Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 25B § 2

Current through Chapters 1 to 249 and Chapters 253 to 255 of the 2024 Legislative Session
Section 25B:2 - [Effective 2/18/2025] Definitions

As used in this chapter the following words shall, unless the context requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

"Ballast", a device used with an electric discharge lamp to obtain necessary circuit conditions (voltage, current and waveform) for starting and operating the lamp.

"Boiler", a space heater that is a self-contained appliance for supplying steam or hot water primarily intended for space heating. This term does not include hot water supply boilers.

"Central furnace", a self-contained space heater designed to supply heated air through ducts of more than 10 inches in length.

"Color rendering index" or "CRI", the measure of the degree of color-shift objects undergo when illuminated by a light source as compared to the color of those same objects when illuminated by a reference source of comparable color temperature.

"Commercial dishwasher", a machine designed to clean and sanitize plates, pots, pans, glasses, cups, bowls, utensils, and trays by applying sprays of detergent solution (with or without blasting media granules) and a sanitizing rinse.

"Commercial fryer", an appliance, including a cooking vessel, in which oil is placed to such a depth that the cooking food is essentially supported by displacement of the cooking fluid rather than by the bottom of the vessel and heat is delivered to the cooking fluid by means of an immersed electric element of band-wrapped vessel, such as electric fryers, or by heat transfer from gas burners through either the walls of the fryer or through tubes passing through the cooking fluid, such as gas fryers.

"Commercial hot-food holding cabinet", a heated, fully-enclosed compartment with 1 or more solid or transparent doors designed to maintain the temperature of hot food that has been cooked using a separate appliance; provided, however, that a "commercial hot-food holding cabinet" shall not include heated glass merchandizing cabinets, drawer warmers or cook-and-hold appliances.

"Commercial oven", means a chamber designed for heating, roasting, or baking food by conduction, convection, radiation, or electromagnetic energy.

"Commercial steam cooker" or "compartment steamer", a device with 1 or more food-steaming compartments in which the energy in the steam is transferred to the food by direct contact; provided, however, that "commercial steam cooker" or "compartment steamer" may include countertop models, wall-mounted models, and floor models mounted on a stand, pedestal or cabinet-style base.

"Commissioner", the commissioner of energy resources.

"Compensation", money or any other valuable thing, regardless of form, received or to be received by a person for services rendered.

"Connector" or "Plug", a device that attaches an electric vehicle to a charging port to transfer electricity.

"Direct current fast charger", a charger that enables rapid charging by delivering direct-current, or DC current, electricity directly to an electric vehicle battery.

"Dual-flush effective flush volume", the average flush volume of 2 reduced flushes and 1 full flush.

"Dual-flush water closet", a tank-type water closet incorporating a feature that allows the user to flush the water closet with either a reduced or a full volume of water.

"Electric vehicle supply equipment" or "EVSE", a device, including at least 1 charging port and connector, for charging electric vehicles; provided, however, that "electric vehicle supply equipment" shall also mean a charger.

"Electricity ratio (ER)" is the ratio of furnace electricity use to total furnace energy use. ER = (3.412*EAE)/(1000*EF + 3.412*EAE) where EAE and EF are defined in title 10 of the code of federal regulations.

"Faucet", a lavatory faucet, kitchen faucet, metering faucet, public lavatory faucet or replacement aerator for a lavatory or kitchen faucet.

"Flexible demand", the capability to schedule, shift or curtail the electrical demand of a load-serving entity's customer through direct action by the customer or through action by a third party, the load-serving entity or a grid balancing authority, with the customer's consent.

"Flow rate", the rate of water flow of a plumbing fitting.

"Fluorescent lamp ballast" or "fluorescent ballast", a device designed to operate fluorescent lamps by providing a starting voltage and current, and limiting the current during normal operation, but shall not include such devices that have a dimming capability or are intended for use in ambient temperatures of zero degrees fahrenheit or less or have a power factor of less than sixty one-hundredths for a single F40T12 lamp.

"Freezer", a cabinet designed as a unit for the storage of food at temperatures of approximately zero degrees fahrenheit, having the ability to freeze food and having a source of refrigeration requiring an energy input.

"F40T12 lamp", a tubular fluorescent lamp that is a nominal forty watt lamp with a forty-eight inch tube length and one and one-half inches in diameter.

"F96T12 lamp", a tubular fluorescent lamp that is a nominal seventy-five watt lamp with a ninety-six inch tube length and one and one-half inches in diameter.

"General service lamp", the same meaning as set forth in 10 CFR 430.2.

"Hand-held showerhead", means a showerhead that can be held or fixed in place for the purpose of spraying water onto a bather and that is connected to a flexible hose.

"High color rendering index fluorescent lamp", a fluorescent lamp with a color rendering index of 87 or greater that is not a compact fluorescent lamp.

"Lamp", an incandescent, reflector incandescent, tungsten halogen, or fluorescent type lamp.

"Level 1", a galvanically-connected electric vehicle supply equipment with a single-phase input voltage nominally 120 volts alternating current and maximum output current of not more than 16 amperes alternating current.

"Level 2", a galvanically-connected electric vehicle supply equipment with a single-phase input voltage range from 208 volts to 240 volts alternating current, and maximum output current of not more than 80 amperes alternating current.

"Luminaire", a complete lighting unit consisting of a fluorescent lamp or lamps, together with parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect such lamps and to connect such lamps to the power supply.

"Medium voltage dry-type distribution transformer", a transformer that: (1) has an input voltage of more than 600 volts but less than or equal to 34,500 volts; (2) is air-cooled; (3) does not use oil as a coolant; and (4) is rated for operation at a frequency of 60 Hertz.

"Metal halide lamp", a high-intensity discharge lamp in which the major portion of the light is produced by radiation of metal halides and their products of dissociation, possibly in combination with metallic vapors.

"Metal halide lamp fixture", a light fixture designed to be operated with a metal halide lamp and a ballast for a metal halide lamp.

"Metering faucet", a fitting that, when turned on, will gradually shut itself off over a period of several seconds.

"New appliance", an appliance that is sold, offered for sale or installed for the first time and specifically includes floor models and demonstration units.

"On demand", when the water cooler heats water as it is requested.

"Plumbing fitting", a device that controls and guides the flow of water in a supply system.

"Plumbing fixture", an exchangeable device, which connects to a plumbing system to deliver and drain away water and waste.

"Port", a system or connecting outlet on a charger that provides power to charge an electric vehicle; provided, however, that a port may be equipped with multiple connectors but use only 1 connector at a time to provide such power.

"Portable electric spa", a factory-built electric spa or hot tub which may or may not include any combination of integral controls, water heating or water circulating equipment.

"Probe-start metal halide ballast", a ballast used to operate metal halide lamps which does not contain an igniter and which instead starts lamps by using a third starting electrode probe in the arc tube.

"Public lavatory faucet", a plumbing fitting intended to be installed in nonresidential bathrooms that are accessible to walk-in traffic.

"Refrigerator", a cabinet with one exterior door designed for the refrigerated storage of food at temperatures above thirty-two degrees fahrenheit and having a source of refrigeration requiring an energy input; refrigerator may include a compartment for the freezing and storage of food at temperatures below thirty-two degrees fahrenheit but does not provide a separate low temperature compartment designed for the freezing and long term storage of food at temperatures below eight degrees fahrenheit. A refrigerator may have interior doors on compartments.

"Refrigerator-freezer", a cabinet which consists of two or more compartments with at least one of the compartments designed for the refrigerated storage of foods at temperatures above thirty-two degrees fahrenheit and with at least one of the compartments designed for the freezing and storage of foods at temperatures of eight degrees fahrenheit or below. The source of refrigeration requires energy input.

"Replacement aerator", an aerator sold as a replacement, separate from the faucet to which it is intended to be attached.

"Residential furnace or boiler", a product which utilizes only single-phase electric current, or single-phase electric current or DC current in conjunction with natural gas, propane, or home heating oil, and which:-

(1) is designed to be the principle heating source for the living space of a residence;
(2) is not contained within the same cabinet with a central air conditioner with a rated cooling capacity exceeding 65,000 Btu per hour;
(3) is an electric central furnace, electric boiler, forced-air central furnace, gravity central furnace or low-pressure steam or hot water boiler; and
(4) has a heat input rate of less than 300,000 Btu per hour for electric boilers and low-pressure steam or hot water boilers, and less than 225,000 Btu per hour for forced-air central furnaces, gravity central furnace and electric central furnaces.

"Residential ventilating fan", a ceiling, wall-mounted, or remotely mounted in-line fan designed to be used in a bathroom or utility room, whose purpose is to move air from inside the building to the outdoors.

"Showerhead", a device through which water is discharged for a shower bath and includes a handheld showerhead, but does not include a safety showerhead.

"Single-voltage external AC to DC power supply", a device that:

(1) is designed to convert line voltage AC input into lower voltage DC output;
(2) is able to convert to only one DC output voltage at a time;
(3) is sold with, or intended to be used with, a separate end-use product that constitutes the primary power load;
(4) is contained within a separate physical enclosure from the end-use product;
(5) is connected to the end-use product via a removable or hard-wired male/female electrical connection, cable, cord or other wiring;
(6) does not have batteries or battery packs, including those that are removable, that physically attach directly to the power supply unit;
(7) does not have a battery chemistry or type selector switch and indicator light, or does not have a battery chemistry or type selector switch and a state of charge meter; and
(8) has a nameplate output power less than or equal to 250 watts.

"Spray sprinkler body" the exterior case or shell of a sprinkler incorporating a means of connection to the piping system designed to convey water to a nozzle or orifice.

"Standby power", the average power in standby mode, measured in watts.

"State-regulated general service lamp", includes:

(1) Shatter-resistant incandescent lamps, 3-way incandescent lamps and high lumen output incandescent lamps rated at more than 2600 lumens or, in the case of a modified spectrum lamp, more than 1950 lumens, and less than or equal to 3,300 lumens.
(2) Incandescent reflector lamps that are:
(a) ER30, BR30, BR40, or ER40 lamps rated at 50 watts or less;
(b) BR30, BR40, or ER40 lamps rated at 65 watts;
(c) R20 lamps rated at 45 watts or less.
(3) Incandescent lamps that are:
(a) T shape lamps rated at ≤ 40 watts or ≥ 10 inches in length;
(b) B, BA, CA, F, G-16 1/2, G-25, G-30 and S shape lamps;
(c) M-14 lamps rated at ≤ 40 watts.

"State-regulated incandescent reflector lamp", a lamp, not colored or designed for rough or vibration service applications, with an inner reflective coating on the outer bulb to direct the light, an E26 medium screw base, a rated voltage or voltage range that lies at least partially within 115 to 130 volts and that falls into either of the following categories: a bulged reflector, elliptical reflector, blown parabolic aluminized reflector or similar bulb shape with a diameter equal to or greater than 2.25 inches; or a reflector, parabolic aluminized reflector, bulged reflector or similar bulb shape with a diameter of 2.25 to 2.75 inches, inclusive.

"State plumbing code", the uniform state plumbing code, amendments and rules and regulations thereto, as promulgated by the board of state examiners of plumbers and gas fitters under the provisions of section thirteen of chapter one hundred and forty-two.

"Storage-type", thermally conditioned water that is stored in a tank in the water cooler and is available instantaneously, including, but not limited to, point of use, dry storage compartment and bottled water coolers.

"Transformer", a device consisting of 2 or more coils of insulated wire and that is designed to transfer alternating current by electromagnetic induction from 1 coil to another to change the original voltage or current value. This term does not include: (1) devices with multiple voltage taps, with the highest voltage tap equaling at least 20 per cent more than the lowest voltage tap; or (2) devices, such as those commonly known as drive transformers, rectifier transformers, auto-transformers, uninterruptible power system transformers, impedance transformers, regulating transformers, sealed and non-ventilating transformers, machine tool transformers, welding transformers, grounding transformers or testing transformers, that are designed to be used in a special-purpose application and are unlikely to be used in general-purpose applications.

"Trough-type urinal", a urinal designed for simultaneous use by 2 or more persons.

"Urinal", a plumbing fixture that receives only liquid body waste and conveys the waste through a trap into a drainage system.

"Water closet", a plumbing fixture with a water-containing receptor that receives liquid and solid body waste through an exposed integral trap into a drainage system.

"Water cooler", a freestanding device that consumes energy to cool or heat potable water; provided however, that such device shall not be wall-mounted, under-sink or otherwise building integrated.

"Water heater", an automatically controlled vessel designed primarily for heating and storing water to provide hot water service for domestic or sanitary purposes.

"Water use", the quantity of water flowing through a showerhead, faucet, water closet or urinal at point of use.

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 25B, § 25B:2

Amended by Acts 2024, c. 239,§ 28, eff. 2/18/2025.
Amended by Acts 2024, c. 239,§ 27, eff. 2/18/2025.
Amended by Acts 2024, c. 239,§ 26, eff. 2/18/2025.
Amended by Acts 2024, c. 239,§ 25, eff. 2/18/2025.
Amended by Acts 2024, c. 239,§ 24, eff. 2/18/2025.
Amended by Acts 2021 , c. 8, Secs.§ 36, § 37, § 38, § 39, § 40, § 41, § 42, § 43, § 44, § 45, § 46, § 47, § 48 eff. 6/24/2021.
Amended by Acts 2021 , c. 8, § 35, eff. 6/24/2021.
Amended by Acts 2008 , c. 169, § 45, eff. 7/2/2008.
Amended by Acts 2005 , c. 139, Secs.§ 1, § 2, § 3, § 4, § 5, § 6, § 7 eff. 2/20/2006.
This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.