U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Program – Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards

Commercial Clothes Washers

This page describes rulemaking activities and regulations regarding energy efficiency for commercial clothes washers.

Statutory Authority

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) (42 USC 6295 (e)), as amended, requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether amended, more stringent standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified. Commercial clothes washers were originally included in the final rule for residential dishwashers, dehumidifiers, and cooking products, and commercial clothes washers. However, DOE needed to conduct supplemental rulemaking analyses to complete the rulemaking. As a result, the standards for commercial clothes washers are under development in a separate rulemaking through a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR) and final rule.

Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Energy Conservation Standard Rulemaking

Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNOPR)

• Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Certain Consumer Products (Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, Microwave Ovens, and Electric and Gas Kitchen Ranges and Ovens) and for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment (Commercial Clothes Washers); Proposed Rule, Federal Register, 74 FR 57738, November 9, 2009 (PDF 700 KB)
• SNOPR Technical Support Document
• SNOPR Analysis Spreadsheets

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR)

• NOPR for Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, and Commercial Clothes Washers, Federal Register, October 17, 2008 (PDF 1.1 MB)
• NOPR Technical Support Document
• NOPR Technical Support Document Analysis Tools

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR)

• ANOPR for Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, and Commercial Clothes Washers, Federal Register, November 15, 2007 (PDF 2.8 MB)
• ANOPR Technical Support Document Analysis Tools

Framework

• Notice of Public Workshop and Availability of Framework Document, Federal Register, March 27, 2006 (PDF 70 KB)
• Rulemaking Framework for Commercial Clothes Washers and Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, March 15, 2006 (PDF 402 KB)

Public Meetings

• SNOPR Public Meeting
• NOPR Public Meeting
• ANOPR Public Meeting
• Framework Document Public Meeting

Additional Information

Note, the following final rule and supporting materials correspond to the rulemaking that originally encompassed commercial clothes washers. This final rule does not propose energy conservation standards for commercial clothes washers.

• Final Rule for Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, and Commercial Clothes Washers, Federal Register, April 8, 2009 (PDF 1.3 MB)
• Final Rule Technical Support Document for Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, and Commercial Clothes Washers
• Final Rule Technical Support Document Analysis Tools for Residential Dishwashers, Dehumidifiers, and Cooking Products, and Commercial Clothes Washers

Contact Information

Stephen Witkowski, P.E.
Project Manager
202-586-7463