Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

34642

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Proposed Rules
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS

and complying with energy conservation standards.
In the July 2015 Final Rule, DOE
established definitions for two dehumidifier configurations: portable dehumidifiers and whole-home dehumidifiers. 80 FR 45802, 45805. A
portable dehumidifier is a dehumidifier designed to operate within the dehumidified space without ducting although means may be provided for optional duct attachment. 10 CFR
430.2. A whole-home dehumidifier is a dehumidifier designed to be installed with ducting to deliver return process air to its inlet and dehumidified process air to one or more locations in the dehumidified space. Id.
Issue 1: DOE seeks comment on whether the current definitions of dehumidifier, portable dehumidifier, and whole-home dehumidifier require amendment, and if so, how the terms should be defined.
Issue 2: DOE requests comment on whether the existing equipment definitions specified in 10 CFR 430.2 for dehumidifiers require amendments to distinguish further between portable and whole-home units. If they do, DOE
seeks information on what identifying characteristics may be included in potential amended definitions to differentiate better between the two configurations.
B. Test Procedure Dehumidifiers are tested in accordance with appendix X1, which incorporates American National Standard Institute ANSI/Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers AHAM Standard DH12008, Dehumidifiers, ANSI/AHAM DH12008, with modification. In part, the DOE test procedure specifies a different drybulb temperature 65 degrees Fahrenheit F for portable dehumidifiers and 73 F for whole-home dehumidifiers than ANSI/AHAM DH
12008, while still maintaining the relative humidity specified by ANSI/
AHAM DH12008. See Section 4.1.1 of appendix.
X1. Appendix X1 also includes instructions regarding instrumentation, condensate collection, control settings, setup, and ducting for whole-home dehumidifiers. See Sections 3.1.2.2;
3.1.1.4; 3.1.1.5; 3.1.1.1; and 3.1.3 of appendix X1.
Under the current test procedure, there is a single method to measure a dehumidifiers product capacity. A
units capacity is the volume of water, in pints, the unit removes from the ambient air per day, normalized to a standard ambient temperature and relative humidity. See Section 2.14 of
VerDate Sep<11>2014

16:55 Jun 29, 2021

Jkt 253001

appendix X1. The Integrated Energy Factor IEF, representing the efficiency of the unit expressed in liters per kilowatt-hour, is the ratio between the capacity and the combined amount of energy consumed by the unit in dehumidification mode and standby and/or off modes, adjusted for the representative number of hours per year spent in each mode. See Section 5.4 of appendix X1.
1. Updates to Industry Standards As discussed, the dehumidifier test procedure at appendix X1 references ANSI/AHAM DH12008, an industry test procedure for dehumidifiers, with modification. In 2017, AHAM published a revision to ANSI/AHAM DH1
ANSI/AHAM DH12017. ANSI/
AHAM DH12017 includes provisions for testing dehumidifier energy use in off-cycle, inactive, and off modes, and for including energy consumption in those modes in efficiency calculations.
ANSI/AHAM DH12017 also made other changes. First, it lowered the standard dry-bulb temperature condition for dehumidifiers from 80 F
as in ANSI/AHAM DH12008 to 65 F
with the required wet-bulb temperature changing accordingly to maintain the same relative humidity.
Second, it tightened the maximum allowed variation for dry-bulb and wetbulb temperature readings from 2.0 F to 1.0 F and from 1.0 F to 0.5 F, respectively. Third, it added guidance for instrumentation setup, multiple airintakes and control settings.
Issue 3: DOE seeks comment on whether the references to ANSI/AHAM
DH12008 at appendix X1 should be updated to the most current version, ANSI/AHAM DH12017.
Issue 4: DOE requests comment and information on whether, and if so, how updating the references in appendix X1
to ANSI/AHAM DH12017 would impact the measured energy efficiency of dehumidifiers tested under the current DOE test procedure.
Issue 5: DOE requests comment on the impact on test burden were DOE to reference ANSI/AHAM DH12017.
Issue 6: DOE specifically requests feedback on the reduction of the maximum-allowed temperature variation in ANSI/AHAM DH12017, the potential test burden increase from this change, and any effects on reliability or reproducibility of results.
Issue 7: DOE requests information on whether any modifications to ANSI/
AHAM DH12017, other than modifications consistent with those made to ANSI/AHAM DH12008 in the current DOE test procedure, would be needed to ensure that DOEs test
PO 00000

Frm 00006

Fmt 4702

Sfmt 4702

procedure produces results that are representative of an average use cycle and is not unduly burdensome to conduct.
2. Variable-Speed Dehumidifiers DOE is aware that dehumidifiers are available on the United States market that incorporate variable-speed compressors; i.e., variable-speed dehumidifiers. Variable-speed dehumidifiers can avoid compressor cycling efficiency losses by modulating the compressor speed to match the amount of dehumidification required for a room. These units also avoid condensate re-evaporation into the ambient room air, which can occur when a dehumidifier cycles off its compressor but not its fan during offcycle mode. The current test procedure in appendix X1 does not capture these cycling losses for single-speed dehumidifiers and avoidance of such losses for variable-speed dehumidifiers because the test unit operates at full capacity throughout the test.
In the July 2015 Final Rule, DOE
considered a load-based test which would capture cycling behavior in dehumidifiers with single-speed compressors or speed modulation for variable-speed dehumidifiers. The loadbased test would involve adding moisture to the test chamber at a fixed rate and allowing the control system of the dehumidifier to respond to changing moisture levels in the room. 80 FR
45802, 45809. DOE elected not to adopt a load-based test for the dehumidifier test procedure in the July 2015 Final Rule, due to concerns about the potential increase in test burden. Id. at 80 FR 45810.
Issue 8: DOE seeks data on singlespeed dehumidifiers: 1 Their energy use when cycling on and off due to varying relative humidity in the room, 2 the extent of re-evaporation when operating in off-cycle mode, and 3 the effect of re-evaporation on dehumidification mode efficiency.
Issue 9: DOE seeks feedback and data regarding any alternative test methods that may produce results that are more representative of variable-speed dehumidifier energy consumption, including, but not limited to, a loadbased test approach.
Issue 10: DOE is also interested in information about the nature and extent of the test burden associated with a load-based test for dehumidifiers.
3. Psychrometer Setup Appendix X1, with reference to Section 4 Instrumentation of ANSI/
AHAM DH12008, requires dehumidifiers with a single air intake to
E:FRFM30JNP1.SGM

30JNP1