DOE sets stricter efficiency standards, starting in 2028
By Alan Wolf, YSN
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has mandated stricter new efficiency standards for washers and dryers beginning four years from now.
The new regulations will provide a 3% savings in energy use by residential washers, relative to current models, and an 11% savings in energy use by consumer clothes dryers, compared to products presently on the market, the DOE said. According to Grist, a non-profit environmental journal, top-load washers will be 11% more energy efficient and use 28% less water than current comparable products under the new regs, while dryers will see up to a 40% reduction in energy use depending on the model.
Both rules go into effect on March 1, 2028.
The new laundry standards are the latest in a series of Biden administration appliance mandates, also affecting refrigerators, gas ranges and dishwashers, that are intended to reduce power and water consumption and dramatically cut CO2 emissions. The new regulations were actually prompted by an out-of-court settlement reached after a coalition of cities, states and consumer and environmental groups sued the DOE for failing to update energy efficiency standards as required by law.
The final rules represent a scaled-back compromise reached by the environmental group Appliance Standard Awareness Project (ASAP) and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the industry’s leading trade organization. The initial proposals were criticized by AHAM, energy interests and smaller-government advocates that claimed the stringent standards would sacrifice performance and make laundry products prohibitively expensive.
“When you’re squeezing all you can out of the efficiency in terms of electricity use and water … you by definition either make the appliance worse or slower,” said Travis Fisher, a former senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and current Cato Institute director. Speaking last year with The Washington Free Beacon, he asked, “Why are we so focused on the energy output, as opposed to if it’s helping me wash my clothes? That standard has kind of gone off the rails.”
But according to the DOE, the final laundry rules are supported by a broad coalition of appliance manufacturers, consumer advocates and environmental groups, and will save consumers up to $39 billion in utility bills while reducing CO2 emissions by 71 million metric tons over 30 years.
“For decades, DOE’s appliance standards actions for clothes washers and dryers have provided loads of savings for American families while also decreasing harmful carbon emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With strong support from industry leaders and consumer advocates, DOE will continue to roll out innovative appliance solutions throughout 2024 to lower costs for the American people.”
Added Jill Notini, vice president of communications and marketing for AHAM, in an email to Grist, “We are pleased that the [Department of Energy] accepted this joint recommendation that saves some energy. [It] also allows manufacturers to provide consumers with the products and features they love and rely upon.”
