New Standards Will Save Millions of Dollars for Families Nationwide and Help Protect the Planet
BALTIMORE, MD (September 20, 2022) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) committing DOE to a new timetable for updating energy efficiency standards for 20 categories of common consumer products and commercial equipment. The impacted products and equipment range from residential furnaces to laundry machines to electric motors. According to experts’ estimates, updated standards for these products could provide more than $600 billion in total utility bill savings to American families by 2050 and avoid more than 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually by 2040.
Attorney General Frosh joins a coalition of 17 states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York in today’s agreement, which resolves a complaint the coalition filed against DOE in 2020. The complaint alleged DOE failed to comply with deadlines for updating energy efficiency standards for a range of product categories set by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA).
“Improving the energy efficiency of our everyday appliances is one of the most commonsense ways we can combat the climate crisis,” said Attorney General Frosh. “This consent decree ensures that DOE will update the standards for 20 of these common products in a timely fashion, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and saving families billions of dollars.”
DOE’s energy efficiency standards currently cover more than 60 product categories. Nationwide, these products together use about 90 percent of the total amount of energy used in homes, 60 percent of the total amount energy used in commercial buildings, and 30 percent of the total amount of energy used in industrial facilities.
The EPCA requires DOE to periodically review and revise these efficiency standards to ensure they are set at the maximum, technically feasible, and cost-effective efficiency level. The 2020 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York claimed DOE had missed EPCA deadlines for review and revision of efficiency standards for multiple product categories. In the filing, the coalition alleged that in failing to meet deadlines, DOE deprived American families of the benefits of lower energy bills, a more reliable electricity grid, and reduced emissions of dangerous air pollutants that contribute to climate change and harm public health.
Joining Attorney General Frosh in today’s agreement are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the City of New York.
BALTIMORE, MD (September 20, 2022) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) committing DOE to a new timetable for updating energy efficiency standards for 20 categories of common consumer products and commercial equipment. The impacted products and equipment range from residential furnaces to laundry machines to electric motors. According to experts’ estimates, updated standards for these products could provide more than $600 billion in total utility bill savings to American families by 2050 and avoid more than 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually by 2040.
Attorney General Frosh joins a coalition of 17 states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York in today’s agreement, which resolves a complaint the coalition filed against DOE in 2020. The complaint alleged DOE failed to comply with deadlines for updating energy efficiency standards for a range of product categories set by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA).
“Improving the energy efficiency of our everyday appliances is one of the most commonsense ways we can combat the climate crisis,” said Attorney General Frosh. “This consent decree ensures that DOE will update the standards for 20 of these common products in a timely fashion, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and saving families billions of dollars.”
DOE’s energy efficiency standards currently cover more than 60 product categories. Nationwide, these products together use about 90 percent of the total amount of energy used in homes, 60 percent of the total amount energy used in commercial buildings, and 30 percent of the total amount of energy used in industrial facilities.
The EPCA requires DOE to periodically review and revise these efficiency standards to ensure they are set at the maximum, technically feasible, and cost-effective efficiency level. The 2020 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York claimed DOE had missed EPCA deadlines for review and revision of efficiency standards for multiple product categories. In the filing, the coalition alleged that in failing to meet deadlines, DOE deprived American families of the benefits of lower energy bills, a more reliable electricity grid, and reduced emissions of dangerous air pollutants that contribute to climate change and harm public health.
Joining Attorney General Frosh in today’s agreement are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the City of New York.
