§ 305.4 - Description of furnaces and central air conditioners.

§ 305.4 Prohibited acts.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 84 FR 58029, Oct. 30, 2019.

(a) It shall be unlawful and subject to the enforcement penalties of section 333 of the Act, as adjusted for inflation pursuant to § 1.98 of this chapter, for each unit of any new covered product to which the part applies:

(1) For any manufacturer or private labeler knowingly to distribute in commerce any new covered product unless such covered product is marked and/or labeled in accordance with this part with a marking, label, hang tag, or energy fact sheet which conforms to the provisions of the Act and this part.

(2) For any manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler knowingly to remove or render illegible any marking or label required to be provided with such product by this part.

(3) For any manufacturer or private labeler knowingly to distribute in commerce any new covered product, if there is not included

(i) on the label,

(ii) separately attached to the product, or

(iii) shipped with the product, additional information relating to energy consumption or energy efficiency which conforms to the requirements in this part.

(b) Subject to enforcement penalties assessed per model per day of violation pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6303 and adjusted for inflation by § 1.98 of this chapter, it shall be unlawful for any manufacturer or private labeler knowingly to:

(1) Refuse a request by the Commission or its designated representative for access to, or copying of, records required to be supplied under this part.

(2) Refuse to make reports or provide upon request by the Commission or its designated representative any information required to be supplied under this part.

(3) Refuse upon request by the Commission or its designated representative to permit a representative designated by the Commission to observe any testing required by this part while such testing is being conducted or to inspect the results of such testing. This section shall not limit the Commission from requiring additional testing under this part.

(4) Refuse, when requested by the Commission or its designated representative, to supply at the manufacturer's expense, no more than two of each model of each covered product to any laboratory designated by the Commission for the purpose of ascertaining whether the information in catalogs or set out on the label or marked on the product as required by this part is accurate. This action will be taken only after review of a manufacturer's testing records and an opportunity to revalidate test data has been extended to the manufacturer.

(5) Distribute in commerce any catalog containing a listing for a covered product without the information required by § 305.20 of this part. This subsection shall also apply to distributors and retailers.

(6) Fail to make a label for a covered product available on a publicly accessible Web site in accordance with § 305.6. This provision applies only to manufacturers.

(c) Pursuant to section 333(c) of the Act, it shall be an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45(a)(1)) for any manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler in or affecting commerce to display or distribute at point of sale any printed material applicable to a covered product under this rule if such printed material does not contain the information required by § 305.19. This requirement does not apply to any broadcast advertisement or to any advertisement in a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical.

(d)

(1) It shall be an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 45(a)(1), for any manufacturer, distributor, retailer or private labeler to make any representation in or affecting commerce, in writing (including a representation on a label) or in any broadcast advertisement, with respect to the energy use or efficiency or, in the case of showerheads, faucets, water closets, and urinals, water use of a covered product to which a test procedure is applicable under section 323 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 6293, or the cost of energy consumed by such product, unless such product has been tested in accordance with such test procedure and such representation fairly discloses the results of such testing.

(2) Effective 180 days after an amended or new test procedure applicable to a covered product is prescribed or established under section 323(b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 6293(b), it shall be an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 45(a)(1), for any manufacturer, distributor, retailer or private labeler to make any representation in or affecting commerce, in writing (including a representation on a label) or in any broadcast advertisement, with respect to the energy use or efficiency or, in the case of showerheads, faucets, water closets and urinals, water use of such product, or cost of energy consumed by such product, unless the product has been tested in accordance with such amended or new test procedures and such representation fairly discloses the results of such testing. This requirement is not limited to consumer appliance products covered by the labeling requirements of this part.

(3) Any manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler may file a petition with the Commission not later than sixty (60) days before the expiration of the period involved for an extension of the 180 day period. If the Commission finds that the requirements would impose an undue hardship on the petitioner, the Commission may extend the 180 day period with respect to the petitioner up to an additional 180 days.

(e) This part shall not apply to:

(1) Any covered product if it is manufactured, imported, sold, or held for sale for export from the United States, so long as such product is not in fact distributed in commerce for use in the United States, and such covered product or the container thereof bears a stamp or label stating that such covered product is intended for export.

(2) Any covered product, other than central air conditioners, pulse combustion and condensing furnaces, fluorescent lamp ballasts, showerheads, faucets, water closets, urinals, pool heaters, instantaneous water heaters, heat pump water heaters, general service fluorescent lamps, medium base compact fluorescent lamps, and general service incandescent lamps (including incandescent reflector lamps), if the manufacture of the product was completed prior to May 19, 1980. Any central air conditioner or any pulse combustion or condensing furnace if its manufacture was completed prior to June 7, 1988. Any fluorescent lamp ballast if its manufacture was completed prior to January 1, 1990. Any showerhead, faucet, water closet or urinal if its manufacture was completed prior to October 24, 1994. Any pool heater, instantaneous water heater, or heat pump water heater if its manufacture was completed prior to December 29, 1994. Any general service fluorescent lamp, medium base compact fluorescent lamp, or general service incandescent lamp (including any incandescent reflector lamp), if its manufacture was completed prior to May 15, 1995.

(3) Any catalog or point-of-sale printed material pertaining to any covered products that were manufactured prior to May 19, 1980; any catalog or point-of-sale printed material pertaining to any central air conditioners or pulse combustion or condensing furnaces manufactured prior to June 7, 1988; any catalog or point-of-sale printed material pertaining to any fluorescent lamp ballasts manufactured prior to June 23, 1989; any catalog or point-of-sale printed material pertaining to any showerheads, faucets, water closets or urinals manufactured prior to October 24, 1994; any catalog or point-of-sale printed material pertaining to any pool heaters, instantaneous water heaters, or heat pump water heaters manufactured prior to December 29, 1994; or any catalog or point-of-sale printed material pertaining to general service fluorescent lamps, medium base compact fluorescent lamps, or general service incandescent lamps (including incandescent reflector lamps), that were manufactured prior to May 15, 1995; except that any representations respecting the energy consumption, energy efficiency, or water use of any covered product or other consumer appliance product, or respecting the cost of energy consumed or water used by such product, are subject to the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section.

(4) Televisions manufactured before May 10, 2011.

(f) As used in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the term knowingly means:

(1) The having of actual knowledge, or

(2) The presumed having of knowledge deemed to be possessed by a reasonable person who acts in the circumstances, including knowledge obtainable upon the exercise of due care.

[52 FR 46894, Dec. 10, 1987, as amended at 54 FR 28035, July 5, 1989; 58 FR 54964, Oct. 25, 1993; 59 FR 49563, Sept. 28, 1994; 59 FR 67526, Dec. 29, 1994; 61 FR 54549, Oct. 21, 1996; 72 FR 49966, Aug. 29, 2007; 76 FR 1050, Jan. 6, 2011; 78 FR 2207, Jan. 10, 2013

Description of furnaces and central air conditioners.

(a) Furnaces -

(1) Furnace means a product that utilizes only single-phase electric current, or single-phase electric current or DC current in conjunction with natural gas, propane, or home heating oil, and which -

(i) Is designed to be the principal heating source for the living space of a residence;

(ii) Is not contained within the same cabinet with a central air conditioner whose rated cooling capacity is above 65,000 Btu per hour;

(iii) Is an electric central furnace, electric boiler, forced-air central furnace, gravity central furnace, or low pressure steam or hot water boiler; and

(iv) Has a heat input rate of less than 300,000 Btu per hour for electric boilers and low pressure steam or hot water boilers and less than 225,000 Btu per hour for forced-air central furnaces, gravity central furnaces, and electric central furnaces.

(2) Electric central furnace means a furnace designed to supply heat through a system of ducts with air as the heating medium, in which heat is generated by one or more electric resistance heating elements and the heated air is circulated by means of a fan or blower.

(3) Forced air central furnace means a gas or oil burning furnace designed to supply heat through a system of ducts with air as the heating medium. The heat generated by combustion of gas or oil is transferred to the air within a casing by conduction through heat exchange surfaces and is circulated through the duct system by means of a fan or blower.

(4) Gravity central furnace means a gas fueled furnace which depends primarily on natural convection for circulation of heated air and which is designed to be used in conjunction with a system of ducts.

(5) Electric boiler means an electrically powered furnace designed to supply low pressure steam or hot water for space heating application. A low pressure steam boiler operates at or below 15 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) steam pressure; a hot water boiler operates at or below 160 psig water pressure and 250 °F water temperature.

(6) Low pressure steam or hot water boiler means an electric, gas or oil burning furnace designed to supply low pressure steam or hot water for space heating application. A low pressure steam boiler operates at or below 15 pounds psig steam pressure; a hot water boiler operates at or below 160 psig water pressure and 250 °F water temperature.

(7) Outdoor furnace or boiler is a furnace or boiler normally intended for installation out-of-doors or in an unheated space (such as an attic or a crawl space).

(8) Weatherized warm air furnace or boiler means a furnace or boiler designed for installation outdoors, approved for resistance to wind, rain, and snow, and supplied with its own venting system.

(b) Central air conditioner means a product, other than a packaged terminal air conditioner, which is powered by single phase electric current, air cooled, rated below 65,000 Btu per hour, not contained within the same cabinet as a furnace, the rated capacity of which is above 225,000 Btu per hour, and is a heat pump or a cooling only unit.

(1) Condenser-evaporator coil combination means a condensing unit made by one manufacturer and one of several evaporator coils, either manufactured by the same manufacturer or another manufacturer, intended to be combined with that particular condensing unit.

(2) Condensing unit means a component of a “central air conditioner” which is designed to remove heat absorbed by the refrigerant and to transfer it to the outside environment, and which consists of an outdoor coil, compressor(s), and air moving device.

(3) Evaporator coil means a component of a central air conditioner that is designed to absorb heat from an enclosed space and transfer the heat to a refrigerant.

(4) Single package unit means any central air conditioner in which all the major assemblies are enclosed in one cabinet.

(5) Split system means any central air conditioner in which one or more of the major assemblies are separate from the others.

(c) Heat pump means a product, other than a packaged terminal heat pump, which consists of one or more assemblies, powered by single phase electric current, rated below 65,000 Btu per hour, utilizing an indoor conditioning coil, compressor, and refrigerant-to-outdoor air heat exchanger to provide air heating, and may also provide air cooling, dehumidifying, humidifying, circulating, and air cleaning.

[84 FR 58029, Oct. 30, 2019]