The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday announced it would withdraw four appliance efficiency standards and officially postpone the effective dates for three other rules, continuing the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency’s appliance efficiency program.
While several of DOE’s actions were previously announced or are relatively minor, the agency’s decision to withdraw a rule related to electric motors is “uncharted territory,” Appliance Standards Awareness Project Executive Director Andrew deLaski said.
DOE has “officially withdrawn four conservation standards, including standards on electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and external power supplies,” the agency said in a statement. “This continued commitment to the American people will slash unnecessary red tape and regulations that raise prices, reduce consumer choice, and frustrate the American people.”
DOE also announced it has officially postponed the effective dates for three home appliance rules, including those covering test procedures for central air conditioners and heat pumps, efficiency standards for walk-in coolers and freezers and standards for gas instantaneous water heaters.
“By removing burdensome regulations put in place by the Biden administration, we are returning freedom of choice to the American people, ensuring consumers can choose the home appliances that work best for their lives and budgets,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement. “This power should not belong to the federal government.”
DOE first said in February that it planned to postpone the implementation of several appliance energy efficiency standards finalized by the Biden administration. The natural gas sector hailed the announcement as a win for consumer choice, while efficiency advocates warn the decision could add billions to utility bills.
While delaying or not finalizing rule updates begun under the previous administration isn’t particularly noteworthy, deLaski said DOE’s decision on electric motors is different. That rule was signed by a DOE official and put out to the public, but was not published in the Federal Register.
“And that’s a big rule … a massive amount of energy consumed in industry and commercial buildings is in electric motors,” deLaski said. The rule was supported by manufacturers and utilities, he added, leading to the fundamental question: “When is a rule final?”
The now-withdrawn rule for electric motors was expected to save American businesses up to $56 billion on utility bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 156 million metric tons over 30 years of sales, ASAP said in January, pointing to DOE estimates.
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act says DOE must review appliance efficiency standards every six years. But Trump’s policies favor less regulation, and the Project 2025 platform created by the Heritage Foundation and shaped by numerous previous and current Trump administration officials, called for eliminating appliance standards completely.
The House Rules Committee this week is considering H.J. Res. 24, and H.J. Res. 75, to overturn DOE rules relating to conservation standards for walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers, and commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers, respectively.
The rules are “yet another example of the regulatory barrage that the Biden administration launched against Main Street as well as consumers,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chair of the rules committee, said Monday. “Regulating this country into the ground benefits absolutely no one — that’s an indisputable fact.”
Under Biden, the DOE’s appliance efficiency program boosted the standards for more than two dozen product classes, though the implementation of those standards for some appliances is still years away. The agency in December estimated that the stronger appliance standards would save consumers about $1 trillion and cut emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons over three decades.
