(a)  No new commercial clothes washer, commercial pre-rinse spray valve, high-intensity discharge lamp ballast, illuminated exit sign, low-voltage dry-type distribution transformer, torchiere, traffic signal module, or unit heater after January 1, 2007, may be sold or offered for sale in the state unless the efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the efficiency standards set forth in the regulations adopted pursuant to § 39-27-5. No bottle-type water dispenser, commercial hot food holding cabinet, metal-halide lamp fixture, single-voltage external AC to DC power supply, state-regulated incandescent reflector lamp, or walk-in refrigerator or walk-in freezer manufactured on or after January 1, 2008, may be sold or offered for sale in the state unless the efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the efficiency standards set forth in the regulations adopted pursuant to § 39-27-5. No new automatic commercial icemaker, commercial refrigerator, refrigerator-freezer, or freezer or large packaged air-conditioning equipment manufactured on or after January 1, 2010, may be sold or offered for sale in the state unless the efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the efficiency standards set forth in the regulations adopted pursuant to § 39-27-5.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-6

  • Automatic commercial icemaker: means a factory-made assembly that is shipped in one or more packages that consists of a condensing unit and ice-making section operating as an integrated unit, that makes and harvests ice cubes, and that may store and dispense ice. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Ballast: means a device used with an electric discharge lamp to obtain necessary circuit conditions (voltage, current and waveform) for starting and operating the lamp. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Boiler: means a self-contained, low-pressure appliance for supplying steam or hot water primarily designed for space heating. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Bottle-type water dispenser: means a water dispenser that uses a bottle or reservoir as the source of potable water. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Chief of Energy and Community Services: means the head official of the Rhode Island state energy office. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Commercial clothes washer: means a soft-mount horizontal or vertical-axis clothes washer that:

    (i)  Has a clothes container compartment no greater than three and one-half cubic feet (3. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3

  • Commercial hot food holding cabinet: means an appliance that is a heated, fully-enclosed compartment with one or more solid doors, and that is designed to maintain the temperature of hot food that has been cooked in a separate appliance. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Commercial pre-rinse spray valve: means a hand-held device designed and marketed for use with commercial dishwashing and ware washing equipment and that sprays water on dishes, flatware, and other food service items for the purpose of removing food residue prior to their cleaning. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Compensation: means money or any other valuable thing, regardless of form, received, or to be received, by a person for services rendered. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • High-intensity discharge lamp: means a lamp in which light is produced by the passage of an electric current through a vapor or gas, and in which the light-producing arc is stabilized by bulb wall temperature and the arc tube has a bulb wall loading in excess of three watts (3 W) per square centimeter. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Illuminated exit sign: means an internally-illuminated sign that is designed to be permanently fixed in place to identify a building exit and consists of an electrically powered integral light source that illuminates the legend "EXIT" and any directional indicators and provides contrast between the legend, any directional indicators and the background. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Large packaged air-conditioning equipment: means electronically-operated, air-cooled air-conditioning and air-conditioning heat pump equipment having cooling capacity greater than, or equal to, two hundred forty thousand (240,000) Btu/hour but less than seven hundred sixty thousand (760,000) Btu/hour that is built as a package and shipped as a whole to end-user sites. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Low-voltage dry-type distribution transformer: means a transformer that:

    (i)  Has an input voltage of six hundred volts (600 V) or less;

    (ii)  Is air-cooled;

    (iii)  Does not use oil as a coolant; and

    (iv)  Is rated for operation at a frequency of sixty hertz (60 Hz). See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3

  • Metal-halide lamp: means a high-intensity discharge lamp in which the major portion of the light is produced by radiation of metal halides and their products of dissociation, possibly in combination with metallic vapors. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Residential furnace: means a self-contained space heater designed to supply heated air through ducts of more than ten inches (10") length and 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 that:

    (i)  Is designed to be the principal heating source for the living space of one or more residences;

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

    (iii)  Has a heat input rate of less than two hundred twenty-five thousand (225,000) Btu per hour. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3

  • State-regulated incandescent reflector lamp: means a lamp, not colored or designed for rough or vibration service applications, with an inner reflective coating on the outer bulb to direct the light, an E26 medium screw base, a rated voltage or voltage range that lies at least partially within one hundred fifteen to one hundred thirty volts (115 V to 130 V), and that falls into either of the following categories: a blown PAR (BPAR), bulged reflector (BR), or elliptical reflector (ER) bulb shape or similar bulb shape with a diameter equal to or greater than two and one-quarter inches (2. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Torchiere: means a portable electric lighting fixture with a reflective bowl that directs light upward onto a ceiling so as to produce indirect illumination on the surfaces below. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Traffic signal module: means a standard eight-inch (8) (two hundred millimeter (200 mm)) or twelve-inch (12) (three hundred millimeter (300 mm)) traffic signal indication, consisting of a light source, a lens, and all other parts necessary for operation. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3
  • Unit heater: means a self-contained, vented, fan-type commercial space heater that uses natural gas or propane, and that is designed to be installed without ducts within a heated space, except that such term does not include any products covered by federal standards established pursuant to 42 U. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-27-3

(b)  No later than six (6) months after the effective date of this chapter, the chief of energy and community services, in consultation with the attorney general, shall determine if implementation of state standards for residential furnaces and residential boilers requires a waiver from federal preemption. If the chief of energy and community services determines that a waiver from federal preemption is not needed, then no new residential furnace or residential boiler manufactured on or after January 1, 2008, or the date that is one year after the date of the determination, if later, may be sold or offered for sale in the state unless the efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the efficiency standards set forth in the regulations adopted pursuant to § 39-27-5. If the chief of energy and community services determines that a waiver from federal preemption is required, then the chief of energy and community services shall apply for the waiver within one year of the determination and upon approval of such waiver application, the applicable state standards shall go into effect at the earliest date permitted by federal law.

(c)  One year after the date upon which sale or offering for sale of certain products is limited pursuant to this section, no new products may be installed for compensation in the state unless the efficiency of the new product meets or exceeds the efficiency standards set forth in the regulations adopted pursuant to § 39-27-5.

History of Section.
P.L. 2005, ch. 136, § 1; P.L. 2005, ch. 146, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 177, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 288, § 1.