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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 58 / Monday, March 29, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
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TABLE II.2SUMMARY OF CHANGES IN THE AMENDED TEST PROCEDURE
Previous DOE test procedure
Amended test procedure
References industry standards

Updates references to applicable sections of:

ANSI/AHAM RAC12008,
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162009, and

AHAM RAC12020, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162016 including relevant cross-referenced industry standards, and IEC Standard 62301 Second Edition.
Relevant definitions, testing, calculation of CEER metric, and certification for variable-speed room ACs based on additional reduced outdoor temperature test conditions.

IEC Standard 62301 First Edition
Testing, calculation of CEER metric, and certification for all room ACs based on single temperature rating condition.
Definitions Definition of room air conditioner does not explicitly include function of providing cool conditioned air to an enclosed space, and references prime, an undefined term, to describe the source of refrigeration.

Cooling mode, cooling capacity, combined energy efficiency ratio, are undefined terms.
Appendix F does not explicitly identify the scope of the test procedure.
Provides that test unit be installed in a manner similar to consumer installation.

Calculations for average annual energy consumption, combined annual energy consumption, energy efficiency ratio EER, and CEER are located in 10 CFR 430.23f.

The effective date for the amended test procedure adopted in this final rule is 30 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register.
Representations of energy use or energy efficiency must be based on testing in accordance with the amended test procedure beginning 180 days after the publication of this final rule.
III. Discussion A. Room Air Conditioner Definition DOE defines a room air conditioner as a consumer product, other than a packaged terminal air conditioner, which is powered by a single-phase electric current and which is an encased assembly designed as a unit for mounting in a window or through the wall for the purpose of providing delivery of conditioned air to an enclosed space. It includes a prime source of refrigeration and may include a means for ventilating and heating. 10
CFR 430.2.
In the June 2020 NOPR, DOE
proposed adding the term cooled to the room AC definition, so that it refers to a system that . . . delivers cooled, conditioned air to an enclosed space . . . emphasis added. 85 FR 35700, 35705 Jun. 11, 2020. DOE believed that this revised wording would better represent the key function of a room AC, and would avoid any potential for the room AC definition to cover other
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Adds the word cooled to describe the conditioned air a room AC provides and the phrase notwithstanding ASHRAE
16 and RAC1 incorporated by reference; see 430.3 to reiterate that the DOE definition takes precedence over conflicting language in relevant industry standards, in the definition of room air conditioner and removes prime from the definition.
Adds definition for cooling mode, cooling capacity, and combined energy efficiency ratio.
Creates new section indicating the appendix applies to the energy performance of room ACs.
References ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162016, specifying that the perimeter of louvered room ACs be sealed to the separating partition, consistent with common testing practice.
Specifies that non-louvered room ACs be installed inside a compatible wall sleeve, with the manufacturer-provided installation materials.
Moves calculations for CEER and annual energy consumption for each operating mode into appendix F.
Removes EER calculation and references entirely, as it is obsolete..

indoor air quality systems that could be described as conditioning the air, but that would not be appropriately included within the scope of coverage of a room AC. Id.
Additionally, as described previously, the previous definition of room AC
specified that it includes a prime source of refrigeration. Id. DOE contended that using the word prime to describe the source of refrigeration in the previous definition was extraneous and could be construed as referring to a primary refrigeration system, a distinction that could inadvertently exclude future products that implement a different technology as the primary source of air conditioning, while implementing a refrigeration loop as the secondary means of cooling or heating. Id. Primary and secondary means of conditioning air are not uncommon in certain refrigeration products and chiller systems; in fact, some room ACs with heating functionality implement a resistance heater as a supplemental form of heating to the primary heat pump, for use under extreme temperature conditions. DOE also noted that the recently codified portable AC definition was not limited to products with a prime source of refrigeration. Id. For these reasons, DOE proposed to remove the word prime from the room AC
definition.

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Industry test procedure updates.

In response to test procedure waivers.

Added by DOE clarification.

Added by DOE specifies the applicability of the test procedure.
Industry test procedure update and added by DOE additional installation specifications.

Added by DOE improve readability.

DOE also proposed to add to the phrase notwithstanding ASHRAE 16
and RAC1 incorporated by reference;
see 430.3, to the room air conditioner definition to reiterate that the DOE definition takes precedence over conflicting language in relevant industry standards. Id. Additionally, DOE proposed to reorganize the room AC definition to improve its readability.
Id. The minor editorial revisions and specifications discussed in this section do not modify the scope of the room AC
definition.
In summary, DOE proposed to modify the room AC definition in 10 CFR 430.2
to read as follows:
Room air conditioner means a window-mounted or through-the-wallmounted encased assembly, other than a packaged terminal air conditioner, that delivers cooled, conditioned air to an enclosed space, and is powered by single-phase electric current. It includes a source of refrigeration and may include additional means for ventilating and heating, notwithstanding ASHRAE
16 and RAC1 incorporated by reference; see 430. 3.
AHAM supported DOEs proposed amendments to the definition of room air conditioner which are consistent, though not verbatim, with the definitions in AHAM RAC12020.

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