UPDATE: On June 18, the working group reached consensus and provided recommendations for energy conservation standards, test procedures, and metrics. Read the group's recommendations here.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released two separate notices of proposed rulemakings (NOPRs) for commercial warm air furnaces (CWAF) and commercial unitary air conditioners (CUAC). The proposed efficiency standards were met with industry backlash and concern, and, on March 2, the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) wrote a joint letter and sent it to members of the Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC) requesting that ASRAC “consider a negotiated rulemaking for commercial package air conditioners and commercial furnaces” at its March 19 meeting. Less than a week after that meeting, ASRAC issued a notice of intent to establish the Commercial Package Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps and Commercial Warm Air Furnaces Working Group to negotiate energy conservation standards for CWAF and CUAC equipment.