The American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act (HR 6582), signed into law by President Obama in December, included H.R. 5710 — the Better Use of Refrigeration Regulations (BURR) Act. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) introduced the BURR Act in May, and the bill was adopted into the energy package in November.
The BURR Act lessens the regulatory burden on deli-style display cases by making Service-Over-the-Counter (SOTC) refrigerator units into a separate product classification. Currently, SOTC refrigerator units must meet the efficiency standards designed for commercial reach-in refrigerators. These SOTC units are designed for maximum product visibility and presentation, and they require more glass and lighting than conventional reach-ins. The contention of manuafcturers has been that the cases inherent design makes it impossible for them to reach the minimum efficiency standards established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Westmoreland said the BURR Act provides for SOTC units to have their own product class and energy standards that American manufacturers can actually meet.