Special Issue: New Standards for 6 Appliances!

New Agreement on Six Major Home Appliances

The Appliance Standards Awarenesss Project has exciting news about some of the most commonly used appliances in your homes - clothes washers, dishwashers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners. ACEEE, ASAP and a coalition of energy and water efficiency advocates and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) have come to agreement on energy and water efficiency standards for 6 products. The far-reaching agreement could save enough water to meet the current water needs of every customer in the City of Los Angeles for 25 years and enough energy to meet the total energy needs of 40 percent of American homes for one year.

The recommended standards are significant revisions of existing standards. Savings relative to current standards are outlined below with the range representing various product classes (e.g. front and top-load washers or top and bottom-mounted refrigerator/freezers):

Clothes Washers: 26%-43% energy savings; 16-52% water savings
Dishwashers: 14% energy savings; 23% water savings
Dryers: 5% energy savings with additional savings possible
Refrigerators: 20-30% energy savings for major product categories
Freezers: 10-30% energy savings
Room Air Conditioners: 6%-15% energy savings

The coalition will pursue adoption of the recommendations, which include tax incentives for 'smart' appliances, through administrative action by the Department of Energy and through legislative action by Congress. If adopted, most of the standards will take effect between 2013 and 2015.

To learn more about the energy and water savings and to see the product-specific standards, read the press release and the agreement details.