(a) Certification. Each manufacturer, before distributing in commerce any basic model of a covered product or covered equipment subject to an applicable energy conservation standard set forth in parts 430 or 431, and annually thereafter on or before the dates provided in paragraph (d) of this section, shall submit a certification report to DOE certifying that each basic model meets the applicable energy conservation standard(s). The certification report(s) must be submitted to DOE in accordance with the submission procedures of paragraph (h) of this section.

(b) Certification report. A certification report shall include a compliance statement (see paragraph (c) of this section), and for each basic model, the information listed in this paragraph (b).

(1) Product or equipment type;

(2) Product or equipment class (as denoted in the provisions of part 430 or 431 of this chapter containing the applicable energy conservation standard);

(3) Manufacturer’s name and address;

(4) Private labeler’s name(s) and address(es) (if applicable);

(5) Brand name;

(6) For each brand, the basic model number and the manufacturer’s individual model number(s) in that basic model with the following exceptions: For external power supplies that are certified based on design families, the design family model number and the individual manufacturer’s model numbers covered by that design family must be submitted for each brand. For distribution transformers, the basic model number or kVA grouping model number (depending on the certification method) for each brand must be submitted. For commercial HVAC, WH, and refrigeration equipment, an individual manufacturer model number may be identified as a “private model number” if it meets the requirements of § 429.7(b).

(7) Whether the submission is for a new model, a discontinued model, a correction to a previously submitted model, data on a carryover model, or a model that has been found in violation of a voluntary industry certification program;

(8) The test sample size as follows:

(i) The number of units tested for the basic model; or

(ii) In the case of single-split system or single-package central air conditioners and central air conditioning heat pumps; air-cooled, three-phase, small commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment with a cooling capacity of less than 65,000 Btu/h; air-cooled, three-phase, variable refrigerant flow multi-split air conditioners and heat pumps with a cooling capacity of less than 65,000 Btu/h; or multi-split, multi-circuit, or multi-head mini-split systems other than the “tested combination,” the number of units tested for each individual combination or individual model; or

(iii) If an AEDM was used in lieu of testing, enter “0” (and in the case of central air conditioners and central air conditioning heat pumps, this must be indicated separately for each metric);

(9) The certifying party’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) importer identification numbers assigned by CBP pursuant to 19 CFR 24.5, if applicable;

(10) Whether certification is based upon any waiver of test procedure requirements under § 430.27 or § 431.401 of this chapter and the date(s) of such waiver(s);

(11) Whether certification is based upon any exception relief from an applicable energy conservation standard and the date such relief was issued by DOE’s Office of Hearings and Appeals;

(12) If the test sample size is listed as “0” to indicate the certification is based upon the use of an alternate way of determining measures of energy conservation, identify the method used for determining measures of energy conservation (such as “AEDM,” or linear interpolation). Manufacturers of commercial packaged boilers, commercial water heating equipment, commercial refrigeration equipment, commercial HVAC equipment, and central air conditioners and central air conditioning heat pumps must provide the manufacturer’s designation (name or other identifier) of the AEDM used; and

(13) Product specific information listed in §§ 429.14 through 429.63 of this chapter.

(c) Compliance statement. The compliance statement required by paragraph (b) of this section shall include the date, the name of the company official signing the statement, and his or her signature, title, address, telephone number, and facsimile number and shall certify that:

(1) The basic model(s) complies with the applicable energy conservation standard(s);

(2) All required testing has been conducted in conformance with the applicable test requirements prescribed in parts 429, 430 and 431, as appropriate, or in accordance with the terms of an applicable test procedure waiver;

(3) All information reported in the certification report is true, accurate, and complete; and

(4) The manufacturer is aware of the penalties associated with violations of the Act, the regulations thereunder, and 18 U.S.C. § 1001 which prohibits knowingly making false statements to the Federal Government.

(d) Annual filing. All data required by paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section shall be submitted to DOE annually, on or before the following dates:

(e) New model filing. (1) In addition to the annual filing schedule in paragraph (d) of this section, any new basic models must be certified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section before distribution in commerce. A modification to a model that increases the model’s energy or water consumption or decreases its efficiency resulting in re-rating must be certified as a new basic model pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section.

(2) For distribution transformers, the manufacturer shall submit all information required in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section for the new basic model, unless the manufacturer has previously submitted to the Department a certification report for a basic model of distribution transformer that is in the same kVA grouping as the new basic model.

(f) Discontinued model filing. When production of a basic model has ceased and it is no longer being sold or offered for sale by the manufacturer or private labeler, the manufacturer must report this discontinued status to DOE as part of the next annual certification report following such cessation. For each basic model, the report must include the information specified in paragraphs (b)(1) through (7) of this section, except that for integrated light-emitting diode lamps and for compact fluorescent lamps, the manufacturer must submit a full certification report, including all of the information required by paragraph (b) of this section and the product-specific information required by § 429.56(b)(2) or § 429.35(b)(2), respectively.

(g) Third party submitters. A manufacturer may elect to use a third party to submit the certification report to DOE (for example, a trade association, independent test lab, or other authorized representative, including a private labeler acting as a third party submitter on behalf of a manufacturer); however, the manufacturer is responsible for submission of the certification report to DOE. DOE may refuse to accept certification reports from third party submitters who have failed to submit reports in accordance with the rules of this part. The third party submitter must complete the compliance statement as part of the certification report. Each manufacturer using a third party submitter must have an authorization form on file with DOE. The authorization form includes a compliance statement, specifies the third party authorized to submit certification reports on the manufacturer’s behalf and provides the contact information and signature of a company official.

(h) Method of submission. Reports required by this section must be submitted to DOE electronically at http://www.regulations.doe.gov/ccms (CCMS). A manufacturer or third party submitter can find product-specific templates for each covered product or covered equipment with certification requirements online at https://www.regulations.doe.gov/ccms/templates.html. Manufacturers and third party submitters must submit a registration form, signed by an officer of the company, in order to obtain access to CCMS.

(i) Compliance dates. For any product subject to an applicable energy conservation standard for which the compliance date has not yet occurred, a certification report must be submitted not later than the compliance date for the applicable energy conservation standard. The covered products enumerated below are subject to the stated compliance dates for initial certification:

(1) Commercial warm air furnaces, packaged terminal air conditioners, and packaged terminal heat pumps, July 1, 2014;

(2) Commercial gas-fired and oil-fired instantaneous water heaters less than 10 gallons and commercial gas-fired and oil-fired hot water supply boilers less than 10 gallons, October 1, 2014;

(3) All other types of covered commercial water heaters except those specified in paragraph (i)(2) of this section, commercial packaged boilers with input capacities less than or equal to 2.5 million Btu/h, and self-contained commercial refrigeration equipment with solid or transparent doors, December 31, 2014;

(4) Variable refrigerant flow air conditioners and heat pumps, March 31, 2015;

(5) Small, large, or very large air-cooled, water-cooled, evaporatively-cooled, and water-source commercial air conditioning and heating equipment, single package vertical units, computer room air conditioners, commercial packaged boilers with input capacities greater than 2.5 million Btu/h, and all other types of commercial refrigeration equipment except those specified in paragraph (i)(3) of this section, July 1, 2015.

[76 FR 12451, Mar. 7, 2011; 76 FR 24762, May 2, 2011, as amended at 76 FR 38292, June 30, 2011; 76 FR 65365, Oct. 21, 2011; 77 FR 76830, Dec. 31, 2012; 78 FR 79593, Dec. 31, 2013; 79 FR 25500, May 5, 2014; 79 FR 38208, July 3, 2014; 81 FR 4430, Jan. 26, 2016; 81 FR 37049, June 8, 2016; 81 FR 43425, July 1, 2016; 81 FR 46789, July 18, 2016; 81 FR 59415, Aug. 29, 2016; 81 FR 95798, Dec. 28, 2016; 85 FR 1446, 1591, Jan. 10, 2020; 87 FR 43976, July 22, 2022; 87 FR 53637, Aug. 31, 2022; 87 FR 77317, Dec. 16, 2022]