Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Definitions for Residential Water Heaters

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including residential water heaters. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether more stringent amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. Accordingly, DOE established amended energy conservation standards for several classes of residential water heaters in an April 2010 final rule. In this notice, DOE proposes to amend its definitions pertaining to residential water heaters and to clarify the applicability of energy conservation standards for residential water heaters that are utilized as a secondary back-up heat source in solar-thermal water heating systems. Specifically, DOE is proposing to create a definition for ``solar- assisted fossil fuel storage water heater'' and ``solar-assisted electric storage water heater'' and clarify that water heaters meeting these definitions are not subject to the amended energy conservation standards for residential water heaters established by the April 2010 final rule.