Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Conventional Ovens

On December 3, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR) to amend the test procedures for conventional cooking products. The oven-related procedures proposed in that rulemaking serve as the basis for this final rule. As part of the SNOPR, DOE proposed to incorporate methods for measuring conventional oven volume, clarified that the existing oven test block must be used to test all ovens regardless of input rate, and proposed a method to measure the energy consumption of conventional ovens equipped with an oven separator. Additionally, DOE proposed technical corrections to the units of measurement in certain calculations. This final rule amends the current procedure to include the proposed changes listed above, as well as clarifications to certain definitions, that will take effect 30 days after the final rule publication date. These changes will be mandatory for product testing to demonstrate compliance with any new or amended energy conservation standards when they take effect and for representations of the energy consumption of conventional ovens starting 180 days after publication.