DOE has published a Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to energy conservation standards for fans and blowers. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) requires DOE to periodically determine whether more stringent standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified and would result in significant energy savings. In this NOPR, DOE proposes standards for two categories of fans and blowers: air circulating fans (ACFs), and fans and blowers that are not ACF s, referred to as general fans and blowers (GFBs) throughout this document. DOE also announces a public meeting to receive comment on these proposed standards and associated analyses and results.

• DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this NOPR until March 19, 2024
• Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number EERE-2022-BT-STD- 0002, by email (FansAndBlowers2022STD0002@ee.doe.gov), Federal eRulemaking portal (http://www.regulations.gov).
• DOE will hold a public meeting and webinar on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in Washington, DC.
• The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Room 6E-069, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585.
• To attend in-person please email appliance_standards_public_meetings@ee.doe.gov
• Click here to register for the webinar.
• Foreign Nationals interested in participating in this meeting or webinar, must be screened by DOE Headquarters Security prior to being granted access. Please email Regina.Washington@ee.doe.gov to complete the necessary documentation at least two weeks prior to scheduled meeting date.
• Additional webinar registration information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be published on DOE’s website: https://energy.gov/eere/buildings/public-meetings-and-comment-deadlines

DOE has published a Federal Register final rule on May 1, 2023 establishing a test procedure for fans and blowers, including air circulating fans, and incorporates by reference the relevant industry test standards for: measuring the fan electrical input power and determining the fan energy index of fans and blowers other than air-circulating fans; and measuring the fan airflow in cubic feet per minute per watt of electric power input of air- circulating fans. In this final rule, DOE also establishes supporting definitions, requirements for alternative efficiency determination methods, and sampling requirements.

• The effective date of this rule is May 31, 2023.
• On August 8, 2023, DOE published a technical amendment to correct editorial and typographical errors in the May 1, 2023 test procedure rule.
• All representations of energy efficiency and energy use, including those made on marketing materials and product labels, must be made in accordance with this test procedure beginning October 30, 2023. To the extent the test procedure established in this document is required only for the evaluation and issuance of newly established efficiency standards, use of the test procedure is not required until the implementation date of such new standards.
• DOE has granted 180-day extensions to the requirement that beginning on October 30,2023 representations of energy use or energy efficiency must be based on testing in accordance with tthe test procedure final rule to manufacturers that timely petitioned DOE, and demonstrated an undue hardship, for an extension in accordance with the provisions in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended.   42 U.S.C. 6314(d).  The following manufacturers have been granted this extension and now have until April 29, 2024 to ensure that representations be made in accordance with the test procedure should a manufacturer choose to make such representations: 
  • ACME Engineering & Manufacturing Corporation
  • AcoustiFLO
  • American Coolair Corp.
  • Big Ass Fans
  • CECO Environmental
  • Cincinnati Fan
  • Continental Fan Manufacturing Inc.
  • Daltec Process Fans
  • DuctSox Corporation / ZOO Fans
  • ebm-papst Inc.
  • Greenheck
  • Hartzell Air Movement
  • J&D Manufacturing
  • Johnson Controls
  • Loren Cook Company
  • MK Plastics Corporation
  • Morrison Products
  • Multi-Wing Group
  • Nortek Air Solutions
  • Northern Blower Inc.
  • PLASTEC Ventilation, Inc.
  • Quietaire Corporation
  • Robinson Fans Inc.
  • S&P USA Ventilation Systems, LLC
  • Systemair MFG
  • Texel-Seikow U.S.A. Inc.
  • The New York Blower Company
  • Topcool Holdings LTD
  • Trane Commercial
  • Twin City Fan Companies Ltd.
  • United Metal Products, Inc.
  • Vostermans Ventilation Inc.
  • Wilo USA LLC
  • ZIEHL-ABEGG, Inc.
• The incorporation by reference of certain materials listed in the rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register May 31, 2023.

For the latest information on the planned timing of future DOE regulatory milestones, see the current Office of Management and Budget Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. All planned dates are preliminary and subject to change.

There are currently no energy conservation standards for fans and blowers.

All representations of energy efficiency and energy use of fans and blowers, including those made on marketing materials and product labels, must be made in accordance with this test procedure for fans and blowers specified at 10 CFR 431.174 and Appendix A to Subpart J of 10 CFR Part 431 - Uniform Test Method for the Measurement of Energy Consumption of Fans and Blowers Other Than Air Circulating Fans and Appendix B to Subpart J of 10 CFR Part 431 - Uniform Test Method for the Measurement of Energy Consumption of Air Circulating Fans.