(a) Applicability. When a party determines the energy efficiency of an electric motor in order to comply with an obligation imposed on it by or pursuant to Part C of Title III of EPCA, 42 U.S.C. §§ 6311–6316, this section applies. This section does not apply to enforcement testing conducted pursuant to § 431.383 of this subchapter. This section applies to electric motors that are subject to requirements in subpart B of part 431 of this subchapter and does not apply to dedicated-purpose pool pump motors subject to requirements in subpart Z of part 431.

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(1) Prior to the date described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, manufacturers of electric motors subject to energy conservation standards in subpart B of part 431 must make representations of energy efficiency, including representations for certification of compliance, in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.

(2) On and after the compliance date for any new or amended standards for electric motors published after January 1, 2021, manufacturers of electric motors subject to energy conservation standards in subpart B of part 431 of this subchapter must make representations of energy efficiency, including representations for certification of compliance, in accordance with paragraphs (d) through (f) of this section.

(3) On or after April 17, 2023, manufacturers of electric motors subject to the test procedures in appendix B of subpart B of part 431 but are subject to the energy conservation standards in subpart B of part 431 of this subchapter, must, if they chose to voluntarily make representations of energy efficiency, follow the provisions in paragraph (e) of this section.

(b) Compliance certification—(1) General requirements. The represented value of nominal full-load efficiency of each basic model of electric motor must be determined either by testing in accordance with § 431.16 of this subchapter, or by application of an alternative efficiency determination method (AEDM) that meets the requirements of paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

(2) Alternative efficiency determination method. In lieu of testing, the represented value of nominal full-load efficiency for a basic model of electric motor must be determined through the application of an AEDM pursuant to the requirements of § 429.70(j) and the provisions of this paragraph (b) and paragraph (c) of this section, where:

(i) The average full-load efficiency of any basic model used to validate an AEDM must be calculated under paragraph (c) of this section.

(ii) The represented value is the nominal full-load efficiency of a basic model of electric motor and is to be used in marketing materials and all public representations, as the certified value of efficiency, and on the nameplate. (See § 431.31(a) of this subchapter.) Determine the nominal full-load efficiency by selecting a value from the “Nominal Full-Load Efficiency” table in appendix B to subpart B of this part that is no greater than the simulated full-load efficiency predicted by the AEDM for the basic model.

(3) Use of a certification program or accredited laboratory. (i) A manufacturer may have a certification program, that DOE has classified as nationally recognized under § 429.73, certify the nominal full-load efficiency of a basic model of electric motor, and issue a certificate of conformity for the motor.

(ii) For each basic model for which a certification program is not used as described in paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section, any testing of the motor pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section to determine its energy efficiency must be carried out in an accredited laboratory that meets the requirements of § 431.18 of this subchapter;

(c) Additional testing requirements applicable when a certification program is not used—(1) Selection of units for testing. For each basic model selected for testing, a sample of units shall be selected at random and tested. Components of similar design may be substituted without requiring additional testing if the represented measures of energy consumption continue to satisfy the applicable sampling provision.

(2) Sampling requirements. The sample shall be comprised of production units of the basic model, or units that are representative of such production units. The sample size shall be not fewer than five units, except that when fewer than five units of a basic model would be produced over a reasonable period of time (approximately 180 days), then each unit shall be tested. In a test of compliance with a represented average or nominal efficiency:

(i) The average full-load efficiency of the sample, which is defined by:

where xi is the measured full-load efficiency of unit i and n is the number of units tested, shall satisfy the condition:

where RE is the represented nominal full-load efficiency, and

(ii) The lowest full-load efficiency in the sample xmin, which is defined by:

xmin = min (xi)

shall satisfy the condition:

(d) Compliance certification. A manufacturer may not certify the compliance of an electric motor pursuant to § 429.12 unless:

(1) Testing of the electric motor basic model was conducted using an accredited laboratory that meets the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section;

(2) Testing was conducted using a laboratory other than an accredited laboratory that meets the requirements of paragraph (f) of this section, or the nominal full-load efficiency of the electric motor basic model was determined through the application of an AEDM pursuant to the requirements of § 429.70(j), and a third-party certification organization that is nationally recognized in the United States under § 429.73 has certified the nominal full-load efficiency of the electric motor basic model through issuance of a certificate of conformity for the basic model.

(e) Determination of represented value. A manufacturer must determine the represented value of nominal full-load efficiency (inclusive of the inverter for inverter-only electric motors) for each basic model of electric motor either by testing in conjunction with the applicable sampling provisions or by applying an AEDM as set forth in this section and in § 429.70(j).

(1) Testing—(i) Units to be tested. If the represented value for a given basic model is determined through testing, the requirements of § 429.11 apply except that, for electric motors, the minimum sample size is five units. If fewer units than the minimum sample size are produced, each unit produced must be tested and the test results must demonstrate that the basic model performs at or better than the applicable standard(s). If one or more units of the basic model are manufactured subsequently, compliance with the default sampling and representations provisions is required.

(ii) Average Full-load Efficiency: Determine the average full-load efficiency for the basic model x, for the units in the sample as follows:

Where xi is the measured full-load efficiency of unit i and n is the number of units tested.

(iii) Represented value. The represented value is the nominal full-load efficiency of a basic model of electric motor and is to be used in marketing materials and all public representations, as the certified value of efficiency, and on the nameplate. (See § 431.31(a) of this subchapter.) Determine the nominal full-load efficiency by selecting an efficiency from the “Nominal Full-load Efficiency” table in appendix B that is no greater than the average full-load efficiency of the basic model as calculated in § 429.64(e)(1)(ii).

(iv) Minimum full-load efficiency: To ensure a high level of quality control and consistency of performance within the basic model, the lowest full-load efficiency in the sample Xmin, must satisfy the condition:

where Std is the value of the applicable energy conservation standard. If the lowest measured full-load efficiency of a unit in the tested sample does not satisfy the condition in this section, then the basic model cannot be certified as compliant with the applicable standard.

(2) Alternative efficiency determination methods. In lieu of testing, the represented value of nominal full-load efficiency for a basic model of electric motor must be determined through the application of an AEDM pursuant to the requirements of § 429.70(j) and the provisions of this section, where:

(i) The average full-load efficiency of any basic model used to validate an AEDM must be calculated under paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this section; and

(ii) The represented value is the nominal full-load efficiency of a basic model of electric motor and is to be used in marketing materials and all public representations, as the certified value of efficiency, and on the nameplate. (See § 431.31(a) of this subchapter) Determine the nominal full-load efficiency by selecting a value from the “Nominal Full-Load Efficiency” table in appendix B to subpart B of this part, that is no greater than the simulated full-load efficiency predicted by the AEDM for the basic model.

(f) Accredited laboratory. (1) Testing pursuant to paragraphs (b)(3)(ii) and (d)(1) of this section must be conducted in an accredited laboratory for which the accreditation body was:

(i) The National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NIST/NVLAP); or

(ii) A laboratory accreditation body having a mutual recognition arrangement with NIST/NVLAP; or

(iii) An organization classified by the Department, pursuant to § 429.74, as an accreditation body.

(2) NIST/NVLAP is under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST/NVLAP accreditation is granted on the basis of conformance with criteria published in 15 CFR part 285. The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program, “Procedures and General Requirements,” NIST Handbook 150-10, April 2020 (referenced for guidance only, see § 429.3) present the technical requirements of NVLAP for the Efficiency of Electric Motors field of accreditation. This handbook supplements NIST Handbook 150, National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program “Procedures and General Requirements,” which contains 15 CFR part 285 plus all general NIST/NVLAP procedures, criteria, and policies. Information regarding NIST/NVLAP and its Efficiency of Electric Motors Program (EEM) can be obtained from NIST/NVLAP, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 2140, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2140, (301) 975-4016 (telephone), or (301) 926-2884 (fax).

[87 FR 63647, Oct. 19, 2022]