Report: Appliance standards generate big savings for energy consumers

Dive Brief:

American households on average saved about $500 on electric bills in 2015, the result of existing efficiency standards for appliances and lighting. In Hawaii, where residents pay the nation's highest price for energy, savings were almost $950.
A new report from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) also estimates business utility bill savings from standards reached nearly $23 billion in 2015.
Average household savings by state ranged from 11% to 27% of total consumer utility bills, with a national average savings of 16%, according to the white paper "Energy-Saving States of America: How Every State Benefits from National Appliance Standards."

Dive Insight:

Appliance standards aren't something your average family gives a lot of thought to, but across the nation rules on water heaters and washers are helping keep power bills manageable.

After Hawaii, residents in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Alaska and New Hampshire all had household savings above $600 in 2015.

National Consumer Law Center attorney Charlie Harak said in a statement that in particular, low-income households benefit from the standards, which help ensure they "aren't saddled with inefficient appliances that are energy hogs."

Florida and Arizona topped the rankings of energy saved, with each burning about 3,000 kWh less than they otherwise would have absent the standards, the report found.

"Appliance standards work to boost local economies by putting savings in consumers’ and business owners’ pockets," said ASAP Executive Director Andrew deLaski. "Money saved on utility bills gets plowed back into the economy, creating jobs. Energy savings in turn reduce the need to site and pay for new power generation facilities, transmission lines and pipelines, thereby helping to moderate energy prices, which further benefits all consumers and businesses."

Under President Obama, the federal government rolled out standards expected to reduce carbon emissions by at least 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030. According to the Department of Energy, the standards promulgated by the Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee saved American consumers $55 billion on their utility bills in 2013.