). Compliance with the new standards in the final rule is required beginning on January 10, 2025.

  • To determine that portable air conditioners that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 430, Subpart B, Appendix CC to Subpart B of Part 430—Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Portable Air Conditioners.

  • 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 430.27.

    Exceptions

    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 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