Automatic Commercial Ice Makers

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As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), “automatic commercial ice maker” means a factory-made assembly (not necessarily shipped in 1 package) that—

  1. Consists of a condensing unit and ice-making section operating as an integrated unit, with means for making and harvesting ice; and
  2. May include means for storing ice, dispensing ice, or storing and dispensing ice.

10 CFR 431.132

Manufacturers have been required to comply with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation standards for cube type automatic commercial ice makers with harvest capacities between 50 and 2,500 pounds of ice per 24-hour period since 2010.

Current Standard | Current Test Procedure | Ongoing Rulemaking for Standards | Ongoing Rulemaking for Test Procedure | Helpful Links


Recent and Ongoing Activities

DOE has published a Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to energy conservation standards for automatic commercial ice makers. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires DOE to periodically determine whether more stringent standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified and would result in significant energy savings. In this NOPR, DOE proposes to amend and establish standards for automatic commercial ice makers and also announces a public meeting to receive comment on these proposed standards and associated analyses and results.

  • DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this NOPR until July 10, 2023.
  • Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number EERE-2017-BT-STD-0022, by email (ACIM2017STD0022@ee.doe.gov), Federal eRulemaking portal (http://www.regulations.gov).
  • DOE will hold a webinar on Wednesday, June,14, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Click here to register for the webinar.
  • Foreign Nationals interested in participating in this webinar, must be screened by DOE Headquarters Security prior to being granted access. Please email Regina.Washington@ee.doe.gov to complete the necessary documentation at least two weeks prior to scheduled meeting date.
  • Additional webinar registration information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be published on DOE’s website: https://energy.gov/eere/buildings/public-meetings-and-comment-deadlines

DOE has published a Federal Register final rule amending the test procedure for automatic commercial ice makers to update incorporated references to the latest version of the industry standards; establish a relative humidity test condition; provide additional detail regarding certain test conditions, settings, setup requirements, and calculations; include a voluntary measurement of potable water use; clarify certification and reporting requirements; and add enforcement provisions. This final rule also provides additional detail to the DOE test procedure to improve the representativeness and repeatability of the current test procedure.

  • The effective date of this rule is December 1, 2022.
  • The final rule changes will be mandatory for equipment testing starting October 27, 2023. 
  • The incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in this rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register December 1, 2022.

For the latest information on the planned timing of future DOE regulatory milestones, see the current Office of Management and Budget Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. All planned dates are preliminary and subject to change.

Standards

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
  • Federal Register, 88FR30508 (May 11, 2023)

Comment Extension Notice 

Notice of Rescheduled Public Meeting

Notice of Public Webinar and Availability of the Preliminary Technical Support Document

Request for Information
  • Federal Register, 85FR60923, (September 29, 2020)

The automatic commercial ice makers energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE–2017–BT–STD–0022 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

Public Meeting Information:

There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.

Submitting Public Comments

The comment period is closed.

Test Procedure

Final Rule
  • Federal Register, 87FR65856 (November 1, 2022)
Notice of Proposed Rule 
  • Federal Register, 86FR72322 (December 21, 2021)
Request for Information
  • Federal Register,  84FR9979 (March 19, 2019)

DOE undertook a rulemaking that concluded with a final rule in January 2012 which amended test procedures for automatic commercial ice makers. 77 FR 1591; 1613-14 (January 11, 2012).

The automatic commercial ice makers test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2010-BT-TP-0036 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

Public Meeting Information

There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.

Submitting Public Comments

Comment period is closed.


Current Standard

Automatic commercial icemakers manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 431.136.


Current Test Procedure

To determine that automatic commercial icemakers that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 431.134.


Helpful Links

Compliance

DOE has established regulations on certification, compliance, and enforcement in the CFR at 10 CFR Part 429.  These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement.  More information on these regulations is available here.

Waivers

For information on current test procedure waivers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage.

For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR 431.401.

Exceptions

DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for automatic commercial ice makers.

For information about obtaining exception relief, see 10 CFR part 1003.

Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions

For information on further guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions on all covered products, see DOE’s Further Guidance database.

State Exemptions to Federal Pre-emption

DOE has not exempted any state from this energy conservation standard. States may petition DOE to exempt a state regulation from preemption by the Federal energy conservation standard. States may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemptions. For details, see 10 CFR 431 subpart V or 10 CFR 431 subpart W.

Contact information

For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov


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