S. 156 (112th): Water Heater Rating Improvement Act of 2011

Introduced:
Jan 25, 2011 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
Sponsor:
Sen. Herbert “Herb” Kohl [D-WI]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)
See Instead:

H.R. 482 (same title)
Referred to Committee — Jan 26, 2011

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. S. stands for Senate bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced on January 25, 2011, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Jan 25, 2011
Referred to Committee Jan 25, 2011
Cosponsors
6 cosponsors (4R, 2D) (show)
Committees

Senate Energy and Natural Resources

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

A bill to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide a uniform efficiency descriptor for covered water heaters.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Jan 25, 2011.
7 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

1/25/2011--Introduced.
Water Heater Rating Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to require the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to publish a rule that establishes a uniform efficiency descriptor and accompanying test methods for water heaters, storage water heaters, instantaneous water heaters, and unfired water storage tanks (covered heaters) no later than 180 days after this Act's enactment.
Requires:
(1) the efficiency descriptor and accompanying test method to apply to all water heating technologies in use and to future water heating technologies, and
(2) the efficiency standard to be denominated according to the efficiency descriptor.
Sets forth provisions concerning a mathematical conversion factor for converting the measurement of efficiency for covered heaters from the test procedures in effect on the date of enactment of this Act to the new energy descriptor.
Authorizes the rule to exclude a specific category of covered water heaters from the uniform efficiency descriptor if the category of water heaters:
(1) does not have a residential use and can be clearly described, and
(2) are rated effectively using the thermal efficiency and standby loss descriptors applied to the category.
Requires the Secretary, in establishing the rule, to contract with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct testing and simulation of alternative descriptors identified for consideration.
Considers a covered water heater to be in compliance with the rule and with any revised labeling requirements established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to implement the rule if the covered water heater:
(1) was manufactured prior to the effective date of the rule, and
(2) complied with the efficiency standards and labeling requirements in effect prior to the rule.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)

  • Title 42: THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
  • Chapter 77: ENERGY CONSERVATION
  • Subchapter III: IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
  • Part A: Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles
  • Section 6295: Energy conservation standards