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ASAP

Direct Heating Equipment

Last Updated: October 2007
See the federal standards main page to view current status

Direct heating equipment are small heaters that are located in the space to be heated.  Common names for this equipment include space heaters, wall heaters, floor heaters and room heaters.  They are predominantly fired with natural gas or propane and only these units are covered by federal standards. 

Several states historically regulated direct heating equipment, leading to federal standards established in 1987.  The standard varies as a function of unit type (wall, floor and room heaters), the presence or absence of a fan, and heating capacity.  Depending on the category, the required minimum efficiency varies from 57% AFUE for a small floor unit to 74% AFUE for a large, fan-assisted wall unit (AFUE is Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency).  These standards took effect in 1990. In November 2006 DOE began a rulemaking to revise this standard.  The rulemaking is scheduled to be completed in April 2010 and take effect three years later.

Filing
Comments on the Framework Document for the water heater, pool heater and direct heating equipment rulemaking.
February 12, 2007