Land of the free, home of inefficiency: Appliance standards become culture war target

From ceiling fans to refrigerators, the Department of Energy is updating energy efficiency standards for appliances that will impact millions of consumers.

The Biden administration aims to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases, saving Americans billions of dollars in utility costs each year. But the government is facing pushback from the gas industry over new standards that would affect gas appliances. The measures have also taken note of conservative politicians and the media, who are now turning unappealing standards for technology equipment into a flashpoint in the country’s culture wars.

Resistance to energy efficiency measures comes from top Republicans. Former President Donald Trump had a history of lowering efficiency standards and may do so again if elected next year. Trump has repeatedly claimed that new dishwashers don’t perform as well as older, less efficient ones.

“Someone says they’re going to wash the dishes and then they press the button five times, so they end up wasting probably more water than if they did it once,” Trump said at a rally in 2020.

His statement is incorrect. A study of the quality of appliances that meet energy efficiency standards found that “prices decrease while quality and consumer welfare increase, especially as standards become more stringent.” Extensive testing of appliances by Consumer Reports confirms this a little.

“Improving an appliance’s energy efficiency does not affect its durability or quality. All of that… depends on the manufacturer and its designers,” said Shanika White, associate director of product sustainability, research and testing at Consumer Reports. Shanika Whitehurst said.

It’s unclear why some conservatives have targeted energy efficiency. But many of their claims fit into a broader narrative about alleged government overreach. For example, they argue that efficiency standards limit consumer choice by removing older, less efficient products from the market.

“I’m certainly glad the Department of Energy is here to make sure we all save money because we’re too stupid to figure out how to do it ourselves,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., told a House committee indicated above. Oversight and Accountability Hearing last July.

“Thank you so much for limiting our options. We thought we were free in America until we met you,” Perry told DOE Undersecretary for Science and Innovation Geraldine Richmond.

Richmond noted that the law requires regular review of standards. The Trump administration is behind schedule on this requirement.

As part of President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda, his administration has stepped up scrutiny of energy efficiency standards. Collectively, the measures will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.4 billion tons over 30 years and save Americans more than $570 billion, the department said.

Cleaning up the Trump administration’s backlog of cases

“So what you’re seeing now is the Biden administration trying to catch up and update standards that haven’t been revised in a decade or more,” said Joanna Mohr, deputy director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

One of the most recently approved standards is for household furnaces. To meet the requirements, almost all new furnaces must be “condensing” models.

Condensing furnaces that blow hot air and boilers that heat water for radiators are already installed in homes.

In a rowhouse in suburban Philadelphia, Oval Heating and Air Conditioning owner Jimmy Stoykov and his crew recently installed a condensing boiler. The work is being organized through the Energy Coordination Agency, which provides free heating repairs to low-income households.

“We are replacing the standard 80% boiler with a 95% condensing boiler,” Stoykov said. He said the old boiler converted 80 percent of the natural gas energy into heat. The new condensing boiler increases this efficiency to 95%, saving homeowners 15% on gas bills.

A condensing boiler or furnace is more efficient because it reduces the amount of heat entering the chimney. It recovers heat and brings it back to the house. The installation required more work, requiring new vents on the side of the house and new pipes to drain the condensation.

This costs more than installing a traditional boiler. That’s why gas utilities are fighting new standards for gas furnaces. They worry the extra cost will prompt people to stop using natural gas.

Natural gas utilities worry about ‘fuel switch’

“When you add in the costs associated with replacing the unit and the costs associated with ventilation, the cost may be prohibitive for some people, which will lead them to switch fuel to electric heat,” President Dave Shriver (Dave Shryver) said. CEO of the American Public Gas Association (APGA), which represents publicly owned natural gas utilities.

Natural gas utilities already face headwinds due to health concerns about using natural gas for cooking and the climate-warming impact of methane, its main component.

“The AGA seeks to work with the Department of Energy to address the rule’s far-reaching impacts on consumers and homeowners,” American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert wrote in a statement.

The AGA and APGA, which represent investor-owned natural gas utilities, are both challenging the new furnace standards in court.

The Department of Energy continues to review about three dozen energy efficiency standards. The process for approving new requirements could also be streamlined. That’s because efficiency advocates struck a deal with appliance manufacturers in September. Together, they recommended the department tighten standards for refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers, washers, dryers, dishwashers and stoves.