Energy, efficiency standards for

U.S. Department of Energy. (1995). Technical Support Document Energy Efficiency Standards for Consumer Products Refrigerators, Refrigerator-Freezers, At... 

Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act Energy efficiency standards for public housing 11/28/90... 

The prospect of a patchwork of state standards became a cause of great concern to manufacturers. When President Jimmy Carter was elected, he proposed that mandatoi y standards be set by the Department of Energy (DOE) to replace the voluntary efficiency targets. Wliile opposing mandatory standards at the federal level, manufacturers acquiesced to the National Energy Conservation and Policy Act (NECPA) of 1978, which required DOE to set appliance efficiency standards for residential products. In return, manufacturers were able to obtain a requirement for DOE to evaluate the impacts on manufacturers that standards would impose and to consider them in setting the standards. 

The U.S. Department ofEnergy develops test procedures for efficiency measurements and sets minimum efficiency standards for furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. Information on energy efficiency of buildings and equipment is available from the DOE. 

Table 5.35 compares the nominal full-load efficiencies of standard motors and energy-efficient motors for both open and TEFC 1800 r/min motors. Energy-efficient induction motors carry a premium price over standard motors. However, based on the cost of electric... 

Overall efficiency of air conditioning equipment steadily rose starting in the mid-1970s, attributed to consumer demand, government mandate, and incentive programs. For example, the average efficiency, as expressed in seasonal energy efficiency ratio, of new central air conditioners increased about 35 percent between 1976 and 1991. After national standards took effect in 1992, efficiency has increased as much as another 15 percent. 

This act selected some dozen key residential appliances and proposed industry-tvide voluntary targets for energy efficiency improvement. If industry could not meet these volnntary targets, which averaged a 20 percent reduction in energy use compared to then-current figures, mandatory standards wonld be estab-... 

California, the Energy Commission in 1983 adopted stringent standards for refrigerators, freezers, central air conditioners, and heat pumps. Following California s lead, several other states became interested in adopting appliance efficiency standards, since there was now a state model on which they could draw. By the end of 1986, six states had adopted new standards for one or more products. 

There has been not only gi owth m the total number of electric motors (more standard appliances in use), but also a proliferation in their use for new, novel applications. Both trends will continue to increase demand for the electricity to run electric motors. In the United States, electric motors arc responsible for consuming more than half of all electricity, and for the industrial sector alone, close to two-thirds. Since the cost of the electricity to power these motors is enormous (estimated at more than 90 billion a year), research is focused on finding ways to increase the energy efficiency of motors and motor systems. 

---