Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning, and Water Heating Equipment (i.e. ASHRAE Equipment)
This page describes rulemaking activities and regulations regarding energy efficiency for commercial heating, air conditioning, and water heating equipment.
Statutory Authority
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) sets energy conservation standards for commercial heating, air conditioning, and water heater equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)) Specifically, the statute sets standards for small, large, and very large commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment, packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs), packaged terminal heat pumps (PTHPs), warm-air furnaces, packaged boilers, storage water heaters, and unfired hot water storage tanks. For these types of equipment, EPCA established Federal energy conservation standards that generally correspond to the levels set in the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1.
EPCA directs the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to consider amending the existing Federal energy efficiency standard for each type of equipment listed, each time ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is amended with respect to such equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(A)) For each type of equipment, EPCA directs that DOE must adopt amended standards at the new efficiency level in ASHRAE Standard 90.1, unless clear and convincing evidence supports a determination that adoption of a more stringent level as a national standard would produce significant additional energy savings and be technologically feasible and economically justified. (42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(A)(ii)) On January 9, 2008, ASHRAE's Board of Directors gave final approval to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007, which it released on January 10, 2008.
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.
Prescribed Energy Conservation Standards
Standards prescribed by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
Current Rulemaking
Note: Although PTACs and PTHPs are covered by ASHRAE Standard 90.1, DOE is conducting a separate rulemaking for these products. For more information, see the PTAC and PTHP Energy Conservation Standards Web page.
Previous Federal Register Notices and Technical Support Documents
- Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Efficiency Standards for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning, and Water Heating Equipment Final Rule, Federal Register, 72 FR 10038, March 7, 2007 (PDF 1.2 MB)
- Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Efficiency Standards for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning and Water Heating Equipment Notice of Document Availability, Federal Register, 71 FR 12634, March 13, 2006 (PDF 311 KB)
- Energy Efficiency Standards for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Efficiency Standards for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning, and Water Heating Equipment Technical Support Document, Including: Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners and Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps, Small Commercial Packaged Boilers, Three-Phase Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps <65,000 Btu/h, Single-Package Vertical Air Conditioners and Single-Package Vertical Heat Pumps<65,000 Btu/h, March 2, 2006 (PDF 869 KB)
- Final Rule: Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Test Procedures and Efficiency Standards for Commercial Warm Air Furnaces; General Provisions for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning and Water Heating Equipment; Energy Efficiency Provisions for Electric Motors, Federal Register, 69 FR 61916, October 21, 2004 (PDF 359 KB)
- Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Efficiency Standards for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning and Water Heating Equipment Final Rule, Federal Register, 66 FR 3336, January 12, 2001 (PDF 630 KB)
- Energy Conservation Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Efficiency Standards for Commercial Heating, Air Conditioning and Water Heating Equipment Notice of Preliminary Screening Analysis, Federal Register, 65 FR 10984, March 1, 2000 (PDF 140 KB)
Contact Information
Mohammed Khan
Project Manager for ASHRAE Equipment
(202) 586-7892