How Will Federal Fan Energy Regulations Impact Your Business?
What if I told you that you will have to upsize all of your fans due to a new federal regulation?
The federal fan regulation train has left the station and you could be faced with devoting significant engineering, testing, and production resources to redesigning and potentially recertifying your products around new, larger fans as this regulation rolls through your industry.
In January, the Department of Energy released the details of their proposed energy conservation standard for commercial and industrial fans and blowers. It is dramatically more aggressive than the California fan energy regulation set to become effective in April. In some cases, the federal regulation is nearly 50% higher than the California regulation. And it will apply more broadly, particularly in the industrial process marketplace as fans embedded in other equipment, which are exempt from the California regulation, will be within scope of the DOE's regulation.
But you have a choice. You can jump aboard the train and determine what direction and how far down the track this regulation goes. The DOE is accepting comments, data, and feedback regarding this proposed regulation until March 19th, 2024.
If you work to understand the DOE's assumptions and justifications, define the projected impact on your business, and suggest potential changes to the regulation, you could significantly reduce the burden on your company's resources over the next five years. Or, you can do nothing and let this train be driven by others and miss the opportunity to voice your concerns, ultimately accepting the regulation as it stands today and when it becomes effective in 2029.
If you're concerned about this regulation and interested in a 30 minute overview, please don't hesitate to reach out. Or, you can get in touch with the Air Movement and Control Association who has resources available to facilitate submitting comments to the DOE.
Doug Yamashita
Vice President - OEM Sales
dyamash@nyb.com | 630-794-5765