The latest of the Biden administration’s many efforts to reduce energy use and battle climate change, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday unveiled new efficiency standards for electric motors, beverage vending machines, and dishwashers.
A statement claimed that because Americans would use less energy, the limits would result in cheaper costs for them. The government, according to Granholm, is “using all of the tools at our disposal in order to save Americans money while advancing innovations that will lower carbon emissions and fight the climate crisis.”
According to an analysis of the plan issued by Bloomberg Law, new dishwashers shipped into the U.S. starting in 2027 would have to use 27% less energy and 34% less water to operate, while smaller models would need to execute a 22% decrease in power and an 11% water consumption reduction. According to Energy Department experts, customers would have to pay $15 more for a brand-new dishwasher but would end up saving three times as much on energy overall.
An estimate from the Energy Department states that families would save $168 million a year on electricity costs as a result of the new dishwashing regulations. Businesses will save $464 million a year thanks to the requirements for electric motors, which are used in manufacturing and process equipment to transform electrical energy into mechanical energy, and $20 million a year because of the laws for vending machines.
In 2023, the Energy Department will implement efficiency crackdowns for 16 product categories, according to agency officials. These measures are aimed at “preserving reliability and performance across household appliances and commercial and industrial equipment.” The Biden administration has developed a “whole-of-government initiative” to lower carbon emissions, and during the last two years, various related rules have been created.
Even while greater use of the fuel is a major factor in decreasing emissions in the United States, officials stirred up controversy when they announced new emissions regulations for natural gas stoves. When Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. stated in an interview that gas ovens are a “hidden danger” and indicated that “any alternative is on the table” for a national ban, controversy about the proposal first surfaced earlier this year. Alex Hoehn-Saric, the chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, subsequently wrote a statement on his website saying that neither he nor the organization intended to make gas stoves illegal.
Since then, the state of New York has enacted legislation that, as early as 2026, would virtually outlaw the installation of gas stoves in new houses and structures. According to statistics from the Energy Information Administration, gas stoves are used in 38% of homes nationally, with the percentage surpassing 70% in states like California and New Jersey.
The Energy Department also revealed the first federal rules for portable air cleaners as well as new efficiency requirements for air conditioners. In a similar vein, officials unveiled a final rule that mandates single-section, as well as multi-section manufactured homes, meet new climate-dependent energy-efficiency standards. This rule is expected to significantly increase the price of large mobile homes from the $81,400 average cost by about $4,100 and $4,500 for newly manufactured mobile homes.
Comments are closed.