WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently published a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding whether to revise its energy conservation standards for commercial clothes washers, and will host an April 21 public meeting for discussion.
The DOE says that the rulemaking will satisfy the requirement to publish the second final rule by Jan. 1, 2015, as mandated by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and will accept public comments on the issue through May 5.
Current energy conservation standards for commercial clothes washers manufactured on or after Jan. 8, 2013, require a modified energy factor for top-loading commercial washers of no less than 1.60 ft³/kWh/cycle, and a water factor no greater than 8.5 gal/ft³/cycle, according to the DOE.
Current standards for front-loading commercial washers require a modified energy factor of no less than 2.00 ft³/kWh/cycle, and a water factor no greater than 5.5 gal/ft³/cycle.
“The standard mandatory in 2013 will save approximately 0.1 quads of energy and result in approximately $2.7 billion in energy bill savings for products shipped from 2013-2042,” according to the DOE. “The standard will avoid about 4.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 843,137 automobiles.”
The Alliance for Water Efficiency reports that after Jan. 1, 2015, standards for top-loading commercial washers will require a modified energy factor of 1.35 ft³/kWh/cycle and an integrated water factor of 8.8 gal/ft³/cycle; standards for front-loading commercial washers will require a modified energy factor of 2.00 ft³/kWh/cycle, and an integrated water factor of 4.1 gal/ft³/cycle.
The April 21 public meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DOE’s Forrestal Building in Washington, and will also be broadcast as a webinar.
Public comments may be submitted through a U.S. government website (www.regulations.gov) or by e-mail, postal mail or hand delivery/courier, according to the DOE.
More information can be found at the DOE’s rulemaking webpage.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].