DOE to Review Energy Conservation Standards in Some Commercial Refrigeration Equipment

Commercial refrigeration equipment will soon receive more of the same government scrutiny that has been addressed to HVAC equipment. The Department of Energy (DOE) is considering amending energy conservation standards for commercial refrigeration equipment as required by 42 U.S.C. 6313(5)(A). The products covered include self-contained and remote condensing commercial ice-cream freezers, commercial refrigerators, commercial freezers, and commercial refrigerator-freezers with and without doors; and self-contained commercial refrigerators with transparent doors designed for pull-down temperature applications.

DOE published a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding energy conservation standards for commercial refrigeration equipment — 78 FR 55889 (September 11, 2013). A public meeting is scheduled for October 3, 2013. The comment deadline is November 12, 2013.

To attend, please notify Ms. Brenda Edwards at (202) 586–2945 or via email at [email protected]. Please see the Public Participation section of the notice for details related to advanced security screening procedures for foreign nationals, submitting prepared general statements, passes for laptops, and the conduct of the public meeting. The meeting will also be broadcast as a webinar. Reserve your webinar seat at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/770703097. Participants are responsible for ensuring their systems are compatible with the webinar software.

Submitting Public Comments

Comments may be submitted through regulations.gov, email, postal mail, or by hand delivery/courier. All comments must be received by November 12, 2013. Please follow the directions below. Also please see the Public Participation section of the notice for additional directions regarding submission format, campaign form letters, and confidential business information.

Any comments submitted must identify the commercial refrigeration equipment energy conservation standards rulemaking by name and provide its docket number EERE-2010-BT-STD-0003 and/or Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 1904-AC19. Comments may be submitted using any of the following methods:

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: The rulemaking docket at www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
2. E-mail: [email protected]. Include the docket number and/or RIN in the subject line of the message.
3. Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE–2J, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121. Please submit one signed original paper copy.
4. Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 950 L’Enfant Plaza, SW., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 586–2945. Please submit one signed original paper copy.

The commercial refrigeration equipment energy conservation standards rulemaking docket EERE–2010–BT–STD–00043 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents. 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.