Proposed rule · 2026-11971

Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Distribution Transformers

A Presidential determination issued on April 20, 2026, found that grid infrastructure supply chains, including distribution transformers and electrical core steel, are essential to national defense, and that U.S. industry faces critical constraints from limited domestic product capacity, extended procurement timelines, and foreign supply dependence. The U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") is initiating an information and data gathering effort to understand how the energy conservation standards for distribution transformers adopted in an April 2024 final rule, with compliance required in 2029, interact with these national security considerations, including impacts on domestic manufacturing capacity, supply chain resilience, and the availability and cost of key materials. DOE is also seeking information on whether the revised energy conservation standards result in special hardship, inequity, or unfair distribution of burdens, including investment needs and market conditions associated with redesigning equipment to comply by the 2029 compliance date.