Commercial and Industrial Air Compressors
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended, (EPCA) covers certain commercial and industrial equipment, including compressors, for which the Department of Energy (DOE) is authorized to establish energy conservation standards. DOE has determined that EPCA covers commercial and industrial air compressors and has been considering energy conservation standards and test procedures for such equipment.
Compression of a gas, such as air, is a thermodynamic process whereby the air enters a compressor machine or apparatus at one condition of pressure, volume, and temperature and exits at a condition of increased pressure and temperature with corresponding decreased volume. The pressurized air can be converted into useful work to power a wide variety of commercial and industrial equipment, such as: pneumatic manufacturing tools in an automated factory that assembles car parts; paint spraying machines; manufactured clothing; bulk packaging; oxidation for petroleum coking; cement plant baghouse purge systems; filling air cylinders; office and school building pneumatic heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system valves; and high-power pneumatic tools such as jackhammers and some types of drills.
Current Standard | Current Test Procedure |
Ongoing Rulemaking for Standards | Ongoing Rulemaking for Test Procedure |
Helpful Links
Recent and Ongoing Activities
DOE has pulled down the enforcement policy regarding the test procedure for air compressors and removed the policy from the DOE enforcement website as of May 2, 2022. DOE expects regulated entities to begin transitioning in accordance with the current DOE regulations.
Petition
| Notice of Petition for Rulemaking |
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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
| Final Rule |
- Federal Register, 85FR1504 (January 10, 2020)
- The effective date of this rule is March 10, 2020. Compliance with the new standards established for compressors in this final rule is required on and after January 10, 2025.
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| Final Determination |
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| Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
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The energy efficiency standards rulemaking docket EERE-2013-BT-STD-0040 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents.
Public Meeting Information:
There is no public meeting schdeuled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
Test Procedure
| Notice of Proposed Rule |
- Federal Register, 88FR9199 (February 13, 2023)
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RFI Comment Extension Notice
Request for Information
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Request for Information
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Final Rule; Further Delay of Effective Date
Final Rule; Delay fo Effective Date
Final Rule
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| Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
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The test procedures rulemaking docket EERE-2014-BT-TP-0054 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents.
Public Meeting Information
There is no public meeting schdeuled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
Current Standard
Compressors manufactured starting on January 10, 2025 and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6311(7), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 431.345.
Manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified in 10 CFR 431.344 to determine that compressors that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards.
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 part 431, subpart V.
Exceptions
DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for compressors.
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 part 431, subpart W.
For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov
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