The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission has proposed amendments to the , which governs ratings for home insulation, as part of its systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides.
Issued in 1979, the R-value Rule requires home insulation manufacturers, professional installers, new home sellers, and retailers to provide R-value information, based on the results of standard tests, to help inform consumers. The R-value rates a product’s ability to restrict heat flow and thus reduce energy costs.
The FTC sought comments on the Rule (formally, the “Trade Regulation Rule Concerning the Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulationâ€) in 2016. Based on comments received, the Commission proposes amendments that would:
- exempt space-constrained ads from required energy savings claims disclosures;
- clarify that commercial products sold for residential use are subject to the Rule;
- require R-value claims for non-insulation products to be substantiated by the Rule’s ASTM standards (commonly used tests for measuring R-value);
- update the Rule’s references to ASTM test procedures and revise Rule provisions for updating those tests;
- add information to fact sheets about the importance of air sealing and proper insulation installation; and
- direct online retailers to post labels and fact sheets for covered insulation products sold directly to consumers.
The Commission vote approving the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was 2-0. The notice will be published in the Â鶹´«Ã½ Register soon. Instructions for filing comments appear in the Â鶹´«Ã½ Register Notice. Comments must be received by March 23, 2018; they will be posted at ftc.gov/policy/public-comments. (FTC File No. R811001; the staff contact is Hampton Newsome, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-2889)
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