This rulemaking for Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRACs) is required under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended, ASHRAE trigger provision at 42 U.S.C. 6313(a)(6)(A). Under the statute, DOE is required to either: (1) establish an amended uniform national standard for this equipment at the minimum level specified in the amended ASHRAE Standard 90.1; or (2) adopt a more-stringent standard, if supported by clear and convincing evidence. To adopt a more-stringent standard, the Secretary must determine, by rule published in the Federal Register, that adoption of such standard would result in significant additional conservation of energy and is technologically feasible and economically justified.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) clarifies that this rulemaking originally started under RIN 1904-AD92, with the publication of a notice of data availability and request for information addressing CRACs on September 11, 2019 (84 FR 48006).  However, ASHRAE 90.1-2019 made additional revisions to the efficiency levels for CRACs and newly acted to amend the efficiency levels for 3-Phase Commercial Unitary Air-Cooled Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps Less Than 65,000 Btu/h.  Consequently, DOE had bundled these two equipment categories in the rulemaking under RIN 1904-AF01.  (Note that the earlier RIN 1904-AD92 also addressed Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems, but since that equipment category saw no further ASHRAE action, DOE is moving forward with that equipment category separately under that RIN.) However, DOE is now addressing consideration of potential amended energy conservation standards for 3-Phase Commercial Unitary Air-Cooled Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps Less Than 65,000 Btu/h in a separate rulemaking under RIN 1904-AF32.  Consequently, RIN 1904-AF01 is currently limited to consideration of amended energy conservation standards for CRACs.