On April 8, APGA and the American Gas Association (AGA) jointly filed comments in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) preliminary determination that a number of miscellaneous natural gas appliances are covered products and therefore subject to possible minimum efficiency requirements. The notice proposes to cover several indoor and outdoor “decorative” gas appliances, as well as outdoor heaters including patio heaters.
Through the comments, APGA and AGA challenge DOE’s contention that these miscellaneous gas products are a “covered product” under federal legislation and that there would be the possibility of substantial energy savings with a minimum efficiency requirement. The comments also encourage DOE to implement the recommendations from the recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report into all of its appliance rulemakings, whether for test procedures or energy conservation standards. The NASEM report comprehensively evaluated DOE’s appliance rulemaking process and identified several key areas in which DOE can improve.
APGA weighs in on DOE’s appliance efficiency rulemakings that impact gas-fired appliances, as APGA members provide the energy needed to fuel these appliances, thus making public natural gas systems critical stakeholders in these rulemakings. APGA had previously supported a request from the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association (HPBA), the trade association that represents the manufacturers of these products, to hold a public meeting and extend the comment period for this rulemaking. DOE did not grant this request, which was also supported by AGA and the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA).
A copy of the comments is available
here.
For questions regarding this article, please contact Renée Lani of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-0836 or by email at
rlani@apga.org.