Appliance Efficiency Standards (Massachusetts)

Last modified on February 12, 2015.

Rules Regulations Policies Program

Place	Massachusetts
Name	Appliance Efficiency Standards
Incentive Type	Appliance/Equipment Efficiency Standards
Applicable Sector	Manufacturers
Eligible Technologies	Boilers, Furnaces, Residential Furnace Fans
Active Incentive	No
Incentive Inactive Date	2012-03-25
Implementing Sector	State/Territory
Energy Category	Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs
Certification Requirements	Manufacturers certify to the MA Department of Energy Resources that specified products meet minimum efficiency standards
Equipment Requirements	Specified in standards
Implementing Agency	MA Department of Energy Resources
Review	Biannual report
Test Methods	Massachusetts plumbing code or U.S. Department of Energy approved test methods
Date added to DSIRE	2006-06-02
Last DSIRE Review	2012-03-25
Last Substantive Modification to Summary by DSIRE	2012-03-25
References	Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

Summary

Note: The federal government has imposed and updated appliance efficiency standards through several legislative acts,* and now has standards in place or under development for 30 classes of products. In general, states which had set standards prior to federal action may enforce their own standards until the federal standards take effect. States that had not set standards prior to federal action must use the federal standards. This summary addresses (1) state appliance standards that will be in place until the federal standards take effect and (2) products for which the federal government is not currently developing an efficiency standard. Much of the information in this summary comes from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Visit the ASAP web site for comprehensive information about appliance standards. See the Department of Energy Appliance Standards website for additional information.

Massachusetts’ original appliance standards legislation was enacted in 1986. In November 2005, the standards were expanded, although to date most of the equipment listed in Massachusetts law has since been preempted by federal law.

Because of the existing federal standards covering residential furnaces, boilers, and furnace fans, Massachusetts sought a waiver of federal preemption from the warm-state standard. That waiver would have allowed Massachusetts’ cold-state standard to go into effect in 2013. The Massachusetts Attorney General and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed the waiver petition in October 2009. The U.S. Department of Energy responded negatively, see the Department of Energy web site for more information on the petition, comments filed and denial. Therefore, there are no current appliance standards in place in MA.

Testing procedures must be developed by the DOER if such procedures are not provided for in the state plumbing code. The DOER must use the U.S. Department of Energy approved test methods and manufacturers must certify that products are in compliance with the standards.The standards state that the DOER must file a biannual report on appliance efficiency standards with the Massachusetts House of Representatives including, but not limited to, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the standards on energy efficiency and energy conservation in Massachusetts.

* These acts include the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Incentive Contact

Contact Name	Public Information Officer
Department	Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
Address	100 Cambridge Street
Address 2	Suite 1020
Place	Boston, Massachusetts
Zip/Postal Code	02110-1313
Phone	(617) 626-7300
Email	DOER.Energy@State.MA.US
Website	http://www.mass.gov/doer

Authorities (Please contact the if there are any file problems.)

Authority 1:	M.G.L. Chapter 25B, § 1, et seq. (Session Law 139, 2005)
Date Enacted	2005-11-22

Authority 2:	225 CMR 9.00 et seq.

• Incentive and policy data are reviewed and approved by the N.C. Solar Center's DSIRE project staff.