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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 168 / Thursday, September 2, 2021 / Proposed Rules
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specification was added to ASME
A112.18.12018 and was not specified in ASME A112.18.12012, which is currently referenced in Appendix S.
Accordingly, the water pressure specified in 10 CFR 430.32o for testing faucets does not accommodate testing low-pressure water dispensers.
Therefore, although low-pressure water dispensers appear to meet the DOE
definition of a faucet, there is currently no applicable DOE test procedure for testing low-pressure water dispensers.4
Other terminal fittings used in the kitchen, such as pot fillers, may also warrant differentiation from currently regulated kitchen faucets. ASME
A112.18.12018 does not define pot fillers, nor does the current DOE test procedure. Based on DOEs market research, the key differences between products described as pot fillers and conventional kitchen faucets are that pot fillers are typically installed over a range or cooktop rather than over a sink, plumbed only to the cold water supply, and are used for the purpose of filling a large vessel e.g., a stock pot with a volume of water in the location where it will be heated which avoids the need to move the pot from the sink to the stove once filled with water. In applications where a pot filler is not installed over a sink, it could only be used to fill a vessel with water, given the lack of access to a drain. Pot fillers typically have higher flow rates than conventional kitchen faucets, which allow for filling large cooking vessels in a shorter period of time than could be achieved with a regulated kitchen faucet.5
For both low-pressure water dispensers and pot fillers as DOE has described such products in this discussion, DOE understands that the primary function of such products is to fill a vessel with water e.g., a glass or a cooking vessel. Given this function, the amount of water provided by such products during consumer use would be dependent on the volume of the vessel, independent of the flow rate of the product. As such, a test procedure that would measure the flow rate of such products would not provide meaningful information in terms of reducing the amount of water used. Moreover, establishing water conservation 4 As such, the standards currently prescribed for faucets at 10 CFR 430.32o do not apply to lowpressure water dispensers.
5 For example, filling a 10 gallon stock pot with a kitchen faucet would require approximately 5
minutes at a flow rate of 2.2 gpm the current flow rate standard established for kitchen faucets.
Filling the same stock pot with a pot filler instead would require approximately 2.5 minutes at a flow rate of 4 gpm using an example flow rate for a pot filler.

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standards for such products in terms of a maximum flow rate gpm would not be expected to result in any water savings because the volume of water provided by such products would be dictated by the vessel to be filled as opposed to the flow rate. Furthermore, establishing water conservation standards could diminish the usefulness of such products by increasing the amount of time required to fill a vessel with a particular volume of water.
DOE did not consider pot fillers and low-pressure water dispensers when establishing the current test procedure and standards for faucets. As stated, EPCA directs DOE to base the Federal test procedure on ASME A112.18.1, which did not include provisions for testing low-pressure water dispensers until the latest revision 2018 and continues to not define or include provisions specific to pot fillers. In establishing the current DOE test procedure, DOE did not consider products that may be faucets but that were not subject to the statutorily referenced industry standard. Therefore, the current test procedure in Appendix S and standards at 10 CFR 430.32o for faucets do not apply to low-pressure water dispensers or pot fillers. To the extent that such products are not subject to the DOE test procedure, such products are also excluded from coverage under the energy conservation standards.
Issue 1: DOE requests comment on the term faucet as defined in ASME
A112.18.12018 and whether further detail is warranted for DOEs regulatory definitions.
Issue 2: DOE requests comment on its understanding of low-pressure water dispensers and pot fillers as a subset of faucets, specifically kitchen faucets.
Issue 3: DOE requests comment on whether any changes should be made to DOEs definition of faucet to differentiate products such as lowpressure water dispensers and pot fillers from conventional kitchen faucets.
Issue 4: DOE requests comment on whether the Department should incorporate into the Federal regulations definitions of low-pressure water dispenser, pot filler, or any other types of products that meet the definition of a faucet. If other faucet types should be defined, DOE requests comment on specific physical or operational, or other characteristics that could be used to differentiate such products from currently regulated faucets.
Issue 5: DOE requests comment on whether DOE should expand the scope of its test procedures for faucets to include provisions for testing low-

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pressure water dispensers, pot fillers, or any other types of faucets.
Issue 6: DOE requests comment on its understanding of the primary purpose of low-pressure water dispensers and pot fillers i.e., to fill a vessel with water, and on its assertion that establishing test procedures and water conservation standards for such products would not result in any water savings.
2. Showerheads As previously noted, DOE regulations currently define showerhead as any showerhead including a handheld showerhead other than a safety showerhead. DOE interprets the term showerhead to mean an accessory to a supply fitting for spraying water onto a bather, typically from an overhead position. 10 CFR 430.2. Pursuant to the requirements of EPCA, DOE seeks input on any updates to the showerheads scope and definitions from the latest ASME industry standard, ASME
A112.18.12018.
ASME A112.18.12018 added new definitions for hand-held shower and rain shower. ASME defines a handheld shower as a showerhead that can be held or fixed in place for spraying water onto a bather and that is connected to a flexible hose. ASME
A112.18.12018 defines a rain shower as a showerhead designed to be mounted directly over the bather with the spray face parallel to the floor. Note:
The showerhead can be mounted directly from the ceiling or on an extended shower arm.
Currently, DOE defines the term hand-held showerhead as a showerhead that can be held or fixed in place for the purpose of spraying water onto a bather and that is connected to a flexible hose. 10 CFR 430.2.
Considering that the DOE definition is almost identical to the definition in the ASME industry standard, DOE
tentatively concludes that there is no reason to make any updates to this definition at this time.
While DOEs regulations do not currently define the term rain shower, the existing and proposed definition of showerhead covers rain showers.
ASME A112.18.12018, section 5.12.3, includes a new definition for rain shower in light of the standards new spray force requirements specific to rain showers. Considering the DOE test procedure includes a showerhead test procedure for only maximum water consumption and not spray force, DOE
tentatively concludes that there is no reason to include the term and definition for rain shower at this time, and seeks comment on that tentative conclusion.

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