Notice2025-11002
Unified Facilities Criteria Revision Impacting Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 16, 2025
Issuing agencies
Defense Department
Abstract
The DoD is proposing an update regarding the use of VRF systems in the UFC requiring notification pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, REVISIONS TO UNIFIED FACILITIES CRITERIA REGARDING USE OF VARIABLE REFRIGERANT FLOW SYSTEMS. The updates include UFC regarding Mechanical Engineering; Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning; Youth Centers; Child Development Centers; Continuous Child Care Facilities.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 114 (Monday, June 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 114 (Monday, June 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25249-25250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11002]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DoD-2025-OS-0022]
Unified Facilities Criteria Revision Impacting Variable
Refrigerant Flow Systems
AGENCY: Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment,
Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notification of revision to Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC)
regarding the use of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems.
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SUMMARY: The DoD is proposing an update regarding the use of VRF
systems in the UFC requiring notification pursuant to the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, REVISIONS TO UNIFIED
FACILITIES CRITERIA REGARDING USE OF VARIABLE REFRIGERANT FLOW SYSTEMS.
The updates include UFC regarding Mechanical Engineering; Heating,
Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning; Youth Centers; Child Development
Centers; Continuous Child Care Facilities.
DATES: Comments are due by August 15, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and
title, by any of the following methods:
[[Page 25250]]
Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant to the
Secretary of Defense for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency,
Regulatory Directorate, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Mailbox #24, Suite
05F16, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the
internet at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> as they are received without
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Several proposed revisions to UFC will
impact the use of VRF systems. The proposed revisions are stated in the
following paragraphs, organized by UFC number. The current versions of
these UFC can be found at the following website: <a href="https://www.wbdg.org/dod/ufc">https://www.wbdg.org/dod/ufc</a>.
UFC 3-401-01 Mechanical Engineering: New paragraph proposed to
address safety relative to use of flammable refrigerants:
Comply with ASHRAE Standard 15. Distribution and use of ASHRAE
Standard 34 flammability classified refrigerants of 2L and higher
refrigerants is limited to non-occupied machine or mechanical rooms,
complying with ASHRAE Standard 15, or to the exterior of the
building.
Such refrigerants are also permitted in non-occupied rooms
(example: telecommunication rooms) with the following features:
<bullet> building exterior access only
<bullet> perimeter walls continuous from exterior wall to exterior
wall or adjacent interior partition, or combination thereof
<bullet> perimeter walls continuous from finished floor to roof deck
or floor deck above
<bullet> perimeter walls continuous through all concealed spaces
including those above ceiling
<bullet> no openings or transfer paths to adjacent spaces
UFC 3-410-01 Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning: Update to
definition of Variable Refrigerant (VRF) System in Appendix, Best
Practices, is proposed to be revised to:
A variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system is defined as any
system having digital, centralized control over refrigerant flow
rates and system wide control of terminal units and compressors that
integrates control over fans, compressors, expansion valves,
operational modes, and space conditions. They are heat pump systems
in which refrigerant is moved from fan-coil unit to fan-coil unit
within the occupied facility spaces.
UFC 4-740-06 Youth Centers, UFC 4-740-14 Child Development Centers,
and UFC 4-740-15 Continuous Child Care Facilities: New paragraph
proposed to address safety, including flammability and asphyxiation
risks, relative to use of refrigerants for childcare facilities in the
update for each of three related UFC:
Use of flammable and toxic refrigerants must follow ASHRAE
Standard 15, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems. In addition,
to prevent the risk of exposing occupants to flammable refrigerants
and asphyxiation hazards, refrigerant piping must not be routed in,
through, or above any occupied space or associated air return
plenum. Furthermore, refrigeration-based equipment must not be
located in or above any occupied space or associated air return
plenum, or have refrigerant coils ducted to any occupied spaces.
Refrigeration-based systems may be used in utility or other
unoccupied spaces such as telecom, electrical, cold storage, or
mechanical rooms in compliance with ASHRAE Standard 15 and
previously mentioned restrictions.
Authority: Sec. 2842, Public Law 117-81, 135 Stat. 1541.
Dated: June 12, 2025.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2025-11002 Filed 6-13-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6001-FR-P
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