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Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (Last Updated: June 14,2023) |
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Title16a Planning and Energy Policy |
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SubTitle16a-14b-1_16a-14b-6. Voluntary Testing and Certification Program for Energy-Related Products |
SubTitle16a-14b-1_16a-14b-6. Voluntary Testing and Certification Program for Energy-Related Products
| Sec. 16a-14b-1. Definitions |
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"Secretary" means the secretary of the office of policy and management. "Undersecretary" means the undersecretary for energy of the office of policy and management. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the department of consumer protection. |
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(Effective April 23, 1981) |
| Sec. 16a-14b-2. Product review advisory board |
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(a) A product review advisory board shall be established pursuant to section 4-8 of the general statutes to advise the office of policy and management in conducting a voluntary testing program for energy-related products. The board shall provide technical advice to the office of policy and management in determining what products should be included in the program, what testing the products should be subjected to, and what testing facilities are suitable for testing such products. The board shall also advise the office of policy and management in reviewing test results and in developing information useful to consumers of such products. (b) Board members shall be appointed by the secretary. Areas of expertise represented on the board may include solar energy, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, automotive products, insulation, electrical and gas appliances, wood and other forms of biomass energy, wind energy, and consumer protection, and any other areas of expertise that may be deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the board. The board shall have a maximum of eight members. (c) The board shall be chaired by the undersecretary or his designee. |
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(Effective April 23, 1981) |
| Sec. 16a-14b-3. Selection of products for testing and/or certification |
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(a) Energy-related products selected for review by the office of policy and management shall meet one of the following criteria: (1) Products using renewable energy sources which are currently commercially viable or are potentially commercially viable, (2) Products currently being marketed to consumers claiming to conserve energy or increase the efficiency of its use, or (3) Products of an experimental or prototype nature using renewable energy sources or believed to have the potential for conserving conventional energy sources. (b) Products suitable for review shall be identified by the office of policy and management or by board members in an advisory capacity. The office of policy and managment shall determine the availability of suitable existing testing mechanisms for products. (c) The office of policy and management shall be open to suggestions from any source on products to be tested and reviewed. (d) The program will be publicized to the general public. State manufacturers/distributors of products will be solicited for submission of material. |
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(Effective April 23, 1981) |
| Sec. 16a-14b-4. Designation of testing facilities and equirements for test results |
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(a) The office of policy and management will determine what national consensus standards for testing exist for each specific category of energy-related products to be tested, what national testing facility accreditation programs exist for these standards, and what state statutes or regulations concerning product testing exist applicable to that category of products. Based on this information, the office of policy and management shall select testing facilities for each specific category of energy-related products to be tested. Test results shall indicate compliance or non-compliance with existing national consensus stand ards, where applicable, and/or state regulations, where applicable. (b) If no established testing mechanism exists for a given energy-related product or category of energy-related products, the office of policy and management may determine parameters for testing and request proposals from facilities to do the testing, including proposed fee schedule. (c) The office of policy and management may institute performance testing for energy-related products where existing testing programs test for conformance with minimum standards only, rather than actual product performance values. The office of policy and management may review life-cycle costs of certain energy-related products when such reliable information is unavailable from other sources, and when the office of policy and management believes such information to be useful to the public. The office of policy and management may request that some products be tested to determine their energy efficiency. The office of policy and management may review advertising claims of energy-related products and request testing of such products to substantiate advertising claims. (d) The office of policy and management may participate in reciprocal programs with other states for testing, review, and certification of energy-related products. (e) Where a testing mechanism is determined to exist for a specific category of products, the office of policy and management shall announce the availability of review, what tests must be performed, what data must be submitted, and what testing facilities are acceptable. |
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(Effective April 23, 1981) |
| Sec. 16a-14b-5. Development and dissemination of information from test results |
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(a) The office of policy and management shall determine if tested products are in compliance with appropriate national consensus standards and/or state regulations and, where applicable, determine the validity of tests for energy efficiency. (b) The secretary shall forward reports of compliance or noncompliance to any state agency charged with regulating particular products. Where the office of policy and management has investigated advertising claims of an energy-related product and testing results show such claims to be false, the secretary shall forward the report to the commissioner for disposition. (c) The office of policy and management shall develop information useful to consumers on specific products or categories of products based on test results. The office of policy and management may develop lists of specific products reviewed, including test results, and make such lists available to the public. Manufacturers/distributors submitting data for review shall receive copies of such materials. The office of policy and management may allow products it has reviewed to carry a label indicating test results. The format of such labels shall be determined by the office of policy and management, and any such labels applied to eligible products shall be approved by the office of policy and management, and use of such labels shall be subject to such conditions as the office of policy and management may impose. Test results shall be available to the public. The office of policy and management may charge a reasonable fee for test results when appropriate. Information developed from test results shall be distributed to the public by the office of policy and management and the department of consumer protection. |
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(Effective April 23, 1981) |
| Sec. 16a-14b-6. Review by participating manufacturer/distributor |
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(a) When the office of policy and management develops information concerning a specific product tested that involves the office of policy and management making an interpretation of test results or a judgment concerning the product tested, a draft copy of such information shall be sent to the manufacturer/distributor of the product. Such information shall become available for public dissemination 30 days after the information is sent to the manufacturer/distributor of the product, unless the manufacturer/distributor rejects the interpretations or judgments of the office of policy and management. (b) Information on a specific product tested taken directly from test results or other materials submitted by the manufacturer/distributor that involve no interpretations or judgments by the office of policy and management will be available for public dissemination immediately, including the full text of any test reports or other material submitted by the manufacturer/distributor. |
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(Effective April 23, 1981) |