[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 102 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30696-30699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13096]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
[Docket Number EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0039]
Technology Evaluation Process
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI).
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks comments and
information related to a commercial buildings technology evaluation
process. DOE is seeking to create a process for evaluating emerging and
underutilized energy efficient technologies for commercial buildings
based on the voluntary submittal of product test data. The program
would be centered on a publicly accessible listing of products that
meet minimum energy efficiency criteria specified for the applicable
technology type. Evaluation under the criteria would be based on
product test data submitted by manufacturers, then analyzed by DOE to
generate information related to the energy savings of the products. For
those products that met the specified minimum energy efficiency
criteria, the results of such analyses would be made publicly
available. The program would provide centralized information on the
analysis factors in a manner that would make results directly
comparable between products within the same technology type or area.
DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before June
27, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit comments, identified by docket
number EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0039, by any of the following methods. Your
response should be limited to 3 pages. Questions relative to responding
to this RFI may be sent to the same mailbox in advance of your
response, and will be answered via e-mail.
E-mail: to [email protected]. Include
EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0039 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, Revisions to Energy
Efficiency Enforcement Regulations, EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0039, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585- 0121. Phone: (202) 586-
2945. Please submit one signed paper original.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 6th Floor, 950 L'Enfant
Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024. Phone: (202) 586-2945. Please submit
one signed paper original.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional
information may be sent to Mr. Alan Schroeder, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and
[[Page 30697]]
Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, EE-2J, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: 202-
586-0158. E-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Program Overview
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking to create a process
for evaluating emerging and underutilized energy efficient technologies
for commercial buildings based on the voluntary submittal of product
test data. The program would be centered on a publicly accessible
listing of products that meet minimum energy efficiency criteria
specified for the applicable technology type. Evaluation under the
criteria would be based on product test data submitted by
manufacturers, then analyzed by DOE to generate information related to
the energy savings of the products. For those products that met the
specified minimum energy efficiency criteria, the results of such
analyses would be made publicly available. The program would provide
centralized information on the analysis factors in a manner that would
make results directly comparable between products within the same
technology type or area.
DOE recognizes that building owners and operators, utilities,
states, and local governments, among others, could greatly benefit from
a central listing of product test data and a standard process for
evaluating potential commercial building technologies, thus potentially
preventing the duplication of product evaluation efforts. The goal of
creating this standard process is to evaluate energy-saving
technologies in a common manner utilizing product test data. The
process is intended to help accelerate the adoption of energy-saving
commercial building equipment by providing information to owners,
operators, utilities, states, and local governments to facilitate
decisions regarding the purchase/implementation of the technologies. To
facilitate awareness of the new process, and to allow interested
parties to provide suggestions, comments, and information, DOE is
publishing this Request for Information (RFI).
DOE envisions the new technology evaluation process will be based
on several central elements. As proposed, the evaluations would be
based on qualified third-party laboratory test data using only
qualified procedures. Manufacturers, and possibly utilities, suppliers,
and energy programs would submit third-party test data to the program
through a Web site portal. Technology areas of interest would be
identified by DOE and test data submissions would need to fall within
these areas of interest. The up-to-date technology areas of interest
would be identified on the test data submission Web site.
As currently being considered, the test data would be reviewed to
ensure it comports with program specifications and subsequently
evaluated using standard methodologies. The evaluations would use the
test data as input for DOE models to perform analyses such as energy
savings analyses, life-cycle cost analyses, and payback analyses for
the technology being evaluated. Results of the technology evaluations
would be publicly available for those products that met specified
minimum criteria. Test data submitters would have an opportunity to
comment on the results of the evaluations of their test data prior to a
determination of whether the evaluations were posted.
Detailed Description
The following describes the considered framework through which DOE
intends to develop a new voluntary commercial building technology
evaluation process. Participation in this program would be strictly
voluntary; however, evaluations conducted through this program would be
available to the public.
The screening would consist of a three-step review followed by
specified energy- and cost-related analyses. The first review would be
to ensure that the product is of a type identified by DOE as a
technology of interest. The second review would be of the data source.
DOE is considering specifying that data be generated by an industry-
accredited test laboratory. The third review would ensure that the data
was generated according to a recognized test procedure. If a submission
does meet all three criteria in the reviews, DOE would perform the
following analyses: Annual operating expense, energy savings, life-
cycle cost, and payback analysis. DOE is also interested in
recommendations of additional analyses that would assist building
owners and managers in making investment decisions. DOE has not yet
identified what results would be necessary under each analysis in order
for a product to be publicly listed under the program, and is accepting
comment on this issue. For submitted test data that does not meet the
review criteria, DOE would still accept the test data, but is unlikely
to conduct any analyses.
The first review would be to ensure that the test data is for a
product within the current technology scope of this new process, as
identified by DOE. The current technology areas of interest would be
listed on the test data submission Web site. This list of areas of
interest would be updated approximately every six months.
The second review would be to ensure that submitted test data
originated from an accredited laboratory. As stated above, DOE intends
to have the process rely on third-party test data from sources
recognized under an industry accreditation program. Generally, third-
party test data can support accurate and reliable evaluations of
technologies related to the energy savings potential of implementing,
or switching to, certain commercial building technologies. To qualify
as an accredited third party laboratory, the laboratory that generates
the test data would need to be accredited to ISO 17025 General
Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration
Laboratories, or an equivalent standard as determined by DOE in its
evaluation methodology.
The third review of the test data would be to ensure that the test
data was collected according to a qualified test plan. To be considered
a qualified test plan, the test procedure run by the third party
laboratory would need to be one of the following:
(a) A Federal test procedure established in regulation (e.g., a DOE
appliance efficiency test procedure).
(b) A test procedure relied upon by a Federal program (e.g., an
ENERGY STAR-qualified test procedure).
(c) A test procedure established under an industry consensus
process.
DOE anticipates that a Web site would serve as both a portal for
submitting test data and accessing the product evaluation listings by
technology area. The Web site would contain a test data submission form
to provide DOE with a technology description and features, qualifying
test data, cost information, manufacturer-estimated energy savings
achievable, and the intended scope of applicability for the product,
all of which would be used to evaluate or characterize the technology
or product.
DOE's primary interest in structuring the technology evaluations is
to provide objective product energy savings information that commercial
building owners and operators would need to determine whether to make a
capital investment in a particular technology. Products that did not
meet the specified level of energy efficiency would not be listed. The
technology evaluations would be model-based and are not expected to
involve any field testing. The submitted product test data and
[[Page 30698]]
cost data would serve as the basis for DOE's various analyses. These
analyses would utilize models that would be standard for similar
products and technology areas (e.g. all condensing water heater test
data will be input into the same models and will undergo the same
analyses as other water heating technologies). This would make analysis
results comparable within similar technology groups. Each of the
analyses that would be performed as part of the evaluation is described
below. The methodologies for performing the analyses would vary by
product type, but would be the same within product groups so that
results are directly comparable. Submitters would provide the expected
use-case conditions for the product, thus identifying the conditions
under which it would be evaluated. The use-case conditions would be
included in the final evaluation report.
Annual Operating Expense: The annual operating expense calculation
would estimate the total cost of operating, repairing, and maintaining
the technology over the course of a year. The annual operating expense
would take into account the energy consumption of the product and
energy price models to calculate an annual energy expense for specific
regions of the country. The annual energy expense would be combined
with estimated repair and maintenance costs for the product to
calculate the annual operating expense for the submitted product test
data.
Energy Savings Analysis: The energy savings analysis would
calculate the total energy savings from an overnight switch to the new
technology. The energy savings would be calculated as the difference
between the annual unit energy consumption of a baseline technology and
the annual unit energy consumption of the submitted product. The annual
unit energy consumption of the new product would come from the test
data. The baseline technology annual unit energy consumption would be
determined by evaluating the distribution of product efficiencies
currently in the marketplace.
DOE is suggesting that cost data for a product, specifically total
installed cost data, be submitted along with the product test data.
Then, more extensive and detailed analyses may be performed, such as a
Life-Cycle Cost Analysis and a Payback Period Analysis.
Life-Cycle Cost Analysis: The life-cycle cost is the total consumer
expense over the life of a product, including purchase expenses and
operating costs (including energy expenditures). Future operating costs
are discounted to the time of purchase and then are summed over the
anticipated lifetime of the product.
The life-cycle cost is equal to the total installed cost plus the
summation over the lifetime of the product of the operating costs
discounted back to present day. The parameters to be defined for a
life-cycle cost analysis are therefore:
(A) The total installed cost, in dollars.
(B) The lifetime of the technology, in years.
(C) The operating cost, in dollars.
(D) The discount rate.
(E) The year for which operating cost is to be determined.
The total installed cost would be submitted by the manufacturer
along with the product test data. The primary inputs for establishing
the operating cost are:
(C.1) Equipment energy consumption.
(C.2) Equipment efficiency.
(C.3) Energy prices.
(C.4) Energy price trends.
(C.5) Repair and maintenance costs.
(C.6) Lifetime.
(C.7) Discount rate.
DOE would utilize standard models and values for Energy Prices and
Energy Price Trends based on compiled databases. Discount rate would be
assumed by DOE. Repair and Maintenance Costs and Product Lifetime for
all products of the same technology type would also be assumed if
additional third-party test data is not provided to support
manufacturer-suggested values for these fields. Remaining are Equipment
Energy Consumption and Equipment Efficiency to be determined in order
to calculate the operating cost. Energy Consumption and Energy Prices
would be used to calculate the Annual Energy Expense. The Annual Energy
Expense and Repair and Maintenance Cost would be used to calculate the
Annual Operating Expense. The Annual Operating Expense combined with
the assumed Lifetime, Discount Rate, and Energy Price Trends would be
used to calculate the Lifetime Operating Expense. Finally, the Lifetime
Operating Expense combined with the Total Installed Cost would be used
to calculate the Life-Cycle Cost of the product.
As stated, Equipment Energy Consumption and Equipment Efficiency
would come from the product test data submitted to the program by
manufacturers. Energy consumption and efficiency data would be
extracted from the submitted test data and will be fed into the
standard DOE models, combined with standard assumed parameters, and the
output would be Life-Cycle Cost and Payback Period (described below).
Payback Analysis: The payback period is the change in purchase
expense of the new product (from a less efficient design to a more
efficient design) divided by the change in annual operating expense
that results from switching to the new product. It represents the
number of years it will take the user to recover the assumed increased
purchase expense of more energy-efficient equipment through decreased
operating expenses. This calculation is known as a ``simple'' payback
period because it does not take into account changes in operating
expense over time or the time value of money (i.e., uses an effective
discount rate of zero percent).
The data inputs to this analysis would be the total installed cost
of the equipment to the consumer and the annual (first year) operating
expenditures. From the Life-Cycle Cost Analysis, the same methodology
would be used and the Total Installed Cost, provided by the submitter
or assumed in the analysis, would be combined with the Annual Operating
Expense to calculate the Payback Period for the product. A payback
period analysis compares the savings from switching to a more efficient
product with the cost of a less efficient product, or baseline. For
these analyses, the baseline would be determined by evaluating the
distribution of product efficiencies currently in the marketplace. The
resulting estimates would be used as the base case for the analysis.
As noted above, DOE is interested in receiving comments on the
analyses proposed as part of the evaluation process. In addition, DOE
is interested in what subsequent analyses or data would be most useful
in assisting investment decisions. Evaluation results would first be
sent to the manufacturer for comment following completion and prior to
a decision of whether to list the product. The manufacturer would have
a period of three weeks to return comments on the results of the
evaluation. The comment period is intended to provide the manufacturer
with a fair opportunity to justify or comment on whatever the
evaluation results might reflect. DOE would develop a mechanism for
creating awareness of completed and posted evaluation reports to ensure
that the technology evaluations facilitate market adoption. Only
products that meet a minimum energy efficiency improvement threshold
would be posted to the program Web site. DOE seeks comments on what
these threshold levels should be for different products.
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Issues on Which DOE Seeks Commentand Information
DOE invites comments from respondents on all the specific elements
discussed above, as well as any additional issues the respondent deems
important. Specifically, DOE is requesting comment as to what level of
analysis results should be necessary for a product to be listed. DOE is
also requesting comment on the appropriateness of the analyses as
described.
DOE is also interested in information from organizations currently
conducting technology evaluations or housing product test data to
create a listing for commercial building technologies based on the
evaluation of test data. DOE seeks input from stakeholders conducting
similar technology evaluation programs. Those stakeholders should
respond to the following queries:
(1) How could DOE compliment existing efforts?
(2) Comments on the potential to use the proposed DOE evaluation
process.
(3) Examples of your current technology evaluation program. The
summary should include, at a minimum, the purpose of the program, the
procedure and test plan followed for evaluations, and the reporting
format of results. A sample evaluation may be included as an additional
attachment.
(4) Example test data used either in other evaluation programs (see
query 3 above) or as potential input into the process.
(5) Comments on the DOE-proposed review criteria.
(6) What commercial building technologies have been evaluated, or
are planned for future evaluation, in your program?
(7) What organizations, if any, are qualified to accredit test
facilities for this type of program?
DOE is also requesting notice of the availability of, and
willingness to share, test data (that meets the established criteria)
within the technology scope of the new Technology EvaluationProcess, as
outlined in this RFI. DOE also requests that, once functional,
manufacturers, utilities, research organizations, state and municipal
energy programs, and other stakeholders submit test data through the
program Web site via the nomination form.
Disclaimer and Important Notes
This is an RFI issued solely for information and program planning
purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for
proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as
information only. DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred
in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DOE is under no
obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or
provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information
submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind DOE to any
further actions related to this topic.
Confidential Business Information
According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information he
or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public
disclosure should submit via e-mail, postal mail, or hand delivery/
courier two well-marked copies: One copy of the document marked
confidential including all the information believed to be confidential,
and one copy of the document marked non-confidential with the
information believed to be confidential deleted. Submit these documents
via e-mail or on a CD, if feasible. DOE will make its own determination
about the confidential status of the information and treat it according
to its determination.
Factors of interest to DOE when evaluating requests to treat
submitted information as confidential include: (1) A description of the
items; (2) whether and why such items are customarily treated as
confidential within the industry; (3) whether the information is
generally known by or available from other sources; (4) whether the
information has previously been made available to others without
obligation concerning its confidentiality; (5) an explanation of the
competitive injury to the submitting person which would result from
public disclosure; (6) when such information might lose its
confidential character due to the passage of time; and (7) why
disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest.
It is DOE's policy that all comments may be included in the public
docket, without change and as received, including any personal
information provided in the comments (except information deemed to be
exempt from public disclosure).
Issued in Washington, DC on May 18, 2011.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Office of Technology
Development, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-13096 Filed 5-25-11; 8:45 am]
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