[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25728-25734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10401]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
[Case No. RF-028]
Notice of Petition for Waiver of GE Appliances From the
Department of Energy Residential Refrigerator and Refrigerator-Freezer
Test Procedure, and Grant of Interim Waiver
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of petition for waiver, notice of grant of interim
waiver, and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of a petition for waiver and
application for interim waiver (hereafter, ``petition'') from GE
Appliances (GE) regarding specified portions of the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) test procedure for determining the energy consumption of
residential electric refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers. In its
petition, GE provides an alternate test procedure. DOE solicits
comments, data, and information concerning GE's petition and the
suggested alternate test procedure. Today's notice also grants GE an
interim waiver from the residential electric refrigerator and
refrigerator-freezer test procedure, subject to use of the alternative
test procedure set forth in this notice.
DATES: DOE will accept comments, data, and information with respect to
the GE Petition until June 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by case number ``RF-
028,'' by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Email: [email protected]. Include the case
number [Case No. RF-028] in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J/1000 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. Telephone: (202) 586-2945. Please
submit one signed original paper copy.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Suite
600, Washington, DC 20024. Please submit one signed original paper
copy.
Docket: For access to the docket to review the background documents
relevant to this matter, you may visit the U.S. Department of Energy,
950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024; (202) 586-2945, between
9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. Available documents include the following items: (1) This
notice; (2) public comments received; (3) the petition for waiver and
application for interim waiver; and (4) prior DOE waivers and
rulemakings regarding similar refrigerator-freezer products. Please
call Ms. Brenda Edwards at the above telephone number for additional
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bryan Berringer, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mail Stop EE-2J, Forrestal
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121.
Telephone: (202) 586-0371. Email: [email protected].
Ms. Elizabeth Kohl, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the
General Counsel, Mail Stop GC-71, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0103. Telephone: (202) 586-7796.
Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background and Authority
Title III, Part B of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975
(EPCA), Public Law 94-163 (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309, as codified),
established the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other
Than Automobiles, a program covering most major household appliances,
which includes the electric refrigerator-freezers that are the focus of
this notice.\1\ Part B includes definitions, test procedures, labeling
provisions, energy conservation standards, and the authority to require
information and reports from manufacturers. Further, Part B authorizes
the Secretary of Energy to prescribe test procedures that are
reasonably designed to produce results which measure the energy
efficiency, energy use, or estimated annual operating costs of a
covered product, and that are not unduly burdensome to conduct. (42
U.S.C. 6293(b)(3)) The test procedure for electric refrigerators and
refrigerator-freezers is contained in 10 CFR part 430, subpart B,
appendix A1.
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\1\ For editorial reasons, upon codification in the U.S. Code,
Part B was re-designated Part A.
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The regulations set forth in 10 CFR part 430.27 contain provisions
that enable a person to seek a waiver from the test procedure
requirements for covered products. The Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy (the Assistant Secretary) will grant a
waiver if it is determined that the basic model for which the petition
for waiver was submitted contains one or more design characteristics
that prevents testing of the basic model according to the prescribed
test procedures, or if the prescribed test procedures may evaluate the
basic model in a manner so unrepresentative of its true energy
consumption characteristics as to provide materially inaccurate
comparative data. 10 CFR 430.27(l). A petitioner must include in its
petition any alternate test procedures known to the petitioner to
evaluate the basic model in a manner representative of its energy
consumption. The Assistant Secretary may grant the waiver subject to
conditions, including adherence to alternate test procedures. 10 CFR
430.27(l). Waivers remain in effect pursuant to the provisions of 10
CFR 430.27(m).
The waiver process also allows the Assistant Secretary to grant an
interim waiver from test procedure requirements to manufacturers that
have petitioned DOE for a waiver of such prescribed test procedures. 10
CFR 430.27(g). An interim waiver remains in effect for 180 days or
until DOE issues
[[Page 25729]]
its determination on the petition for waiver, whichever occurs earlier.
DOE may extend an interim waiver for an additional 180 days. 10 CFR
430.27(h).
II. Petition for Waiver of Test Procedure and Application for Interim
Waiver
On February 15, 2013, GE submitted via electronic mail an undated
petition for waiver from the test procedure applicable to residential
electric refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers set forth in 10 CFR
part 430, subpart B, appendix A1. GE is designing new refrigerator-
freezers with separate fresh-food and freezer evaporators and a
compressor that cycles in a non-uniform pattern. In its petition, GE
seeks a waiver from the test procedure for refrigerator-freezers
provided in appendix A1 because that test procedure does not provide a
means to measure the energy use of products with multiple defrost
cycles. The petition further states that, because of these models' non-
uniform compressor cycles, they cannot attain the 0.5 [deg]F
temperature differential between compressor cycles that is required in
order to identify regular compressor operation using the method
specified for the second part of the Appendix A test. Therefore, GE has
asked to use an alternate test procedure.
GE also requests an interim waiver from the existing DOE test
procedure. An interim waiver may be granted if it is determined that
the applicant will experience economic hardship if the application for
interim waiver is denied, if it appears likely that the petition for
waiver will be granted, and/or the Assistant Secretary determines that
it would be desirable for public policy reasons to grant immediate
relief pending a determination of the petition for waiver. 10 CFR
430.27(g).
DOE has determined that GE's application for interim waiver does
not provide sufficient market, equipment price, shipments and other
manufacturer impact information to permit DOE to evaluate the economic
hardship GE might experience absent a favorable determination on its
application for interim waiver. DOE has determined, however, that it is
likely GE's petition will be granted, and that it is desirable for
public policy reasons to grant GE relief pending a determination on the
petition. DOE has determined that it is desirable to have similar basic
models tested in a consistent manner.
For the reasons stated above, DOE grants GE's application for
interim waiver from testing of its refrigerator-freezer product line
with non-uniform compressor cycling. Therefore, it is ordered that:
The application for interim waiver filed by GE is hereby granted
for the specified GE refrigerator-freezer basic models with non-uniform
compressor cycling, subject to the specifications and conditions below.
GE shall be required to test or rate the specified refrigerator-freezer
products according to the alternate test procedure as set forth in
section III, ``Alternate Test Procedure.''
The interim waiver applies to the following basic model groups:
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DOE makes decisions on waivers and interim waivers for only those
models specifically set out in the petition, not future models that may
be manufactured by the petitioner. GE may submit a subsequent petition
for waiver and request for grant of interim waiver, as appropriate, for
additional models of refrigerator-freezers for which it seeks a waiver
from the DOE test procedure. In addition, DOE notes that a grant of an
interim waiver or waiver does not release a petitioner from the
certification requirements set forth at 10 CFR part 429.
Further, this interim waiver is conditioned upon the presumed
validity of statements, representations, and documents provided by the
petitioner. DOE may revoke or modify this interim waiver at any time
upon a determination that the factual basis underlying the petition for
waiver is incorrect, or upon a determination that the results from the
alternate test procedure are unrepresentative of the basic models' true
energy consumption characteristics.
III. Alternate Test Procedure
EPCA requires that manufacturers use DOE test procedures to make
representations about the energy consumption and energy consumption
costs of products covered by the statute. (42 U.S.C. 6293(c))
Consistent representations are important for manufacturers to use in
making representations about the energy efficiency of their products
and to demonstrate compliance with applicable DOE energy conservation
standards. Pursuant to its regulations applicable to waivers and
interim waivers from applicable test procedures at 10 CFR 430.27, DOE
will consider setting an alternate test procedure for GE in a
subsequent Decision and Order.
In its petition, GE states that, because its new refrigerator-
freezer models contain a separate fresh food evaporator, tests using
the DOE test procedure for refrigerator-freezers at 10 CFR part 430,
subpart B, appendix A1 (``Appendix A1'') would result in measurements
of energy use that are not representative of these models' actual
energy use. DOE has previously issued test procedure waivers for models
with this feature, and subsequently incorporated the test method
authorized for use through these waivers in Appendix A, which will be
required for use beginning on September 15, 2014. 77 FR 3574 (Jan. 25,
2012) While the test method for systems with multiple defrost cycle
types in section 4.2.4 of Appendix A appears to be more appropriate for
these models than the test procedure of Appendix A1 based upon GE's
description, the petition also states that, because of their non-
uniform compressor cycles, these models cannot attain the 0.5 [deg]F
temperature differential between compressor cycles that is required in
order to identify regular compressor operation using the method
specified for the second part of the Appendix A test (see section
4.2.1.1 of 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix A).
As an alternative, GE proposes to use a test that is designed
specifically for models with separate fresh food and freezer
evaporators and with non-uniform compressor cycles. The proposed test
would be based upon the current DOE test procedure for refrigerator-
freezers in Appendix A1, except that it would use a modified version of
the test period specified in section 4 and the energy use calculation
for products with long-time or variable defrost control and multiple
defrost cycle types in section 5.2.1.5 of Appendix A. As described by
GE, Part 2 of the test (T2i in the formula) would be defined
as the series of cycles prior to and following the defrost period,
identified as the A1-j and B1-k cycles,
respectively. These cycles would be used to determine when the 0.5
[deg]F temperature differential has been achieved.
As an example, if the average temperatures for Part 1 of the test
are 37.8 [deg]F and 0.2 [deg]F in the fresh food and freezer
compartments, respectively, and the temperatures for the Cycle B series
of Part 2 of the test (i.e., Cycles BI-k), are as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fresh food Freezer
------------------------------------------------------------------------
B1............................................ 42.1 [deg]F 4.3 [deg]F
B1-2.......................................... 40.2 [deg]F 2.1 [deg]F
B1-3.......................................... 38.0 [deg]F 0.0 [deg]F
------------------------------------------------------------------------
then the average temperatures for the Cycle B series are 38.0 [deg]F
and 0.0 [deg]F, which are within the 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C)
[[Page 25730]]
requirement. In this example, Part 2 ends after cycle B3.
During the period of the interim waiver granted in this notice, GE
shall test the products listed above according to the test procedures
for residential electric refrigerator-freezers prescribed by DOE at 10
CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix A1, except that, for the GE products
listed above only, include:
1. In section 4, test period, the following:
4. Test Period
* * * * *
4.2.1 Long-time Automatic Defrost with Nonuniform Compressor
Cycling and Multiple Defrost Cycle Types. The two-part test described
in this section shall be used. The first part is a stable period of
compressor operation that includes no portions of the defrost cycle,
such as precooling or recovery. The second part is designed to capture
the energy consumed during all of the events occurring with the defrost
control sequence that are outside of stable operation. The second part
of the method will be conducted separately for each distinct defrost
cycle type.
4.2.1.1 Measurement Frequency. Measurements shall be taken at
intervals not exceeding one minute. Steady state conditions as
described in section 2.9 shall be verified using measurements taken at
intervals not exceeding one minute.
4.2.1.2 The test period for the first part of the test shall start
at the start of a compressor ``on'' cycle after steady-state conditions
have been achieved and be no less than 3 hours in duration. During the
test period, the compressor motor shall complete two or more whole
compressor cycles. At the end of the test period both compartment
temperatures (fresh food and freezer) shall be within 0.5 [deg]F (0.3
[deg]C) of their measurements at the start of the test period. For this
comparison, these compartment temperatures shall be measured at the
start and end of the test period rather than averaged for the entire
test period, but otherwise shall be defined as described in sections
5.1.3 and 5.1.4. If 24 hours pass before the compartment temperatures
meet this requirement, the test period shall comprise a whole number of
compressor cycles lasting at least 24 hours.
4.2.1.3 The second part of the test starts at the termination of
the first part of the test. The average compartment temperatures as
defined in sections 5.1.3 and 5.1.4 for a whole number of compressor
cycles occurring after the start of the test period and before the time
that the defrost heater is energized must both be within 0.5 [deg]F
(0.3 [deg]C) of their average temperatures measured for the first part
of the test. The test period for the second part of the test ends at
the start of a compressor ``on'' cycle after both compartment
temperatures have fully recovered to their stable conditions after the
defrost. The average compartment temperatures as defined in sections
5.1.3 and 5.1.4 for a whole number of compressor cycles occurring after
temperature recovery and before the end of the test period must both be
within 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C) of their average temperatures measured
for the first part of the test. See Figure 1.
[[Page 25731]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02MY13.011
2. In section 5, Test Measurements, the following:
5.2.1.5 Long-time or Variable Defrost Control for Systems with
Multiple Defrost cycle Types. The energy consumption in kilowatt-hours
per day shall be calculated equivalent to:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02MY13.012
Where:
1440 is defined in 5.2.1.1 and EP1, T1, and 12 are defined in
5.2.1.2;
i is a variable that can equal 1, 2, or more that identifies the
distinct defrost cycle types applicable for the refrigerator or
refrigerator-freezer;
EP2i = energy expended in kilowatt-hours during the
second part of the test for defrost cycle type i;
T2i = length of time in minutes of the second part of the
test for defrost cycle type i;
CTi is the compressor run time between instances of
defrost cycle type i, for long-time automatic defrost control equal
to a fixed time in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour,
and for variable defrost control equal to
(CTLi x CTMi)/(F x (CTMi -
CTLi) + CTLi);
CTLi = least or shortest compressor run time between
instances of defrost cycle type i in hours rounded to the nearest
tenth of an hour (CTL for the defrost cycle type with the
longest compressor run time between defrosts must be greater than or
equal to 6 but less than or equal to 12 hours);
CTMi = maximum compressor run time between instances of
defrost cycle type i in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an
hour (greater than CTLi but not more than 96 hours);
For cases in which there are more than one fixed CT value (for long-
time defrost models) or more than one CTM and/or
CTL value (for variable defrost models) for a given
defrost cycle type, an average fixed CT value or average
CTM and CTL values shall be selected for this
cycle type so that 12 divided by this value or values is the
frequency of occurrence of the defrost cycle type in a 24 hour
period, assuming 50% compressor run time.
F = default defrost energy consumption factor, equal to 0.20.
For variable defrost models with no values for CTLi and
CTMi in the algorithm, the
[[Page 25732]]
default values of 6 and 96 shall be used, respectively.
D is the total number of distinct defrost cycle types.
IV. Summary and Request for Comments
Through today's notice, DOE announces receipt of GE's petition for
waiver from certain parts of the test procedure that apply to
refrigerator-freezers and grants an interim waiver to GE. DOE is
publishing GE's petition for waiver. The petition contains no
confidential information. The petition includes a suggested alternate
test procedure to measure the energy consumption of refrigerator-
freezer basic models with non-uniform compressor cycling.
DOE solicits comments from interested parties on all aspects of the
petition. Any person submitting written comments to DOE must also send
a copy of such comments to the petitioner. 10 CFR 430.27(d). The
contact information for the petitioner is: Earl F. Jones, Senior
Counsel, GE Appliances, Appliance Park 2-225, Louisville, KY 40225. All
submissions received must include the agency name and case number for
this proceeding. Submit electronic comments in WordPerfect, Microsoft
Word, Portable Document Format (PDF), or text (American Standard Code
for Information Interchange (ASCII)) file format and avoid the use of
special characters or any form of encryption. Wherever possible,
include the electronic signature of the author. DOE does not accept
telefacsimiles (faxes).
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2013.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
U.S. Department of Energy
Application for Interim Waiver and Petition for Waiver, 10CFR430,
Subpart B, Appendix A1-Uniform Test Method for Measuring the Energy
Consumption of Refrigerator-freezers
Case No.
Non-Confidential Version
Submitted by:
Earl F. Jones
Senior Counsel
GE Appliances
Appliance Park 2-225
Louisville, KY 40225
[email protected]
502-452-3164 (voice)
502-452-0395 (fax)
U.S. Department of Energy Application for Interim Waiver and Petition
for Waiver, 10CFR430, Subpart B, Appendix A1--Uniform Test Method for
Measuring Refrigerator-Freezers
I. Introduction
GE Appliances, an operating division of General Electric Co.,
(``GE'') is a leading manufacturer and marketer of household
appliances, including, as relevant to this proceeding, refrigerators,
files this Petition for Waiver and Application for Interim Waiver
(collectively, ``Petition''). GE requests that the Assistant Secretary
grant it a waiver from certain parts of the test procedure promulgated
by the U.S. Department of Energy (``DOE'' or ``the Department'') for
determining refrigerator-freezer energy consumption and allow GE to
test its new refrigerator-freezer model pursuant to the modified
procedure submitted herewith. This request is filed pursuant to 10
C.F.R. Sec. 430.27.
The Department's regulations provide that the Assistant Secretary
will grant a Petition upon ``determin[ation] that the basic model for
which the waiver was requested contains a design characteristic which
either prevents testing of the basic model according to the prescribed
test procedures, or the prescribed test procedures may evaluate the
basic model in a manner so unrepresentative of its true energy
consumption characteristics as to provide materially inaccurate
comparative data.'' 10 C.F.R. Sec. 430.27(l).
GE requests that the Assistant Secretary grant this Application for
Interim Waiver (Application) and Petition for Waiver (Petition) on the
grounds that the refrigerator energy test procedure, 10CFR430, Subpart
B, Appendix A1, does not allow the energy used by GE's new refrigerator
to be accurately calculated.
II. Background
GE has designed and plans to market a new refrigerator. The new
models, which are listed in Attachment 1, are manufactured in
Louisville, KY, will replace products that were previously manufactured
in Mexico. They are part of GE's $1 billion investment in GE Appliances
that will revitalize U.S. manufacturing and introduce new energy
efficient and market-leading products.
The new refrigerator has at least three compartments, the
temperatures of which must be maintained at different levels.
Temperature management is achieved by variable-speed fans and a system
of dampers that change air flow based on information from temperature
sensors placed in the various compartments. An electronic control
drives the fans and dampers. The electronic controller also drives
compressor operation and a unique three-way valve in the sealed system,
which diverts refrigerant to the fresh-food and freezer evaporators. GE
has also installed separate heaters on the fresh-food and freezer
evaporators. The compressor and tri-valve operations, combined with fan
and damper operations and the separate defrost for fresh-food and
freezer compartments, enable the new refrigerator to achieve
significant improvements in temperature management. As a direct result
of the frequent temperature adjustments, the compressor cycles on and
off more frequently but in less regular cycles, i.e., it does not cycle
in the uniform fashion envisioned by the test procedure.
Hence, this Application and Petition.
III. GE's Proposed Test Procedure
In order to be assured that it is correctly calculating the energy
consumption of the product, that it meets the minimum energy
requirements for its product class and is properly labeled, GE seeks
the Department's expeditious concurrence to its proposed amendment to
the refrigerator test procedure to provide for testing of non-uniform
compressor cycling models.
The test procedure in 10 C.F.R. 430, Subpart B, Appendix A1 was
developed in the era of electro-mechanical controls when the only
refrigerator function--compressor on-off--was based on one input: the
temperature of a mix of fresh-food and freezer air. The resulting
compressor cycling was so uniform--and the test procedure assumed that
to be the case--that regularity of cycles is not even relevant to
calculating unit energy consumption. The test procedure identifies a
period as typical or representative of the energy used by the product
in normal operation. The energy measured during this period is then
used to calculate total product energy per a formula provided in the
rule. For cycling compressors, the relevant section of the test
procedure is found at 4.2.1.1:
Long-time Automatic Defrost. If the model being tested has a long-
time automatic defrost system, the test time period may consist of two
parts. A first part would be the same as the test for a unit having no
defrost provisions (section 4.1.1). The second part would start when a
defrost is initiated when the compressor ``on'' cycle is terminated
prior to start of the defrost heater and terminates at the second turn
``on'' of
[[Page 25733]]
the compressor or four hours from the initiation of the defrost heater,
whichever comes first. See diagram in Figure 1 to this section.
The 2014 test procedure, 10 C.F.R. 430, Subpart B, Appendix A at
4.1.2.1, similarly is predicated upon the existence refrigerator
compressors operating with uniform cycles:
[T]he second part starts at the termination of the last regular
compressor ``on'' cycle. The average temperature of the compartment
measured from the termination of the previous compressor ``on'' cycle
to the termination of the last regular compressor ``on'' cycle must be
within 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C) of the average temperature of the
compartment measured for the first part of the test. If any compressor
cycles occur prior to the defrost heater being energized that cause the
average temperature in the compartment to deviate from the first part
temperature by more than 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C), these compressor
cycles are not considered regular compressor cycles and must be
included in the second part of the test. As an example, a ``precool''
cycle, which is an extended compressor cycle that lowers the
compartment temperature prior to energizing the defrost heater, must be
included in the second part of the test. The test period for the second
part of the test ends at the initiation of the first regular compressor
cycle after the compartment temperatures have fully recovered to their
stable conditions. The average temperature of the compartment measured
from this initiation of the first regular compressor ``on'' cycle until
the initiation of the next regular compressor ``on'' cycle must be
within 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C) of the average temperature of the
compartment measured for the first part of the test. See Figure 1.
The Figure 1 referred to in this section also makes clear that the
compressor cycles are presumed to be uniform.
GE's new refrigerator contains a separate fresh-food evaporator,
which means that the models cannot be tested per the test procedure now
in effect found at 10 C.F.R. 430, Subpart B, Appendix A1. Nor can GE
use the 2014 test procedure found at 10 C.F.R. 430, Subpart B, Appendix
A because it would compare the temperature of one cycle to the
temperatures of the many cycles needed for Part 1, i.e. the compartment
temperatures of non-uniform compressor cycling models do not attain the
required .5[deg] temperature differential from the average temperature
``measured for the first part of the test.'' (See at 4.2.1.1).
GE's proposed test procedure would allow for the testing of models
like the ones listed on Attachment 1 with separate evaporators for the
fresh-food compartment that also have non-uniform compressor cycling
operations.
Approving this Application and Petition will not require a change
in the energy calculation formula:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02MY13.013
It would, however, define Part 2, or T2i in the above
formula, as the series of cycles, further defined as A1-j
Cycles and B1-k Cycles, on either side of defrost that would
be averaged to determine when the .5 [deg] differential had been
achieved. The full text of the proposed test procedure amendment to be
found in a new section 4.1.2.3 is the following:
4. Test Period
* * * * *
4.2.1.3 Non-uniform Cycling Compressor System. For a system with a
cycling compressor, the second part of the test starts at the beginning
of the ``on'' cycle of the series of regular compressor cycles, Cycle
AI-j\1\ in Figure 1 below. The average temperature of all
compartments measured during Cycles AI-j must be within 0.5
[deg]F (0.3 [deg]C) of their average temperatures measured for the
first part of the test. The test period for the second part of the test
ends at the termination of the series of regular compressor cycles,
Cycle BI-k \2\ in Figure 1 below, after the average
temperatures of all compartments are within 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C) of
their average as measured in the first part of the test.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Subscripts 1-j in Cycle A denote the number of cycles to be
averaged to obtain the temperatures of the fresh-food and freezer
compartments before defrost.
\2\ Subscripts 1-k in Cycle B denote the number of cycles to be
averaged to obtain the temperatures of the fresh-food and freezer
compartments after defrost.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an example, if the average temperatures for Part 1 of the test
are 37.8 [deg]F and 0.2 [deg]F in the fresh food and freezer
compartments, respectively, and the temperatures for the Cycle B series
of Part 2 of the test, i.e., Cycles BI-k, are as follows,
Fresh food Freezer
B1............................... 42.1 [deg]F 4.3 [deg]F
B1-2............................. 40.2 [deg]F 2.1 [deg]F
B1-3............................. 38.0 [deg]F 0.0 [deg]F
then the average temperatures for the Cycle B series are 38.0 [deg]F
and 0.0 [deg]F, which are within the 0.5 [deg]F (0.3 [deg]C)
requirement. In this example, Part 2 ends after cycle B3.
[[Page 25734]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02MY13.014
IV. Conclusion
For the above reasons, GE respectfully requests that the Assistant
Secretary grant the above Application for Interim Waiver and Petition
for Waiver so that the Company can proceed to production of its new
electronic-controlled refrigerator models listed on Attachment 1. We
requests expedited treatment of the Petition and Application and would
be pleased to discuss these requests with DOE and provide further
information as needed.
We hereby certify that all manufacturers of domestically marketed
units of the same product type have been notified by letter of this
Petition and Application, a list of which is found in Attachment 2,
hereto.
Respectfully submitted,
Earl F. Jones,
Senior Counsel and Authorized Representative of GE Appliances
Attachment 1
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[FR Doc. 2013-10401 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P