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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-102

§5502 Definitions

Title 42 › CHAPTER 71 — SOLAR ENERGY › SUBCHAPTER I — HEATING AND COOLING › § 5502

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used in this part. "Solar heating" means using the sun to meet part of a building’s heating needs, including hot water, according to performance rules the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development sets with help from the Director of NIST and after consulting the Secretary of Energy and the NASA Administrator. "Solar heating and cooling" and "combined solar heating and cooling" mean using the sun to provide parts of both heating (including hot water) and cooling under the same HUD performance rules. That cooling can include nocturnal heat radiation, evaporation, or other methods to meet peakload energy needs at nonpeakload times. "Residential dwellings" includes previously occupied and new single‑family and multifamily homes, mobile homes, and publicly assisted housing owned by a private sponsor or a State or local housing authority not covered by section 5515 of this title. "Administrator" means the NASA Administrator. "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §5502

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For purposes of this subchapter—
(1)the term “solar heating”, with respect to any building, means the use of solar energy to meet such portion of the total heating needs of such building (including hot water), or such portion of the needs of such building for hot water (where its remaining heating needs are met by other methods), as may be required under performance criteria prescribed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development utilizing the services of the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
(2)the terms “solar heating and cooling” and “combined solar heating and cooling”, with respect to any building, mean the use of solar energy to provide both such portion of the total heating needs of such building (including hot water) and such portion of the total cooling needs of such building, or such portion of the needs of such building for hot water (where its remaining heating needs are met by other methods) and such portion of the total cooling needs of a building, as may be required under performance criteria prescribed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development utilizing the services of the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and such term includes cooling by means of nocturnal heat radiation, by evaporation, or by other methods of meeting peakload energy requirements at nonpeakload times;
(3)the term “residential dwellings” includes previously occupied and new single family and multifamily dwellings, mobile homes, and publicly assisted housing owned by a private sponsor or a State or local housing authority not covered by section 5515 of this title;
(4)the term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
(5)the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and
(6)Omitted.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Par. (6) of this section, which defined the term “Director” as meaning the Director of the National Science Foundation, was omitted because of the

Transfer of Functions

from the National Science Foundation to the Secretary of Energy and the substitution of “Secretary of Energy” for “Director” wherever appearing in this subchapter. See

Transfer of Functions

note set out below.

Amendments

1988—Pars. (1), (2). Pub. L. 100–418 substituted “National Institute of Standards and Technology” for “National Bureau of Standards”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Transfer of Functions

“Secretary of Energy” substituted for “Director of the National Science Foundation” in pars. (1) and (2) pursuant to section 104(f) and 301(h) of Pub. L. 93–438, which are classified to section 5814(f) and 5871(h) of this title and which transferred functions of National Science Foundation relating to or utilized in connection with solar heating and cooling development to Administrator of Energy Research and Development Administration, and pursuant to section 301(a), 703, and 707 of Pub. L. 95–91, which are classified to section 7151(a), 7293, and 7297 of this title and which terminated Energy Research and Development Administration and transferred its functions and functions of Administrator thereof (with certain exceptions) to Secretary of Energy.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 5502

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102