The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of Direct Final Rule (DFR) pertaining to energy conservation standards for dishwashers. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, (EPCA), prescribes standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including dishwashers. In this DFR, DOE is adopting amended standards for dishwashers. DOE has determined that the amended standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy and are technologically feasible and economically justified.

• The effective date of this rule is 120 days after the notice has been published in the Federal Register. DOE will send a follow-up e-mail once the notice publishes to announce the effective date.
• If adverse comments are received by 110 days after the notice has been published in the Federal Register and DOE determines that such comments may provide a reasonable basis for withdrawal of the direct final rule under 42 U.S.C. 6295(o), a timely withdrawal of this rule will be published in the Federal Register. If no such adverse comments are received, compliance with the amended standards established for dishwashers in this direct final rule is required on and after 3 years after the notice has been published in the Federal Register.
• Comments regarding the likely competitive impact of the standards contained in this direct final rule should be sent to the Department of Justice on or before 30 days after the notice has been published in the Federal Register.

DOE has also issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) that proposes amended standards for dishwashers identical to those set forth in the direct final rule. If DOE receives adverse comment and determines that such comment may provide a reasonable basis for withdrawal of the direct final rule, DOE will publish a notice of withdrawal rule and will proceed with this proposed rule.

• DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding the NOPR until 110 days after date of publication in the Federal Register. DOE will send a follow-up e-mail once the notice publishes to announce the closing date of the comment period.
• Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number (EERE-2019-BT-STD-0039) by email (DW2019STD0039@ee.doe.gov), Federal eRulemaking portal (http://www.regulations.gov).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a Federal Register notice pertaining to energy conservation standards for dishwashers, consumer clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers. In light of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently granting a petition for review of a final rule published by the DOE on January 19, 2022, and remanding the matter to DOE for further proceedings, DOE is initiating an information and data gathering effort on whether “short cycle” product classes for dishwashers, residential clothes washers, and consumer clothes dryers are warranted under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. In this request for information (RFI), DOE solicits data and information from the public to help DOE in its rulemaking to evaluate whether: products with a “short cycle” as the normal cycle are available in the market; and products with a “short cycle” as the normal cycle should be subject to different standards than products without a “short cycle” as the normal cycle.

• DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this RFI until April 10, 2024.
• Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number EERE-2024-BT-STD-0002, by email (ShortCycle2024STD0002@ee.doe.gov), Federal eRulemaking portal (http://www.regulations.gov).

Residential dishwashers 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 at 10 CFR 430.32(f)(3).

To determine that residential dishwashers that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 430, Subpart B, Appendix C1.