On December 14, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC) met for the first time since 2019. During their meeting, members discussed the status of DOE’s appliance rulemakings and explored the committee’s potential paths forward.
While the meeting was primarily focused on orienting members, providing a committee overview, and updating everyone on the current rulemaking schedule, there was an opportunity for open dialogue amongst members. During that time, members raised several different ideas, including whether the committee might focus on suggested reforms of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) – the law governing appliance rulemakings – and how ASRAC might address President Biden’s decarbonization mandates through the appliance program.
While high-level conversations, they indicate the important voice of the committee and demonstrate the need for continued engagement with and participation on, if possible, ASRAC- especially as we anticipate several gas-fired appliances to be the topic of rulemakings in the next year. Slides presented during the ASRAC meeting are available online here.
DOE created ASRAC in an effort to further improve the agency’s process of establishing energy efficiency standards for certain appliances and commercial equipment.
ASRAC engages on many of the appliance efficiency rulemakings of interest to APGA members, including those for gas-fired furnaces, water heaters, and others. Recently, Danny Manning (Sevier County Municipal District) served on ASRAC on behalf of APGA. Manning’s term ended earlier this year, and another committee member’s term also lapsed recently, leaving two empty positions that DOE is looking to fill.
If you or another individual from your system, another natural gas utility, or related services professional who might be interested in potentially serving on ASRAC or have questions regarding this article, please contact Renée Lani of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-0836 or by email at rlani@apga.org.