By David Lis | Tue, October 14, 14
Regional efficiency stakeholders have a lot riding on the outcomes of several important federal appliance standards rulemakings in the fourth quarter of 2014, including proposal stages for residential gas furnaces, residential boilers (gas and oil) and commercial package air conditioner/heat pumps —commonly referred to as roof-top units.
Each of these product categories offer the region unique opportunities to reduce energy use and peak demand for years to come. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Proposed Rule for roof-top units seeks a 30 percent jump in efficiency over the current standard. If enacted, this rule would achieve the largest national energy savings of any standard ever developed by the DOE!
The Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region is a national leader when it comes to energy efficiency, and these rulemakings offer our states an opportunity to bring experience to the national stage and ensure a strong outcome for our region and the nation. Let’s be sure our voices are heard.
NEEP’s Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Appliance Standards Project offers regional stakeholder’s one avenue to engage these important federal rulemaking processes. The Project has identified these rulemakings as priority product categories that are projected to have significant impacts on our region. For these priority categories, NEEP will work with interested stakeholders to develop comments that will inform the DOE as they move from Proposal to Final Rule. We encourage you and your organization to engage in this process and lend your insights to build a powerful case for the outcomes we seek.
Some important facts about these product categories and their rulemakings:
• The Northeast is home to 62 percent of all installed gas boilers in the country, 92 percent of oil boilers.
• Market share for condensing gas furnaces high throughout region (over 70 percent in most states).
• Condensing levels (90 percent+ AFUE) are being considered for both boilers (gas and oil) and gas furnaces.
• Some industry associations are arguing that condensing levels for gas furnaces will lead to fuel switching (to electricity), defeating the purpose of a condensing standard.
• DOE’s Proposed Rule for roof-top units is projected to achieve roughly 1000 MW in demand reduction by 2025 and 4000 MW by 2035, for the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic alone. As a point of reference, medium-sized power plants generate roughly 500 MW.
Please join NEEP and our leading partners, and get in the game on appliance standards. For more info, visit our standards page on the NEEP website.