Change that will save us all money

Posted on February 8, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized |

washer In case you need another example of how different this Administration is from the last one when it comes to energy policy, take a look at energy efficiency standards for appliances. Here’s the Bush Adminstration:

The Bush administration was sued by environmental groups and 14 states for failing to update efficiency standards for 22 appliances as required by laws dating back to the 1970s. Following a 2006 settlement of the lawsuit and new legislation, the Bush White House eventually finalized standards for four appliances.

And the Obama Administration:

President Obama ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday to set tough new energy-efficiency standards for a broad range of home appliances, from dishwashers and ovens to lamps and air conditioners….He estimated that over 30 years, they’d save Americans $500 billion in electric bills and the amount of energy produced in two years by all coal-fired power plants in the U.S.

The plan has two parts–the first requires new efficiency standards for nine appliances, from dishwashers to lightbulbs, but also including soda vending machines and industrial boilers. After that, DOE will be required to come up with standards for dozens more appliances, starting with the ones that are likely to save the most energy.

Surprisingly, the biggest gains are likely to come from a pretty simple appliance, according to experts:

“Far and away, the biggest potential energy savers in this package are the standards due by June 30 for linear fluorescent lamps and reflector lamps,” says Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Boston-based Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), which lobbies for improved energy efficiency.

The new standards will go a long way toward saving energy, but you don’t have to wait for the federal government to act. You can find lots of suggestions on how save energy now in the SmartPower Minute or our SmartTip of the Week.

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