Boilers
Click for more information on DOE regulations and ongoing rulemakings and EPA Energy Star Information about residential boilers.
Department of Energy
The Department of Energy (DOE) has regulated the energy efficiency level of residential boilers since 1987. Residential boilers include gas, electric, and oil-fired boilers that are used to provide central heating to residential dwellings. Boilers heat water, providing either hot water or steam for heating. Steam is distributed via pipes to steam radiators, and hot water can either be distributed via baseboard radiators, radiant floor systems, or can heat air via a coil.
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Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
Summary: The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including residential boilers. EPCA also requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically determine whether more-stringent, amended standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would save a significant amount of energy. In this final rule, DOE is adopting more-stringent energy conservation standards for residential boilers. It has determined that the amended energy conservation standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy, and are technologically feasible and economically justified.
Type of Regulation: Energy Conservation Standard
Rulemaking Link: Rulemaking Webpage
Docket ID: EERE-2012-BT-STD-0047
UPDATES:
- Posted: January 27, 2016 — Final Rule; Technical Correction
- Posted: January 15, 2016 — Final Rule
- Posted: May 20, 2015 — Extension of Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) public comment period
- Posted: March 31, 2015 — NOPR and announcement of public meeting
Comment Period Close Date: Closed
Where to Comment: EERE-2012-BT-STD-0047
Dates: The effective date of this final rule is March 15, 2016. Compliance with the amended standards established for residential boilers in this final rule is required on and after January 15, 2021.
AHRI Comments to Previous Stages of Rulemaking:
- 2015-11-20 — AHRI Comments on 2015-03-31 NOPR Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
- 2015-09-29 — AHRI Comments on 2015-03-31 NOPR Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
- 2015-08-06 — AHRI Comments on 2015-03-31 NOPR Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
- 2015-07-01 — AHRI Comments on 2015-03-31 NOPR Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
- 2015-04-30 — Transcript U.S. Department of Energy Public Meeting; The Residential Standards Boilers Meeting NOPR
- 2015-04-24 — AHRI Comments on 2015-03-31 Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
- 2013-03-13 — AHRI Comments on 2014-02-11 Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
- 2013-03-28 — AHRI Comment on 2013-02-11 Framework Document Energy Efficiency Program for Consumer Products: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers
Staff Contact: Kyle Bergeron
Standard Level
Current Standard:
Residential boilers manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291 (16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR 430.32(e)(2).
Residential boilers manufactured on or after September 1, 2012, shall not have an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of less than the following and must comply with the following design requirements:
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Table 1. Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Boilers |
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Boiler Product Class |
AFUE1(percent) |
Design Requirements |
|
(A) Gas-fired hot water boiler |
82 |
Constant burning pilot not permitted. Automatic means for adjusting temperature required (except for boilers equipped with tankless domestic water heating coils). |
|
(B) Gas-fired steam boiler |
80 |
Constant burning pilot not permitted. |
|
(C) Oil-fired hot water boiler |
84 |
Automatic means for adjusting temperature required (except for boilers equipped with tankless domestic water heating coils). |
|
(D) Oil-fired steam boiler |
82 |
None |
|
(E) Electric hot water boiler |
None |
Automatic means for adjusting temperature required (except for boilers equipped with tankless domestic water heating coils). |
Links
- Technical Amendment to the Final Rule: Standards for Boilers, Federal Register, 73 FR 43611 (July 28, 2008)
- Technical Support Document
- Docket No. EERE-2006-STD-0102 contains the final rule with technical amendments to the standard as mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007). The technical support document is in the Docket No. EERE-2009-BT-STD-0010 for the April 2, 2009 final rule implementing EISA in general.
To determine compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at Appendix N to Subpart B of 10 CFR 430 for residential boilers.
- Final Rule: Test Procedure, Federal Register, 81, FR 2628 (January 15, 2016)
- Docket No. EERE-2012-BT-TP-0024 contains notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents.
AHRI comments to rulemaking:
- AHRI comments on NOPR (July 10, 2015)
- Request for Comment Period Extension (May 15, 2015)
- Manuscript: Test Procedures for Residential Furnaces (March 26, 2015)
For further guidance or to submit questions related to the implementation of this test procedure, visit the Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions page.
EPA ENERGY STAR
Current Product Specifications:
Boilers Program Requirements Version 3.0
In Development:
There are no new versions currently in development.
Applying for Energy Star:
To qualify a new product, contact an EPA-recognized Certification Body (CB) to have the product's performance certified. A list of EPA-recognized CBs, as well as an overview of EPA's third-party certification procedures, is available at Third-Party Certification.
More Information: