Note:

Prior to April 11, 2022, any representations of volume and energy use of refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and miscellaneous refrigeration products must be based on the results of testing pursuant to either this appendix or the procedures in appendix A as it appeared at 10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix A, in the 10 CFR parts 200 to 499 edition revised as of January 1, 2019. Any representations of volume and energy use must be in accordance with whichever version is selected. On or after April 11, 2022, any representations of volume and energy use must be based on the results of testing pursuant to this appendix.

For refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers, the rounding requirements specified in sections 4 and 5 of this appendix are not required for use until the compliance date of any amendment of energy conservation standards for these products published after October 12, 2021.

1. Referenced Materials

DOE incorporated by reference AHAM HRF-1-2019, Energy and Internal Volume of Consumer Refrigeration Products (“HRF-1-2019”), and AS/NZS 4474.1:2007, Performance of Household Electrical Appliances—Refrigerating Appliances; Part 1: Energy Consumption and Performance, Second Edition (“AS/NZS 4474.1:2007”), in their entirety in § 430.3; however, only enumerated provisions of these documents are applicable to this appendix. If there is any conflict between HRF-1-2019 and this appendix or between AS/NZS 4474.1:2007 and this appendix, follow the language of the test procedure in this appendix, disregarding the conflicting industry standard language.

(a) AHAM HRF-1-2019, (“HRF-1-2019”), Energy and Internal Volume of Consumer Refrigeration Products:

(i) Section 3—Definitions, as specified in section 3 of this appendix;

(ii) Section 4—Method for Determining the Refrigerated Volume of Consumer Refrigeration Products, as specified in section 4.1 of this appendix;

(iii) Section 5—Method for Determining the Energy Consumption of Consumer Refrigeration Products (excluding Table 5-1 and sections 5.5.6.5, 5.8.2.1.2, 5.8.2.1.3, 5.8.2.1.4, 5.8.2.1.5, and 5.8.2.1.6), as specified in section 5 of this appendix; and

(iv) Section 6—Method for Determining the Adjusted Volume of Consumer Refrigeration Products, as specified in section 4.2 of this appendix;

(b) AS/NZS 4474.1:2007, (“AS/NZS 4474.1:2007”), Performance of Household Electrical Appliances—Refrigerating Appliances; Part 1: Energy Consumption and Performance, Second Edition:

(i) Appendix M—Method of Interpolation When Two Controls are Adjusted, as specified in sections 5.2(b) and 5.5 of this appendix.

(ii) [Reserved]

2. Scope

This appendix provides the test procedure for measuring the annual energy use in kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/yr), the total refrigerated volume in cubic feet (ft 3), and the total adjusted volume in cubic feet (ft 3) of refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and miscellaneous refrigeration products.

3. Definitions

Section 3, Definitions, of HRF-1-2019 applies to this test procedure. In case of conflicting terms between HRF-1-2019 and DOE's definitions in this appendix or in § 430.2, DOE's definitions take priority.

Door-in-door means a set of doors or an outer door and inner drawer for which—

(a) Both doors (or both the door and the drawer) must be opened to provide access to the interior through a single opening;

(b) Gaskets for both doors (or both the door and the drawer) are exposed to external ambient conditions on the outside around the full perimeter of the respective openings; and

(c) The space between the two doors (or between the door and the drawer) achieves temperature levels consistent with the temperature requirements of the interior compartment to which the door-in-door provides access.

Through-the-door ice/water dispenser means a device incorporated within the cabinet, but outside the boundary of the refrigerated space, that delivers to the user on demand ice and may also deliver water from within the refrigerated space without opening an exterior door. This definition includes dispensers that are capable of dispensing ice and water or ice only.

Transparent door means an external fresh food compartment door which meets the following criteria:

(a) The area of the transparent portion of the door is at least 40 percent of the area of the door.

(b) The area of the door is at least 50 percent of the sum of the areas of all the external doors providing access to the fresh food compartments and cooler compartments.

(c) For the purposes of this evaluation, the area of a door is determined as the product of the maximum height and maximum width dimensions of the door, not considering potential extension of flaps used to provide a seal to adjacent doors.

4. Volume

Determine the refrigerated volume and adjusted volume for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and miscellaneous refrigeration products in accordance with the following sections of HRF-1-2019, respectively:

4.1. Section 4, Method for Determining the Refrigerated Volume of Consumer Refrigeration Products; and

4.2. Section 6, Method for Determining the Adjusted Volume of Consumer Refrigeration Products.

5. Energy Consumption

Determine the annual energy use (“AEU”) in kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/yr), for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and miscellaneous refrigeration products in accordance with section 5, Method for Determining the Energy Consumption of Consumer Refrigeration Products, of HRF-1-2019, except as follows.

5.1. Test Setup and Test Conditions

(a) In section 5.3.1 of HRF-1-2019, the top of the unit shall be determined by the refrigerated cabinet height, excluding any accessories or protruding components on the top of the unit.

(b) The ambient temperature and vertical ambient temperature gradient requirements specified in section 5.3.1 of HRF-1-2019 shall be maintained during both the stabilization period and the test period.

(c) The power supply requirements as specified in section 5.5.1 of HRF-1-2019 shall be maintained based on measurement intervals not to exceed one minute.

(d) The ice storage compartment temperature requirement as specified in section 5.5.6.5 in HRF-1-2019 is not required.

(e) For cases in which setup is not clearly defined by this test procedure, manufacturers must submit a petition for a waiver (See section 6 of this appendix).

(f) If the interior arrangements of the unit under test do not conform with those shown in Figures 5-1 or 5-2 of HRF-1-2019, as appropriate, the unit must be tested by relocating the temperature sensors from the locations specified in the figures to avoid interference with hardware or components within the unit, in which case the specific locations used for the temperature sensors shall be noted in the test data records maintained by the manufacturer in accordance with 10 CFR 429.71, and the certification report shall indicate that non-standard sensor locations were used. If any temperature sensor is relocated by any amount from the location prescribed in Figure 5-1 or 5-2 of HRF-1-2019 in order to maintain a minimum 1-inch air space from adjustable shelves or other components that could be relocated by the consumer, except in cases in which the Figures prescribe a temperature sensor location within 1 inch of a shelf or similar feature (e.g., sensor T3 in Figure 5-1), this constitutes a relocation of temperature sensors that must be recorded in the test data and reported in the certification report as described in this paragraph.

5.2. Test Conduct

(a) Standard Approach

(i) For the purposes of comparing compartment temperatures with standardized temperatures, as described in section 5.6 of HRF-1-2019, the freezer compartment temperature shall be as specified in section 5.8.1.2.5 of HRF-1-2019, the fresh food compartment temperature shall be as specified in section 5.8.1.2.4 of HRF-1-2019, and the cooler compartment temperature shall be as specified in section 5.8.1.2.6 of HRF-1-2019.

(ii) In place of Table 5-1 in HRF-1-2019, refer to Table 1 of this section.

(b) Three-Point Interpolation Method (Optional Test for Models with Two Compartments and User-Operable Controls). As specified in section 5.6.3(6) of HRF-1-2019, and as an optional alternative to section 5.2(a) of this appendix, perform three tests such that the set of tests meets the “minimum requirements for interpolation” of AS/NZS 4474.1:2007 appendix M, section M3, paragraphs (a) through (c) and as illustrated in Figure M1. The target temperatures txA and txB defined in section M4(a)(i) of AS/NZ 4474.1:2007 shall be the standardized temperatures defined in section 5.6 of HRF-1-2019.

5.3. Test Cycle Energy Calculations

Section 5.8.2, Energy Consumption, of HRF-1-2019 applies to this test procedure, except as follows:

(a) In place of section 5.8.2.1.2 of HRF-1-2019, use the calculations provided in this section. For units with long-time automatic defrost control using the two-part test period, the test cycle energy shall be calculated as:

Where: ET = test cycle energy expended in kilowatt-hours per day; 1440 = conversion factor to adjust to a 24-hour average use cycle in minutes per day; K = dimensionless correction factor of 1.0 for refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers and 0.55 for miscellaneous refrigeration products. EP1 = energy expended in kilowatt-hours during the first part of the test; EP2 = energy expended in kilowatt-hours during the second part of the test; T1 and T2 = length of time in minutes of the first and second test parts, respectively; CT = defrost timer run time or compressor run time between defrosts in hours required to go through a complete cycle, rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour; 12 = factor to adjust for a 50-percent run time of the compressor in hours per day.

(b) In place of sections 5.8.2.1.3 and 5.8.2.1.4 of HRF-1-2019, use the calculations provided in this section. For units with variable defrost control, the test cycle energy shall be calculated as set forth in section 5.3(a) of this appendix with the following addition:

CT shall be calculated equivalent to:

Where: CTL = the least or shortest compressor run time between defrosts used in the variable defrost control algorithm (greater than or equal to 6 but less than or equal to 12 hours), or the shortest compressor run time between defrosts observed for the test (if it is shorter than the shortest run time used in the control algorithm and is greater than 6 hours), or 6 hours (if the shortest observed run time is less than 6 hours), in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour; CTM = the maximum compressor run time between defrosts in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour (greater than CTL but not more than 96 hours); For variable defrost models with no values of CTL and CTM in the algorithm, the default values of 6 and 96 shall be used, respectively. F = ratio of per day energy consumption in excess of the least energy and the maximum difference in per-day energy consumption and is equal to 0.20.

(c) In place of section 5.8.2.1.5 of HRF-1-2019, use the calculations provided in this section. For multiple-compressor products with automatic defrost, the two-part test method in section 5.7.2.1 of HRF-1-2019 shall be used, and the test cycle energy shall be calculated as:

Where: ET, 1440, 12, and K are defined in section 5.3(a) of this appendix; EP1, and T1 are defined in section 5.3(a) of this appendix; i = a subscript variable that can equal 1, 2, or more that identifies each individual compressor system that has automatic defrost; D = the total number of compressor systems with automatic defrost; EP2i = energy expended in kilowatt-hours during the second part of the test for compressor system i; T2i = length of time in minutes of the second part of the test for compressor system i; CTi = compressor run time between defrosts of compressor system i, rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour, for long-time automatic defrost control equal to a fixed time in hours, and for variable defrost control equal to: Where: CTL,i = for compressor system i, the shortest cumulative compressor-on time between defrost heater-on events used in the variable defrost control algorithm (CTL for the compressor system with the longest compressor run time between defrosts must be greater than or equal to 6 but less than or equal to 12 hours), in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour; CTM,i = for compressor system i, the maximum compressor-on time between defrost heater-on events used in the variable defrost control algorithm (greater than CTL,i but not more than 96 hours), in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour; For defrost cycle types with no values of CTL and CTM in the algorithm, the default values of 6 and 96 shall be used, respectively. F = ratio of per day energy consumption in excess of the least energy and the maximum difference in per-day energy consumption and is equal to 0.20.

(d) In place of section 5.8.2.1.6 of HRF-1-2019, use the calculations provided in this section. For units with long-time automatic defrost control and variable defrost control with multiple defrost cycle types, the two-part test method in section 5.7.2.1 of HRF-1-2019 shall be used, and the test cycle energy shall be calculated as:

Where: ET, 1440, 12, and K are defined in section 5.3(a) of this appendix; EP1, and T1 are defined in section 5.3(a) of this appendix; i = a subscript variable that can equal 1, 2, or more that identifies the distinct defrost cycle types applicable for the product; D = the total number of defrost cycle types; EP2i = energy expended in kilowatt-hours during the second part of the test for defrost cycle type i; T2i = length of time in minutes of the second part of the test for defrost cycle type i; CTi = defrost timer run time or compressor run time between instances of defrost cycle type i, rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour; 12 = factor to adjust for a 50-percent run time of the compressor in hours per day.

(i) For long-time automatic defrost control, CTi shall be equal to a fixed time in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour. For cases in which there are more than one fixed CT value for a given defrost cycle type, an average fixed CT value shall be selected for this cycle type.

(ii) For variable defrost control, CTi shall be calculated equivalent to:

Where: CTL,i = the least or shortest compressor run time between instances of the defrost cycle type i in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour (CTL for the defrost cycle type with the longest compressor run time between defrosts must be greater than or equal to 6 but less than or equal to 12 hours); CTM,i = the maximum compressor run time between instances of defrost cycle type i in hours rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour (greater than CTL,i but not more than 96 hours); For cases in which there are more than one CTM and/or CTL value for a given defrost cycle type, an average of the CTM and CTL values shall be selected for this defrost cycle type. For defrost cycle types with no values of CTL and CTM in the algorithm, the default values of 6 and 96 shall be used, respectively. F = ratio of per day energy consumption in excess of the least energy and the maximum difference in per-day energy consumption and is equal to 0.20. 5.4. Icemaker Energy Use

(a) For refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers: To demonstrate compliance with the energy conservation standards at § 430.32(a) applicable to products manufactured on or after September 15, 2014, but before the compliance date of any amended standards published after January 1, 2022, IET, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle, equals 0.23 for a product with one or more automatic icemakers and otherwise equals 0 (zero). To demonstrate compliance with any amended standards published after January 1, 2022, IET, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle, is as defined in section 5.9.2.1 of HRF-1-2019.

(b) For miscellaneous refrigeration products: To demonstrate compliance with the energy conservation standards at § 430.32(aa) applicable to products manufactured on or after October 28, 2019, IET, expressed in kilowatt-hours per cycle, equals 0.23 for a product with one or more automatic icemakers and otherwise equals 0 (zero).

5.5. Triangulation Method

If the three-point interpolation method of section 5.2(b) of this appendix is used for setting temperature controls, the average per-cycle energy consumption shall be defined as follows:

E = EX + IET Where: E is defined in section 5.9.1.1 of HRF-1-2019; IET is defined in section 5.4 of this appendix; and EX is defined and calculated as described in appendix M, section M4(a) of AS/NZS 4474.1:2007. The target temperatures txA and txB defined in section M4(a)(i) of AS/NZS 4474.1:2007 shall be the standardized temperatures defined in section 5.6 of HRF-1-2019. 6. Test Procedure Waivers

To the extent that the procedures contained in this appendix do not provide a means for determining the energy consumption of a basic model, a manufacturer must obtain a waiver under § 430.27 to establish an acceptable test procedure for each such basic model. Such instances could, for example, include situations where the test setup for a particular basic model is not clearly defined by the provisions of this appendix. For details regarding the criteria and procedures for obtaining a waiver, please refer to § 430.27.

[86 FR 56821, Oct. 12, 2021, as amended at 89 FR 3112, Jan. 17, 2024]