Since 2004, ten states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington) have established new energy-saving standards covering between 5-30 products, most through new state legislation. In August, 2005, Congress took its cue from the states and made 15 of these state standards federal law.
From light bulbs to office water coolers to DVD players, new appliance energy efficiency standards could save consumers and businesses billions of dollars, ease pressure on high energy prices, eliminate the need for as many as 40 power plants, and cut global warming pollution, according to a report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP).
By lowering natural gas use, the standards could help lead to lower natural gas prices. In a separate 2005 study, ACEEE found that a 2 to 4% reduction in natural gas use can reduce natural gas prices by 20% or more in tight market conditions. The recommended appliance efficiency standards would start saving natural gas immediately, with savings levels growing to 340 billion cubic feet per year by 2020, about 1.3% of U.S. Department of Energy’s projected national consumption for that year.
According to the report, if adopted nationally, the natural gas savings from the new standards would be enough to heat 6.3 million typical U.S. households. Electricity savings would reach 52 billion kilowatt hours per year by 2020, an amount equivalent to 2% of projected 2020 commercial and residential electricity use. Savings from the standards would eliminate the need for about 40 average-sized power plants by 2020 and cut global warming carbon pollution by 12 million metric tons annually, equal to the emissions of 12 million typical cars. Altogether, purchasers of affected products would net more than $50 billion in savings over about twenty years.
Products for which the report recommends state efficiency standards include: bottle-type water dispensers; DVD players, certain audio products, and external power supplies for electronics (a.k.a., “energy vampires”); reflector light bulbs and certain commercial light fixtures; swimming pool pumps and heaters; hot tubs; and walk-in refrigerators. Strong state standards for home furnaces and boilers, a product covered by an out-of-date federal standard, would yield the biggest savings. The new report provides details on each of the products for which new state standards make sense.
According to deLaski, standards are a “proven successful” way to curtail energy waste. New standards can be set at the state or federal level, but states have nearly always acted first. States first set appliance and equipment efficiency standards in the 1970s and 1980s, leading eventually to federal standards for more than two dozen products. Based on U.S. Department of Energy data, these already existing standards, which cover products ranging from home refrigerators to commercial air conditioners, will cut U.S. electricity use by nearly 8% by 2020.
An online appendix of state-by-state impact data can be found on the ASAP Web site at www.standardsASAP.org
Leading the Way: Continued Opportunities for New State Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards is available for free download at: