But appliance makers are not out of the woods
By Alan Wolf, YSN
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has revised its energy-saving data for gas-fueled cooking appliances upon which its stringent new range requirements are based.
The agency’s latest analysis lessens the potential energy savings from its proposal, introduced in February, which would crimp stovetop features and require costly redesigns of current models. The amended data now shows that the cooking product revamps would save consumers 9 cents, rather than 13 cents, a month in utility costs over the life of the appliance, while limiting the number of large burners and reducing the functionality of small ones.
Related: House Passes Gas Range Protection Act
The data was revisited in response to public comments on the DOE’s proposed new appliance standard, and after the agency recognized that current cooking appliance models are more efficient than its earlier analysis assumed.
Nonetheless, the Energy Department has yet to make any changes to its proposed standard level and it remains to be seen if and how the agency will act on the revised data. In a statement, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), an industry trade group, said, “This means consumers could still lose access to features and many currently available gas cooking appliance models — in exchange for saving only pennies each month — if the proposed standard takes effect.”
Stay tuned…
