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ASAP

Furnace Fans

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

Furnace air handlers, the fan systems which blow warmed air through a home, are currently not regulated at the federal level. A typical furnace fan may use about 1,000 kilowatt hours electricity per year. Nationwide, furnace fan energy amounts to about 1% of the country's total residential energy consumption. More efficient motor technologies can cut fan electricity use by around 50% and improve comfort during both heating and cooling seasons. So far, states have taken the lead on enacting furnace fan standards.  Under the rules of federal preemption, states may not implement standards that go beyond federal requirements unless they are granted a waiver from the Department of Energy. In this case some states may argue that federal preemption does not apply since federal furnace standards only regulate natural gas and oil use, not electricity use. DOE elected in 2006 not to include furnace fans in an on-going furnace standard rulemaking but to instead consider furnace fans in a separate rulemaking to start no earlier than 2011. 

Update
In December 2007, the Congress enacted H.R. 6, requiring that DOE complete a rulemaking to set initial minimum standards for residential furnace fans by December 31st, 2013.  (February 2008)

Press Release
DOE Proposed Schedule Ignores Two Key Products
February 1, 2006