ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2023 - 6

summarizing its fi ndings and describing a possible path
forward.
or
The DOE determined FEG was not a suitable metric
for a federal effi ciency regulation for fans, explaining:
ic
r a f
■
l e
y r
n f r f
, e
A sizing window could not be applied in a producteffi
ciency regulation, which eliminated the energy
savings of FEG.
■
FEG considers the fan only; the DOE wanted a metric
that also considers motor and drive losses.
■
FEG is concerned with full-load operation only; the
DOE wanted a metric concerned with part-load operation
as well.
In the framework document, the DOE also dismissed
fan-motor-effi ciency grade (FMEG), setting the stage for
the development of a new fan-effi ciency metric. Thus,
just as FEG was emerging in U.S. energy codes, its future
was scuttled in favor of an undetermined metric.
Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International,
AMCA International member companies, and
other stakeholders responded by developing fan energy
index (FEI) and intermediary parameter fan electrical
power (FEP). Through a series of public negotiations, the
DOE and industry stakeholders made FEP the regulatory
metric with FEI allowed " for marketing purposes. " The
negotiations concluded in 2015 with the publication of
a term sheet that ultimately would guide development of
the DOE regulation, which, like all DOE regulations, has
two main parts: a test procedure and an energy standard.
The rulemaking was not complete at the time Donald
Trump assumed the presidency and signed an executive
order effectively halting the DOE's development of new
regulations in 2017.
The executive order led to two milestones in the fan
regulatory initiative:
■
Without a federal test procedure, FEI and FEP needed
to be formalized, so AMCA International developed
ANSI/AMCA Standard 208, Calculation of the Fan
Energy Index, published in 2018.
■
The CEC initiated a product-effi ciency regulation under
Title 20, Public Utilities and Energy, of the California
Code of Regulations.
With the publication of ANSI/AMCA Standard 208,
AMCA International and other stakeholders began a
campaign to replace FEG with FEI in energy codes,
6
2023 AMCA inmot ion
beginning with the 2019 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES
Standard 90.1 and continuing with the 2021 IECC and
Title 24, Part 6, of California's 2022 Building Energy Effi -
ciency Standards (Energy Code).
ciency Standards (Energy Code).
In 2020, AMCA International petitioned the DOE to at
least fi nish the CIFB test procedure to establish uniformity
in terms of method of test, ratings calculations, and representations.
From that point, the thinking was, varying
state effi ciency requirements could be suffered until a
federal energy standard came along and preempted them
all. In 2021, after the Biden administration took offi ce,
the DOE initiated action to fi nish the test procedure.
Meanwhile, with the development of product regulations
using FEI requiring extractions from and references
to four AMCA International standards and publications,
AMCA International published a " test standard " for FEI.
That standard, ANSI/AMCA Standard 214, Test Procedure
for Calculating Fan Energy Index (FEI) for Commercial
and Industrial Fans and Blowers, was adopted by the
CEC for its CIFB regulation.
The CEC approved the Title 20 effi ciency regulation
on Nov. 16, 2022. As of this writing, manufacturers of
covered CIFB manufactured for sale in California on
or after Nov. 16, 2023, will have to comply. Compliance
www.amca.org
http://www.amca.org
ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2023

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