What equipment gets tested, how it gets tested, why and when it gets tested, and what standard those results are held up against … these factors can shape the HVAC equipment market right along with actual performance. The Department of Energy (DOE) guidance for these things is often called the Process Rule.
On Feb. 13, the DOE filed a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) to give the Process Rule some updates. As the “proposed” wording indicates, the decisions involved are tentative, pending a hearing on March 21. However, the NOPR comes after a well-populated round of industry feedback on the matters in question, and the DOE is likely to enact them collectively.