EXC-23-0001 - In the Matter of GE Appliances

On November 1, 2023, the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) issued a decision denying exception relief to GE Appliances (GE). In its Application for Exception, GE alleged that the Department of Energy (DOE) had changed the product efficiency standards (Standards) for single package vertical unit air conditioners and heat pumps (SPVU) and allowed only one year for compliance with the Standards. GE argued that it would suffer special hardships, undue burdens, and gross inequity if held to the one-year timeline because it would need to stop selling its existing SPVU products while developing new, compliant products. OHA found that GE's burdens and hardships affected the SPVU industry as a whole and that DOE had foreseen those burdens while developing the Standards and implementation timeline. OHA held that GE had not shown that it would suffer special hardship, undue burden, or gross inequity if required to comply with the Standards within DOE's stated timeline and, therefore, exception relief was not warranted. Accordingly, GE's Application for Exception was denied.  (OHA Case No. EXC-23-0001)