Energy Efficiency Excluded From Quality Infrastructure Program

The Ministry of Economy (SE) has omitted various topics related to energy efficiency in the development of the National Program for Quality Infrastructure (PNIC) 2024. This exclusion has raised concerns, with Odón de Buen Rodríguez, an Energy Efficiency specialist, suggesting that it might stem from distrust toward private entities.

Originally, the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) had included 17 topics related to energy efficiency after an analysis conducted in the second half of last year. However, the document sent by SE and published this week on the CONAMER portal only includes five.

Around 15 federal public agencies and organizations participated in the program, which, according to the Quality Infrastructure Law, must be reviewed annually. Five of these entities are energy-sector specific, including CRE, the Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment (ASEA), the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards (CNSNS), CONUEE, and SENER.

The five energy efficiency topics included in the program fall into three categories: topics to be developed, existing NOMs to be modified, and a NOM project.

The first type of topic refers to thermal efficiency and safety requirements for wood-burning stoves: specifications, test methods, marking, and labeling, establishing specifications for thermal efficiency and safety, along with testing methods, conformity assessment procedures, marking, and labeling, applicable to stoves using wood as fuel for cooking.

The NOMs to be modified include:

• NOM-004-ENER-2014. Energy efficiency for motor-pump sets for pumping clean domestic water, with powers from 0.180 kW (¼ HP) to 0.750 kW (1 HP). Limits, test methods, and labeling.
• NOM-011-ENER-2006. Energy efficiency in central, package, or split air conditioners. Limits, test methods, and labeling.
• NOM-014-ENER-2004. Energy efficiency of single-phase induction squirrel-cage motors, air-cooled, with nominal power from 0.180 kW to 1,500 kW. Limits, test method, and labeling.

Finally, the Energy Efficiency NOM project is the PROY-NOM-034-ENER/SE-2020. Energy efficiency and safety requirements for fans. Limits, test methods, and labeling.

De Buen Rodríguez expressed concern about the exclusion of relevant topics, citing the example of mechanized tortilla makers. He emphasized that the NOM revision, which could significantly reduce gas consumption for tortilla makers, benefiting SMEs, was omitted, which he considers a significant mistake.

Several other norms were left out of the PNIC 2024, including updates to NOM-010-ENER-2021, focused on energy efficiency of the submerged well pump motor set, deep well type, and NOM-020-ENER, energy efficiency in buildings. Additionally, norms related to thermal performance, gas savings, and safety requirements for low-pressure solar water heaters and low-pressure solar water heaters with the support of an LP gas or natural gas-fueled water heater were discarded.