Notice of Petition for Waiver of AeroSys Inc. (AeroSys) From the Department of Energy Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps Test Procedure, and Notice of Grant of Interim Waiver

This notice announces receipt of and publishes a petition for waiver from AeroSys seeking an exemption from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the efficiency of central air conditioners and heat pumps. AeroSys seeks to use an alternate test procedure to address issues involved in testing certain basic models identified in its petition. According to AeroSys, testing the basic models of space constrained central air conditioners and heat pump units listed in its petition exclusively with coil-only indoor units (as required by the DOE test procedure), rather than with blower-coil indoor units (as they are distributed in commerce), will overstate their energy usage. Energy usage of coil-only tests for these models will be overstated because the default value for wattage required by the DOE coil-only test method exceeds the actual wattage of the high-efficiency motors used in the blower-coil indoor units with which the AeroSys models listed in its petition are paired in the field. AeroSys seeks to use an alternate test procedure to test and rate their basic models listed in its petition. AeroSys proposes to waive the DOE test procedure requirement to test these basic models with coil-only indoor units and instead, test with blower-coil indoor units in accordance with 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix M, as applicable. This notice also announces that DOE grants AeroSys an interim waiver from the DOE central air conditioners and heat pumps test procedure for its specified basic models, subject to use of the alternative test procedure as set forth in the Order. DOE solicits comments, data, and information concerning AeroSys' petition and its suggested alternate test procedure.