PRINTER'S NO. 2437
No. 1836 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY KING, CONKLIN, BENNINGTON, BRENNAN, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GRUCELA, HORNAMAN, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, LEACH, MAHONEY, McGEEHAN, McILVAINE SMITH, MUNDY, MURT, PETRONE, READSHAW, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH, STURLA AND McCALL, SEPTEMBER 11, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, SEPTEMBER 11, 2007
AN ACT 1 Providing for minimum energy efficiency standards for certain 2 appliances and equipment and for the powers and duties of the 3 Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and of the Attorney 4 General. 5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 6 hereby enacts as follows: 7 Section 1. Short title. 8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Minimum 9 Energy Efficiency Standards Act. 10 Section 2. Declaration of policy. 11 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: 12 (1) Efficiency standards for certain products sold or 13 installed in this Commonwealth assure consumers and 14 businesses that products meet minimum efficiency performance 15 levels and save money on utility bills. 16 (2) Efficiency standards save energy and reduce 17 pollution and other environmental impacts associated with the
1 production, distribution and use of electricity, natural gas 2 and oil. 3 (3) Efficiency standards can make electricity systems 4 more reliable by reducing the strain on the electricity grid 5 during peak demand periods, and improved energy efficiency 6 can reduce or delay the need for new power plants, power 7 transmission lines and power distribution system upgrades. 8 (4) Energy efficiency standards contribute to the 9 economy of this Commonwealth by helping to balance energy 10 supply and demand, reducing pressure for higher natural gas 11 and electricity prices. By saving consumers and businesses 12 money on energy bills, efficiency standards help the State 13 and local economy, since energy bill savings can be spent on 14 local goods and services. 15 Section 3. Definitions. 16 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 17 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 18 context clearly indicates otherwise: 19 "Attorney General." The Attorney General of the 20 Commonwealth. 21 "Ballast." A device used with an electric discharge lamp to 22 obtain necessary circuit conditions, including voltage, current 23 and waveform, for starting and operating the lamp. 24 "Bottle-type water dispenser." A water dispenser that uses a 25 bottle or reservoir as the source of potable water. 26 "Commission." The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. 27 "Commercial hot food holding cabinet." A heated, fully 28 enclosed compartment with one or more solid or glass doors that 29 is designed to maintain the temperature of hot food that has 30 been cooked in a separate appliance. The term does not include 20070H1836B2437 - 2 -
1 heated glass merchandizing cabinets, drawer warmers or cook-and- 2 hold appliances. 3 "Compact audio product." An integrated audio system encased 4 in a single housing that includes an amplifier and radio tuner, 5 attached or separable speakers and can reproduce audio from 6 magnetic tape, compact disc, digital versatile disc or flash 7 memory. The term does not include products that can be 8 independently powered by internal batteries or that have a 9 powered external satellite antenna or that can provide a video 10 output signal. 11 "Compensation." Money or any other valuable thing, 12 regardless of form, received or to be received by a person for 13 services rendered. 14 "Digital versatile disc" or "DVD." A laser-encoded plastic 15 medium capable of storing a large amount of digital audio, video 16 and computer data. 17 "DVD player" or "DVD recorder." A commercially available 18 electronic product player or recorder encased in a single 19 housing that includes an integral power supply and for which the 20 sole purpose is the decoding, production or recording of 21 digitized video signal on a digital versatile disc. The term 22 does not include models that have an electronic programming 23 guide function that provides an interactive, onscreen menu of 24 television listings and that downloads program information from 25 the vertical blanking interval of a regular television signal. 26 "EAE." Average annual auxiliary electrical consumption as 27 defined in 10 CFR Pt. 430, Subpt. B App. N (relating to Uniform 28 Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Furnaces and 29 Boilers). 30 "EF." Average annual fuel energy consumption as defined in 20070H1836B2437 - 3 -
1 10 CFR Pt. 430, Subpt. B App. N (relating to Uniform Test Method 2 for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Furnaces and Boilers). 3 "Electricity ratio." The ratio of furnace electricity use to 4 total furnace energy use. 5 Electricity ratio = (3.412*EAE)/(1000*EF+3.412*EAE) where EF is 6 expressed in millions of BTUs per year. 7 "High-intensity discharge lamp." A lamp in which light is 8 produced by the passage of an electric current through a vapor 9 or gas in which the light-producing arc is stabilized by bulb 10 wall temperature and the arc tube has a bulb wall loading in 11 excess of three watts per square centimeter. 12 "Metal halide lamp." A high-intensity discharge lamp in 13 which the major portion of the light is produced by radiation of 14 metal halides and their products of dissociation, possibly in 15 combination with metallic vapors. 16 "Metal halide lamp fixture." A light fixture designed to be 17 operated with a metal halide lamp and a ballast for a metal 18 halide lamp. 19 "Portable electric spa." A factory-built electric spa or hot 20 tub, supplied with equipment for heating and circulating water. 21 "Probe-start metal halide ballast." A ballast used to 22 operate metal halide lamps which does not contain an igniter and 23 which instead starts lamps by using a third starting electrode 24 probe in the arc tube. 25 "Residential furnace." A self-contained space heater 26 designed to supply heated air through ducts of more than ten 27 inches in length and that utilizes only single-phase electric 28 current, or single-phase electric current or DC current in 29 conjunction with natural gas, propane or home heating oil, and 30 that: 20070H1836B2437 - 4 -
1 (1) is designed to be the principle heating source for 2 the living space of one or more residences; 3 (2) is not contained within the same cabinet with a 4 central air conditioner whose rated cooling capacity is more 5 than 65,000 BTUs per hour; and 6 (3) has a heat input rate of less than 225,000 BTUs per 7 hour. 8 "Single-voltage external AC to DC power supply." A device 9 that: 10 (1) is designed to convert line voltage AC input into 11 lower voltage DC output; 12 (2) is able to convert to only one DC output voltage at 13 a time; 14 (3) is sold with, or intended to be used with, a 15 separate end-use product that constitutes the primary power 16 load; 17 (4) is contained within a separate physical enclosure 18 from the end-use product; 19 (5) is connected to the end-use product via a removable 20 or hard-wired male/female electrical connection, cable, cord 21 or other wiring; 22 (6) does not have batteries or battery packs, including 23 those that are removable, that physically attach directly to 24 the power supply unit; 25 (7) does not have a battery chemistry or type selector 26 switch and indicator light or does not have a battery 27 chemistry or type selector switch and a state of charge 28 meter; and 29 (8) has a nameplate output power less than or equal to 30 250 watts. 20070H1836B2437 - 5 -
1 "State-regulated incandescent reflector lamp." A lamp, not 2 colored or designed for rough or vibration service applications, 3 with an inner reflective coating on the outer bulb to direct the 4 light, an E26 medium screw base, a rated voltage or voltage 5 range that lies at least partially within 115 to 130 volts and 6 that falls into either of the following categories: a blown 7 parabolic aluminized reflector (BPAR), bulged reflector (BR), 8 elliptical reflector (ER) or similar bulb shape with a diameter 9 equal to or greater than 2.25 inches, or a reflector (R), 10 parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR) or similar bulb shape with 11 a diameter of 2.25 to 2.75 inches, inclusive. 12 "Walk-in refrigerator and freezer." A refrigerated space 13 that can be walked into and has a total chilled and frozen 14 storage area of less than 3,000 square feet, operates at 15 chilled, above 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or frozen, at or below 32 16 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and is connected to a self- 17 contained or remote condensing unit. The term excludes products 18 designed and marketed exclusively for medical, scientific or 19 research purposes. The term also excludes refrigerated 20 warehouses. 21 "Water dispenser." A factory-made assembly that mechanically 22 cools and heats potable water and that dispenses the cooled or 23 heated water by integral or remote means. 24 Section 4. Scope of act. 25 (a) General rule.--The provisions of this act apply to all 26 of the following types of new products sold, offered for sale or 27 installed in this Commonwealth: 28 (1) Bottle-type water dispensers. 29 (2) Commercial hot food holding cabinets. 30 (3) Compact audio products. 20070H1836B2437 - 6 -
1 (4) Digital versatile disc players and digital versatile 2 disc recorders. 3 (5) Metal halide lamp fixtures. 4 (6) Portable electric spas. 5 (7) Residential furnaces. 6 (8) Single-voltage external AC to DC power supplies. 7 (9) State-regulated incandescent reflector lamps. 8 (10) Walk-in refrigerators and freezers. 9 (11) Any other products designated in accordance with 10 section 7. 11 (b) Exclusions.--The provisions of this act do not apply to 12 any of the following: 13 (1) New products manufactured in this Commonwealth and 14 sold outside this Commonwealth. 15 (2) New products manufactured outside this Commonwealth 16 and sold at wholesale inside this Commonwealth for final 17 retail sale and installation outside this Commonwealth. 18 (3) Products installed in mobile manufactured homes at 19 the time of construction. 20 (4) Products designed expressly for installation and use 21 in recreational vehicles. 22 Section 5. Efficiency standards. 23 Not later than one year after the effective date of this act, 24 the commission shall adopt regulations establishing minimum 25 efficiency standards for the types of new products set forth in 26 section 4. The regulations shall provide for the following 27 minimum efficiency standards: 28 (1) Bottle-type water dispensers designed for dispensing 29 both hot and cold water shall not have standby energy 30 consumption greater than 1.2 kilowatt-hours per day, as 20070H1836B2437 - 7 -
1 measured in accordance with the test criteria contained in 2 version 1 of the Environmental Protection Agency's "Energy 3 Star Program Requirements for Bottled Water Coolers," except 4 units with an integral, automatic timer shall not be tested 5 using section D, "Timer Usage," of the test criteria. 6 (2) Commercial hot food holding cabinets shall have a 7 maximum idle energy rate of 40 watts per cubic foot of 8 interior volume, as determined by the "idle energy rate-dry 9 test" in ASTM F2140-01, "Standard Test Method for Performance 10 of Hot Food Holding Cabinets" published by ASTM 11 International. Interior volume shall be measured in 12 accordance with the method shown in the Environmental 13 Protection Agency's "Energy Star Program Requirements for 14 Commercial Hot Food Holding Cabinets" as in effect on August 15 15, 2003. 16 (3) Compact audio products shall not use more than 2 17 watts in standby-passive mode for those without a permanently 18 illuminated clock display and 4 watts in standby-passive mode 19 for those with a permanently illuminated clock display, as 20 measured in accordance with International Electrotechnical 21 Commission (IEC) test method 62087:2002(E), "Methods of 22 measurement for the power consumption of audio, video, and 23 related equipment." 24 (4) Digital versatile disc players and digital versatile 25 disc recorders shall not use more than 3 watts in standby- 26 passive mode, as measured in accordance with International 27 Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) test method 62087:2002(E), 28 "Methods of measurement for the power consumption of audio, 29 video, and related equipment." 30 (5) Metal halide lamp fixtures designed to be operated 20070H1836B2437 - 8 -
1 with lamps rated greater than or equal to 150 watts but less 2 than or equal to 500 watts shall not contain a probe-start 3 metal halide ballast. 4 (6) Portable electric spas shall not have a standby 5 power greater than 5(V to the two-thirds power) Watts where V 6 equals the total volume in gallons, as measured in accordance 7 with the test method for portable electric spas contained in 8 20 California Code of Regulations section 1604. 9 (7) (i) Residential furnaces that utilize natural gas 10 or propane shall have a minimum Annual Fuel Utilization 11 Efficiency (AFUE) of 90% and a maximum electricity ratio 12 of 2%. AFUE shall be measured in accordance with the 13 Federal test method for measuring the energy consumption 14 of furnaces and boilers contained in 10 CFR Pt. 430 15 Subpt. B App. N (relating to Uniform Test Method for 16 Measuring the Energy Consumption of Furnaces and 17 Boilers). 18 (ii) The commission may adopt rules to exempt 19 compliance with the residential furnace AFUE standards 20 under subparagraph (i) at any a building, site or 21 location where complying with the standards would be in 22 conflict with any local zoning ordinance, building or 23 plumbing code or other rule regarding installation and 24 venting of residential furnaces or residential boilers. 25 (8) (i) Single-voltage external AC to DC power supplies 26 shall meet the energy efficiency requirements in the 27 following table: 28 Nameplate Output Power Minimum Efficiency in 29 Active Mode 30 0 to less than 1 watt 0.49* (Nameplate Output) 20070H1836B2437 - 9 -
1 1 to 49 watts 0.09 Ln* (Nameplate Output 2 Power + 0.49 3 Greater than 49 watts 0.84 4 Maximum Energy Consumption 5 in No-Load Mode 6 0 to less than 10 watts 0.5 watts 7 10 to 250 watts 0.75 watts 8 * Where Ln (Nameplate Output) = Natural Logarithm of the 9 nameplate output expressed in watts 10 (ii) The standard under subparagraph (i) applies to 11 single-voltage AC to DC power supplies that are sold 12 individually and to those that are sold as a component of 13 or in conjunction with another product. 14 (iii) Single-voltage external AD to DC power 15 supplies that require Food and Drug Administration 16 listing and approval as a medical device are exempt from 17 the requirements of this section. 18 (iv) Single-voltage external AC to DC power supplies 19 made available by a manufacturer directly to a consumer 20 or to a service or repair facility after and separate 21 from the original sale of the product requiring the power 22 supply as a service part or spare part shall not be 23 required to meet the standards of this section until 24 January 1, 2013. 25 (v) For purposes of this paragraph, the efficiency 26 of single-voltage external AC to DC power supplies shall 27 be measured in accordance with the test methodology 28 specified by the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy 29 Star Program "Test Method for Calculating the Energy 30 Efficiency of Single-Voltage External AC-DC and AC-AC 20070H1836B2437 - 10 -
1 Power Supplies (August 11, 2004)" except that tests shall 2 be conducted at 115 volts only. 3 (9) (i) State-regulated incandescent reflector lamps 4 shall meet the minimum average lamp efficacy requirements 5 for federally regulated incandescent reflector lamps 6 contained in 42 U.S.C. § 6295(i)(1)(A) (relating to 7 energy conservation standards). 8 (ii) All of the following types of incandescent 9 reflector lamps are exempt from the requirements of this 10 paragraph: 11 (A) Lamps rated at 50 watts or less of the 12 following types: BR30, ER30, BR40 and ER40. 13 (B) Lamps rated at 65 watts of the following 14 types: BR30, BR40 and ER40. 15 (C) R20 lamps of 45 watts or less. 16 (10) Walk-in refrigerators and freezers shall meet the 17 following requirements: 18 (i) All walk-in refrigerators and freezers shall 19 have: 20 (A) Automatic door closers that firmly close all 21 reach-in doors and that firmly close walk-in doors no 22 wider than 3 feet 9 inches and no higher than 6 feet 23 11 inches that have been closed to within one inch of 24 full closure. 25 (B) Wall, ceiling and door insulation of at 26 least R-28 for refrigerators. Door insulation 27 requirements do not apply to glazed portions of 28 doors, nor to structural members. 29 (C) Wall, ceiling and door insulation of at 30 least R-32 for freezers. Door insulation requirements 20070H1836B2437 - 11 -
1 do not apply to glazed portions of doors or to 2 structural members. 3 (D) Floor insulation of at least R-28 for 4 freezers. 5 (E) For single-phase evaporator fan motors of 6 under one horsepower and less than 460 volts, 7 electronically commutated motors. The commission may 8 delay implementation of this subparagraph upon a 9 determination that the motors are only available from 10 one manufacturer or quantities of motors available 11 are insufficient to serve the needs of the walk-in 12 industry for evaporator-fan applications. 13 (F) for condenser fan motors of under one 14 horsepower, either: 15 (I) electronically commutated motors; 16 (II) permanent split capacitor-type motors; 17 or 18 (III) polyphase motors of one-half 19 horsepower or more; and 20 (G) for all interior lights, light sources with 21 an efficacy of 40 lumens per watt or more, including 22 ballast losses, if any. Light sources with an 23 efficacy of 40 lumens per watt or less, including 24 ballast losses, if any, may be used in conjunction 25 with a timer or device that turns off the lights 26 within 15 minutes of when the walk-in is not 27 occupied. 28 (ii) In addition to the requirements under 29 subparagraph (i), walk-in refrigerators and freezers with 30 transparent reach-in doors shall meet all of the 20070H1836B2437 - 12 -
1 following requirements: 2 (A) Transparent reach-in doors and windows in 3 walk-in doors for walk-in freezers shall be of 4 triple-pane glass with either heat-reflective treated 5 glass or gas fill. 6 (B) Transparent reach-in doors and windows in 7 walk-in doors for walk-in refrigerators shall be 8 either: 9 (I) double-pane glass with heat-reflective 10 treated glass and gas fill; or 11 (II) triple-pane glass with either heat- 12 reflective treated glass or gas fill. 13 (C) If the appliance has an anti-sweat heater 14 without anti-sweat heat controls, then the appliance 15 shall have a total door rail, glass and frame heater 16 power draw of no more than 7.1 watts per square foot 17 of door opening for freezers and 3.0 watts per square 18 foot of door opening for refrigerators. 19 (D) If the appliance has an anti-sweat heater 20 with anti-sweat heat controls, and the total door 21 rail, glass and frame heater power draw is more than 22 7.1 watts per square foot of door opening for 23 freezers and 3.0 watts per square foot of door 24 opening for refrigerators, then the anti-sweat heat 25 controls shall reduce the energy use of the anti- 26 sweat heater in an amount corresponding to the 27 relative humidity in the air outside the door or to 28 the condensation on the inner glass pane. 29 Section 6. Implementation. 30 (a) General rule.--On or after January 1, 2009, no new 20070H1836B2437 - 13 -
1 bottle-type water dispenser, commercial hot food holding 2 cabinet, compact audio product, digital versatile disc player or 3 digital versatile disc recorder, metal halide fixture, portable 4 electric spa, state-regulated incandescent reflector lamp, 5 single-voltage external AC to DC power supply or walk-in 6 refrigerator or walk-in freezer may be sold or offered for sale 7 in this Commonwealth unless the efficiency of the new product 8 meets or exceeds the efficiency standards set forth in the 9 regulations adopted pursuant to section 5. 10 (b) Preemption of residential furnace standards.--No later 11 than six months after the effective date of this act, the 12 commission, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall 13 determine if State implementation of residential furnace 14 standards is preempted by Federal law. The commission shall make 15 separate determinations with respect to minimum AFUE and maximum 16 electricity ratio standards. If the commission determines that a 17 waiver from Federal preemption is not needed, then on or after 18 January 1, 2009, or the date which is one year after the date of 19 the determination, if later, no new residential furnace may be 20 sold or offered for sale in this Commonwealth unless the 21 efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the applicable 22 nonpreempted efficiency standards set forth in the regulations 23 adopted pursuant to section 5. If the commission determines that 24 a waiver from Federal preemption is required, then the 25 commission shall apply for the waiver within one year of the 26 determination and upon approval of the waiver application, the 27 applicable State standards shall go into effect at the earliest 28 date permitted by Federal law. 29 (c) Installation standards.--One year after the date upon 30 which the sale or offering for sale of certain products becomes 20070H1836B2437 - 14 -
1 subject to the requirements of subsection (a) or (b), no such 2 products may be installed for compensation in this Commonwealth 3 unless the efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the 4 efficiency standards set forth in the regulations adopted 5 pursuant to section 5. 6 Section 7. New and revised standards. 7 The commission may adopt regulations to establish increased 8 efficiency standards for the products listed in section 4. The 9 commission may also establish standards for products not 10 specifically listed in section 4. In considering such new or 11 amended standards, the commission shall set efficiency standards 12 upon a determination that increased efficiency standards would 13 promote energy conservation in this Commonwealth and would be 14 cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use the new 15 products, provided that no new or increased efficiency standards 16 may become effective within one year following the adoption of 17 any amended regulations establishing the increased efficiency 18 standards. The commission may apply for a waiver of Federal 19 preemption in accordance with Federal procedures for State 20 efficiency standards for any product regulated by the Federal 21 government. 22 Section 8. Administration. 23 (a) Testing.--If the procedures for testing the energy 24 efficiency of the new products covered by section 4 are not 25 provided for by State law, the commission shall use the 26 Department of Energy approved test methods or, in the absence of 27 such test methods, other appropriate nationally recognized test 28 methods. The manufacturers of such products shall provide 29 samples to be tested in accordance with the test procedures 30 adopted pursuant to this act or those specified in other State 20070H1836B2437 - 15 -
1 law. 2 (b) Manufacturer certification.--Manufacturers of new 3 products covered by section 4, except for single-voltage 4 external AC to DC power supplies, walk-in refrigerators and 5 walk-in freezers, shall certify to the commission that the 6 products are in compliance with the provisions of this act. The 7 certification shall be based on test results. The commission 8 shall promulgate regulations governing the certification of the 9 products and may coordinate with the certification programs of 10 other Federal agencies and other states with similar standards. 11 (c) Identification.--Manufacturers of new products covered 12 by section 4 shall identify each product offered for sale or 13 installation in this Commonwealth as in compliance with the 14 provisions of this act by means of a mark, label or tag on the 15 product and packaging at the time of sale or installation. The 16 commission shall promulgate regulations governing the 17 identification of the products and packaging and may coordinate 18 with the labeling programs of Federal agencies and other states 19 with equivalent efficiency standards. The commission shall allow 20 the use of existing marks, labels or tags that connote 21 compliance with the efficiency requirements of this act. 22 (d) Noncomplying tested products.--The commission may test 23 products covered by section 4. If a product so tested is found 24 not to be in compliance with the minimum efficiency standards 25 established under section 5, the commission shall: 26 (1) Charge the manufacturer of the product for the cost 27 of the product purchase and testing. 28 (2) Provide information to the public on the product. 29 (e) Periodic inspection.--The commission may cause periodic 30 inspections to be made of distributors or retailers of new 20070H1836B2437 - 16 -
1 products covered by section 3 in order to determine compliance 2 with the provisions of this act. The commission shall cooperate 3 with other administrative departments to coordinate on 4 inspections for new products that are also covered by other 5 State laws. 6 (f) Investigations and penalty.-- 7 (1) The Attorney General shall investigate complaints 8 received concerning violations of this act. The Attorney 9 General may institute proceedings to enforce the provisions 10 of this act. 11 (2) A manufacturer that violates any provision of this 12 act shall be issued a warning by the Attorney General for any 13 first violation. 14 (3) Repeat violations shall be subject to a civil 15 penalty of not more than $250. Each violation shall 16 constitute a separate offense and each day that such 17 violation continues shall constitute a separate offense. 18 (4) Penalties assessed under this subsection are in 19 addition to costs assessed under subsection (d). 20 (g) Regulations.--The commission shall adopt regulations as 21 necessary to ensure the proper implementation and enforcement of 22 the provisions of this act. 23 Section 9. Severability. 24 The provisions of this act are severable. If any provision of 25 this act or its application to any person or circumstance is 26 held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions 27 or applications of this act which can be given effect without 28 the invalid provision or application. 29 Section 10. Effective date. 30 This act shall take effect in 60 days. H20L12RLE/20070H1836B2437 - 17 -