Regulatory Submissions

On September 7, APGA joined others in requesting additional time to respond to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) notice of proposed interpretive rule pertaining to separate product classes for certain gas-fired condensing and non-condensing appliances. DOE’s proposal would roll-back the interpretive rule finalized in January of this year, which would have ensured that new minimum efficiency standards could not be set that would effectively eliminate non-condensing technology from the market, as it determined the technology to be a protected feature.

In 2018, APGA and others from the gas industry submitted a petition to DOE, requesting the establishment of separate product classes for certain gas-fired condensing and non-condensing appliances. APGA and its members have repeatedly expressed concern that previously proposed rules by DOE suggesting the replacement of non-condensing appliances with condensing appliances would ultimately undermine efficiency goals while significantly increasing consumer costs. The previous administration granted the petition on January 15, 2021, but the proposed roll-back of the interpretation revives these concerns. The American Gas Association, Spire, and National Propane Gas Association also co-signed the request for additional time.