DOE Publishes a Notice of Final Interpretive Rule Pertaining to Residential Furnaces and Commercial Water Heaters

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a Federal Register notice pertaining to residential furnaces and commercial water heaters. On August 27, 2021, the DOE published in the Federal Register a proposed interpretive rule for public comment to reinstate a longstanding interpretation under which, in the context of residential furnaces, commercial water heaters, and similarly-situated products or equipment, the heat exchanger technology (and associated venting) used to supply heated air or hot water is not a performance-related “feature” that provides a distinct consumer utility under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended (EPCA).

Based on consideration of the comments received in response to the August 2021 public comment, the DOE issued a final interpretive rule effective December 29, 2021. The DOE DOE found that non-condensing technology (and the associated venting) does not provide unique utility to consumers separate from an appliance’s function of providing heated air or water, as applicable.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

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