ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024 - 35

(Energy Code); ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Energy
Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential
Buildings; and the International Energy Conservation
Code (IECC). Even the more stringent " stretch "
codes of these base codes and standards set a premium
level of only 1.1.
Equipment designers undoubtedly will have to select
larger fans for their given operating points or choose a
different type of fan, which may present challenges in
matching the utility, outlet airflow distribution, and
velocity profi le of the original fan.
Embedded fans. The inclusion of California Title
20-defi ned embedded fans is the aspect of the proposed
DOE regulation most impactful to industrial-processequipment
manufacturers, as their equipment typically
includes functions other than air movement.
Larger open radial-bladed fans. With their
airborne abrasive materials, industrial processes such
as dust collection and material handling can be very
hard on fan wheels. The optimal wheel style for withstanding
such harsh conditions for a reasonable period
of time is open radial-bladed. Unfortunately, wheels
optimized for energy effi ciency in ventilation applications
do not have the design characteristics to withstand
harsh industrial environments. The regulation
likely will result in fans that are more energy-effi cient
but have shorter life cycles.
High-horsepower industrial applications.
With the 150-hp- (110 kW) fan-output-power upper end
of the power range, the proposed regulation will impact
a signifi cant portion of the marketplace. Ninety-eight
percent of the records in the 90,000-record Life-Cycle
Cost database maintained by the DOE represent fans
with power levels below 50 hp (37 kW). This means there
are likely to be unintended consequences for manufacturers
and buyers of the underrepresented fans above
50 hp (37 kW).
Additional Concerns
Extensive product-design resources will
be required. When cost was the primary driver,
smaller, less expensive fans typically would be chosen
over larger, more effi cient fans. The regulation will shift
design decision-making to larger, more effi cient fans. As
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a result, equipment manufacturers may have to redesign
and extensively reconfi gure their systems, if a larger fan
will not fi t within the available space.
Extensive research and development likely will be
required to maintain a system's operation based on a new
confi guration or just a different outlet airfl ow distribution
and velocity profi le. A larger fan certainly will have
more mass and require a structural review of the support
system. Third-party recertifi cation may be required for
products governed by other codes and regulations. Lastly,
new performance data will have to be collected and new
technical, sales, and marketing materials created. In effect,
manufacturers will be launching new products. Existing
business plans will be affected by these unexpected tasks.
Given the nature of regulations to expand in scope and
increase in stringency, these additional resources are
likely to be necessary for some time.
Some industrial-process-equipment
manufacturers will be considered fan manufacturers.
Under the regulation, manufacturers that
source wheels and inlet cones from fan suppliers and
incorporate them into their own fabricated fan housings
and plenum assemblies will be regarded as fan
manufacturers and be subject to potentially substantial
fi nes for noncompliance. They will have to devote a new
level of resources to ensuring their fans are compliant,
including documenting air performance and power and
labelling products.
Fan-performance-testing resources
will be strained. With the specter of substantial
fi nes for excessive energy consumption, accurate fanperformance
testing by an experienced laboratory will
be vital. As a 2029 effective date draws nearer, a surge
in demand for fan testing that signifi cantly outstrips
capacity is envisioned.
Many replacement fans will not fi t existing
installations. One of the most diffi cult challenges facing
equipment manufacturers concerns the replacement of
fans in installed equipment with compliant fans of equal
size. Typically, smaller fans are chosen over larger fans
in a prioritization of cost over effi ciency. In such cases,
if a duplicate replacement fan is not compliant, a larger
fan may be. The customer, then, will have to invest in
the design work necessary to modify the equipment to
2024 AMCA inmot ion 35
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ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024

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