Appliance and Equipment Standards Translate to Huge Energy Savings
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Program (BTP) has reduced energy costs for consumers and businesses by billions of dollars, as well as associated energy use and emissions, through setting minimum energy performance standards for appliances and commercial equipment. To date, every federal dollar spent has resulted in an average of $650 in net savings, and has also helped spur product innovation. As of 2010, consumers and businesses have saved $15 billion per year, and this annual amount is expected to nearly double by 2025. Savings from these standards free up money to be spent elsewhere, spurring economic growth.
Saving homes and businesses money on utility bills for more than two decades through establishing minimum efficiency standards for residential appliances, commercial equipment, and lighting and plumbing products.
Increasing Appliance and Equipment Efficiency
By covering a broad range of equipment—appliances, refrigeration, space heating and cooling, water heating, and other electrical equipment—the DOE's work with standards development and implementation increases energy efficiency in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. More than 50 kinds of appliances and equipment categories are covered, with these products representing an estimated 82% of home energy use, 67% of commercial building energy use, and about 50% of industrial energy use. Federal efficiency standards reduce the regulatory burden and associated costs for manufacturers by pre-empting a potential patchwork of state standards with a single federal standard.
-
Mandatory energy efficiency standards: By law, DOE must set technically and economically feasible standards at the maximum level of energy efficiency.
-
Test procedures: DOE prescribes the test procedures that manufacturers must follow to assess whether a product meets or exceeds the minimum energy standards required for all products sold in the U.S.
-
Certification and enforcement: DOE seeks to ensure that manufacturers meet standard requirements, and helps consumers by verifying and supporting the enforcement of specifications to ensure that products meet promised energy standards.
-
Support for ENERGY STAR® and other product labels: DOE provides ENERGY STAR verification testing to ensure these products meet the higher efficiency levels promised by ENERGY STAR labels.
Resources
-
Complete listings of residential products and commercial equipment: These listings provide details about each product or equipment type, respectively, and include current regulations; certification, compliance, and enforcement requirements; test procedures; and rulemakings that are in progress.
-
Public Participation: General information about getting involved, or go directly to meeting notices and updates on rulemakings, and the multi-year schedule of new standards rulemakings.
Popular Links
Saving Energy
Tools
Financial Opportunities
News
Energy Department Announces Federal Energy Management Award Winners
October 10, 2012
New York Brings Energy Efficient Technologies to Market
September 26, 2012
Webinars
Events
-
October 17-19, 2012
EEI Fall National Key Accounts Workshop
October 20-24, 2012
Newsletter
Publications
Tell Us What You Think
We recently redesigned this site. Did you find what you needed?