Residential Direct Heating Equipment

This page describes rulemaking activities and regulations regarding energy efficiency for residential direct heating equipment.

Statutory Authority

Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) established the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other than Automobiles, covering major household appliances including water heaters and home heating equipment. Subsequent amendments expanded Title III of EPCA to include additional consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including residential direct heating equipment. (42 U.S.C. 6291, et seq.) Furthermore, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA) amended EPCA by establishing energy conservation standards for "direct heating equipment" (replacing the term "home heating equipment" previously used in EPCA), as well as requirements for determining whether these standards should be amended. (42 U.S.C. 6295(e)(1) through (4))

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has completed the first rulemaking to review and amend energy conservation standards for residential direct heating equipment under section 325(e)(4)(A) of EPCA. Information on this rulemaking can be found below, under "Previous Federal Register Notices and Documents" DOE is currently conducting a test procedure rulemaking to review and amend the test procedures for direct heating equipment. More information can be found below, under "Test Procedures" and "Public Meetings." In addition, DOE completed a rulemaking to amend the definitions of direct heating equipment. More information on this most recent rulemaking can be found under "Energy Conservation Standard" and "Public Meetings." Other documentation and materials associated with a prior rulemaking for vented home heating equipment test procedures can also be found below, under "Previous Federal Register Notices and Documents."