Out
of Washington
April 1, 2010
Secretary Chu Announces
More Stringent Appliance Standards for Home Water Heaters and Other
Heating Products
New standards to save consumers
up to $10 billion over 30 years
WASHINGTON (DOE) - U.S. Department of Energy
Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the Department has
finalized higher energy efficiency standards for a key group of
heating appliances that will together save consumers up to $10
billion and prevent up to 164 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
emissions over 30 years. These new standards - for residential water
heaters, pool heaters and direct heating equipment such as gas
fireplaces - will reduce air pollution, prevent the release of
harmful nitrogen oxides and mercury, and avoid emissions equivalent
to taking 46 million cars off the road for one year.
“These energy-conserving appliance standards are a
critical part of the Administration’s overall efforts to save energy
in homes and businesses nationwide,” said Secretary Chu. “By raising
the energy efficiency requirements of our everyday appliances, we
will save money for American families and companies, reduce carbon
pollution, and enhance our energy security for decades to come.”
The standards released on Wednesday increase the
stringency of the existing minimum conservation standards for these
three types of residential heating products, which account for about
18 percent of energy use in homes across the country. The standards
will significantly reduce energy consumption by these products,
including decreasing energy use in large electric storage water
heaters by 47 percent and by more than 30 percent in large gas water
heaters. The standards for water heaters will go into effect in
2015, while the standards for pool heaters and direct heating
equipment – including gas-fired wall, floor and hearth heaters –
will apply to products manufactured in 2013 and beyond.
Under the Obama Administration, the Department of
Energy has accelerated the pace for finalizing new appliance
standards and has placed new resources and emphasis behind the
enforcement of these important standards. Since President Obama came
to office, DOE has issued or codified new efficiency standards for
more than twenty different products, which will save consumers
between $250 and $300 billion on their energy bills through 2030:
•March 2009 - 14 consumer and commercial products
with standards prescribed in the Energy Independence and Security
Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), including dishwashers, general service
incandescent lamps and residential clothes washers •April 2009 –
Microwaves, kitchen ranges and ovens •July 2009 – General service
fluorescent lamps and incandescent reflector lamps •July 2009 –
Commercial heating, air-conditioning and water-heating equipment
•August 2009 – Beverage vending machines •December 2009 – Commercial
clothes washers •February 2010 – Small electric motors •March 2010 –
Residential water heaters, direct heating equipment and pool heaters
In addition to accelerating the pace of new final standards, the
Obama Administration has significantly increased the enforcement of
existing conservation standards. For example, on Monday, the
Department ordered that AeroSys, Inc. stop distributing an air
conditioner and heat pump that independent testing showed were
consuming more energy than allowed under federal efficiency
standards. To ensure that the appliance standards are as effective
as possible, DOE will continue to work aggressively and consistently
to enforce energy efficiency standards across the country.
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