Industry and Advocacy Groups Agree on New Efficiency Standards for Home Appliances

Home appliance manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates announced a major agreement offering major efficiency advancements for
refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and room
air conditioners.  The deal could save consumers BILLIONS of dollars
on energy bills and reduce global warming emissions for decades to come!

The major energy-saving deal was announced today by AHAM, American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and a nationwide
coalition of energy and water efficiency supporters  who have called for
new national minimum efficiency standards, production tax credits for
super-efficient appliances and inclusion of “smart grid?? readiness as a feature
of future ENERGY STAR qualified appliances.

Based on Department of Energy (DOE) analysis, the recommended standards and tax credits will save more than 9 quads of energy over 30 years, or roughly enough to meet the total energy needs of 40 percent of American homes for one year.  The recommended water efficiency standards and tax credits for clothes washers and dishwashers will save about 5 trillion gallons over 30 years.  Global warming CO2 will be reduced by 550 million metric tons over the same time period, without considering the emissions reductions from smart appliances.  These reductions are equivalent to taking 100 million of today’s typical cars off the road for a year.

The official announcement along with more details of the agreement, including the proposed new minimum efficiency standards, is available on the AHAM website.

For some additional reading: NRDC blogger Lane Burt discussed the potential impact this agreement could have on appliance energy savings today on NRDC's Switchboard – read it here.  The Environmental Leader and Climate Wire also covered the news.