Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards: Public Workshop to Discuss the Engineering Analysis for Energy Conservation Standards for Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards: Public

Workshop to Discuss the Engineering Analysis for Energy Conservation

Standards for Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of

Energy.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Department will hold a public workshop on Friday, March 3,

1995, to discuss the Engineering Analysis Section of the Draft

Technical Support Document in support of the reproposal of fluorescent

lamp ballast energy conservation standards. All persons are hereby

given notice of the opportunity to submit written comments and to

attend the public workshop.

DATES: Five copies of any written comments must be received by March

31, 1995. The public workshop will be held on Friday, March 17, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Please label your written comments as ``Comments on the

Fluorescent Lamp Ballast Engineering Analysis'' and submit to Ms. Sandy

Cooper, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Mail Station

EE-431, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC. 20585. Telephone: (202) 586-7574; FAX: (202) 586-4617.

The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the U.S. Department of

Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-245, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC.

Copies of transcripts of the April 5-7 the June 7-8, 1994 public

hearings for the Eight Products Energy Conservation Standards and the

agendas of the December 2, 1994 and the January 17, 1995 public

meetings are available in the DOE Freedom of Information Reading Room,

U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 1E-190, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. (202) 586-6020 between the

hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Terry Logee, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy, Forrestal Building, Mail Station EE-431, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-1689.

Eugene Margolis, Esq., U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General

Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mail Station GC-72, 1000 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-9507.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Authority

Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act

(EPCA), (Pub. L. 94-163) created the Energy Conservation Program for

Consumer Products other than Automobiles (Program). The products

currently subject to this Program include fluorescent lamp ballasts

among others. EPCA sets minimum energy conservation standards for

fluorescent lamp ballasts and requires the Department of Energy to

revise and increase these standards.

2. Background

On March 4, 1994, the Department proposed standards for room air

conditioners, water heaters, direct heating equipment, mobile home

furnaces, kitchen ranges and ovens, pool heaters, fluorescent lamp

ballasts and television sets. (59 FR 10464). The Department received

over 8,000 comments on the proposed rule, including comments from

manufacturers, consumers, Members of Congress, retailers, broadcasters,

national trade associations, national energy advocates, utilities and

other Federal agencies. Based on the comments in the record, the

Department determined that revised data from a larger sample of

fluorescent lamp ballast types was needed. On December 2, 1994 and on

January 17, 1995, the Department held public meetings at the Lawrence

Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) in Berkeley, California. The purpose of the

meeting was to review the methodology for the fluorescent lamp ballast

engineering analysis and to discuss the need for current data on all

types of fluorescent lamp ballasts. On January 31, 1995, the Department

published notification in the Federal Register of the Department

decision to proceed with separate rulemakings for fluorescent lamp

ballasts, televisions, and electric water heaters. (60 FR 5880).

3. Discussion

The purpose of the workshop is to discuss the engineering analysis,

data sources, the maximum technologically feasible design, and the

life-cycle cost analysis for fluorescent lamp ballasts. This workshop

will not involve discussion of energy conservation standards for

ballasts.

Discussion of the engineering analysis will focus on ballast

classes, energy use data (watts input), ballast efficacy factors (BEF),

and cost versus ballast efficiency. Ballast classes under discussion

will be the one to four lamp F40T12 and F32T8 ballasts, the two

[[Page 12553]] lamp F96 and F96H0 ballasts and the one to four lamp

F40T12 ballasts for energy saver lamps. A discussion of the methods,

data and data sources for the incremental costs associated with

improved ballast efficiency, for ballast life-cycle costs and for

payback will be included in this workshop. Workshop participants will

discuss the criteria for the ballast with the highest BEF for the

maximum technologically feasible design.

The Department has examined many sources of data and has requested

and received engineering data from ballast manufacturers and ballast

users. However, the Department still has limited engineering data on

currently manufactured cathode cut-out magnetic ballasts (e.g., watts,

lumens, BEF, total harmonic distortion (THD), Power Factor, etc).

Additionally, ballast manufacturers have advised the Department that

they could not determine the incremental costs for various improved

features in electronic ballasts such as minimum THD, minimum

electromagnetic interference maximum power factor, maximum reliability,

minimum flicker, maximum lamp life, and good line voltage regulation.

The Department has assumed, therefore, that there is no cost difference

between levels of electronic ballasts and has used cost data derived

from a survey of original equipment maunfacturers and lighting

maintenance companies. Anyone having additional cost or price data,

contact Mr. Issac Turiel, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Building 90-

4000, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 486-6493.

4. Public Meeting Procedure

The meeting will be informal. Copies of the engineering analysis

are available in the DOE public reading room and will be available at

the meeting. Additionally, copies will be mailed to persons who

commented on the March 4, 1994, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for

fluorescent lamp ballasts and to anyone who requests a copy by March

10, 1995.

Issued in Washington, DC. February 28, 1995.

Christine A. Ervin,

Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

[FR Doc. 95-5479 Filed 3-6-95; 8:45 am]

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