[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 61 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19008-19009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7544]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: Standard Work
Specifications for Single Family Energy Upgrades
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy (EERE) requests comments on the revised version of the
Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: Standard Work Specifications
for Single Family Energy Upgrades. This document is a set of work
specifications applicable to energy efficiency retrofits of single
family homes. These specifications are intended as a resource for any
organization, company, or individual involved in energy efficiency
retrofits of residential homes. This document was released for public
comment in draft form on November 9, 2010. As a result of the comments
received, EERE made revisions to the document for which EERE is
providing an opportunity for public comment.
DATES: Comments on the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals:
Standard Work Specifications for Single Family Energy Upgrades must be
received by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on April 11, 2012.
ADDRESSES: A link to the online public comment tool can be found at:
http://nrel.pnnl.gov/forumdisplay.php/5-SWS-for-Single-Family-Homes
You may also submit comments by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov
By email: retrofit.guidelines@nrel.gov
By mail: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Attn: Chuck
Kurnik, RSF402, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401.
For further information on how to submit comments, please see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Olsen, Weatherization and
Intergovernmental Programs, Mailstop EE-2K, Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. Phone number: (202) 287-1813. Email:
Joshua.Olsen@ee.doe.gov. Christopher Calamita, U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of the General Counsel, Forrestal Building, GC-71, 1000
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. Phone number: (202) 586-
1777. Email: christopher.calamita@hq.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EERE through the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory is developing voluntary work specifications for the work
involved in home energy upgrades. This document builds upon the
considerable body of material already in circulation and the cumulative
knowledge gathered throughout the 30-year history of the Weatherization
Assistance Program and broader home performance industry.
The development of the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals:
Standard Work Specifications for Single Family Energy Upgrades (SWS) is
supported by the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Training and
Technical Assistance Plan. The process of developing the SWS has
involved a historic collaboration between WAP practitioners and
trainers, home performance contractors, building scientists, organized
labor, healthy homes and worker safety experts, and other professionals
in the building trades and throughout the retrofit industry. On
November 9, 2010, EERE issued a notice requesting public comment on a
draft version of the SWS. 75 FR 68781. Additional background regarding
this effort can be found in that document.
The first public comment period resulted in nearly 1000 comments
from approximately 100 unique commenters from across the Weatherization
and home performance industries. As a result of issues identified by
commenters, EERE gave further consideration to a number of technical
issues and subsequently made changes to the SWS. EERE is providing an
opportunity for public comment on the technical revisions made in
response to prior public comments.
Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment
DOE is seeking comments and views of interested parties on the
following issues:
Revisions to the SWS document subsequent to the initial
public comment period including:
[cir] Reformatting of the document to improve usability
[cir] Removal of specifications related to the installation of HVAC
equipment
[cir] Removal of the Job Task Analyses for being out of scope with
the SWS primary intent of defining quality outcomes of installed work
[[Page 19009]]
[cir] Alignment with the International Residential Code and other
applicable standards
Submission of Comments
DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding the
proposed guidelines no later than the date specified under the DATES
heading. If submitting comments via the DOE Web page, please follow all
instructions on the web page: http://www.weatherization.energy.gov/retrofit_guidelines. This Web site is specifically designed for ease
of use to facilitate the public comment process. DOE will transfer
comments received on our Web site to Regulations.gov for public review.
Comments, data, and information uploaded to Regulations.gov, or
submitted via DOE's email address or regular mail should be provided in
WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, PDF, or text (ASCII) file format.
Interested parties should avoid the use of special characters or any
form of encryption, and wherever possible, comments should include the
electronic signature of the author. Comments, data, and information
submitted to DOE via regular mail may include one signed paper
original.
According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information that
he or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public
disclosure should submit two copies: One copy of the document including
all the information believed to be confidential, and one copy of the
document that does not include the information believed to be
confidential. DOE will make its own determination as to 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) A date upon which such information might lose its confidential
nature due to the passage of time; and
(7) Why disclosure of the information would be contrary to the
public interest.
Issued in Washington, DC on March 23, 2012.
AnnaMaria Garcia,
Program Manager, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program, Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2012-7544 Filed 3-28-12; 8:45 am]
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