DOE Postpones Five Energy Efficiency and Conservation Rules
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the further postponement of five energy efficiency and conservation rules, including test procedures for walk-in coolers and freezers, central air conditioners and heat pumps, and compressors, and conservation standards for ceiling fans and construction standards for federal buildings.
The effective date of these rules was originally postponed earlier this year, shortly after White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus issued a memorandum calling for freeze of new and pending regulations to give the new administration time to review those regulations before they went into effect. The memorandum specified that the effective date of rules that had already been published in the federal register (which was the case for these five rules) should be postponed until March 21, 2017.
The final rules are available here:
- Test Procedures for Walk-in Coolers and Freezers, 81 Fed. Reg. 95758 (Dec. 28, 2016) (delayed until June 26, 2017)
- Test Procedures for Central Air Conditioners and Heaters, 82 Fed. Reg. 1426 (Jan. 5, 2017) (delayed until July 3, 2017)
- Test Procedures for Compressors, 82 Fed. Reg. 1052 (Jan. 4, 2017) (delayed until July 3, 2017)
- Energy Conservation Standards for Ceiling Fans, 82 Fed. Reg. 6826 (Jan. 19, 2017) (delayed until September 30, 2017)
- Energy Efficiency Standards for the Design and Construction of New Federal Low-Rise Residential Buildings’ Baseline Standards Update, 82 Fed. Reg. 2857 on January 10, 2017 (delayed until September 30, 2017)