The Department of Energy (DOE) has lifted regulations on decorative hearths and outdoor heaters that imposed “burdensome” energy conservation standards on these items, the agency said in a May 2 statement.
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) grants the DOE the authority to add consumer products to a list of “covered items,” said a department notice. Once they are added, the DOE can impose energy conservation standards and test procedures to regulate the devices.
In February 2023, the DOE finalized coverage for miscellaneous gas products (MGPs), which include decorative hearths and outdoor heaters.
On May 2, the DOE announced it was withdrawing miscellaneous gas products as a covered consumer product under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. As such, these items won’t be subjected to “a range of unnecessary regulations on their manufacture and sale,” it said in the statement….