Appliance Standards
The U.S. Department of Energy's Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards Program (the Program) develops test procedures and minimum efficiency standards for residential appliances and commercial equipment.
A description of the program – its history, current activities and plans for the next five years – is provided in the Multi-Year Program Plan for Building Regulatory Programs
, last updated in October 2010.
On November 16, 2010, the Department of Energy announced it is making changes to expedite its rulemaking process. The Department has already taken steps to improve its internal management of the rulemaking process, and is now making further changes designed to make the rulemaking process more efficient. Those changes can be viewed in the DOE Announces Changes to the Energy Conservation Standards Process.
On this site, you can find out more about DOE's program, find the general rules and regulations that manufacturers need to comply with, and find the latest information on rulemaking, standards, and test procedures for specific products. We also welcome efficiency/environmental advocates, states, utilities, retailers and consumers to use this site as a way to participate in all stages of the rulemaking process.
On August 5, 2011, DOE published a Request for Information seeking comment regarding how it should consider "smart" appliances in future energy conservation standards and test procedures for the Appliance Standards Program, as well as in the test procedures for the ENERGY STAR Program. In the RFI, DOE also seeks comment on smart appliance definitions as well as data from any field trials or market studies. 76 FR 47518.
- DOE issued a notice extending the comment period on the request for information regarding "smart" appliances. DOE will now accept comments until September 30, 2011.
On February 22, 2011, the Department of Energy published a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) in the Federal Register (76 FR 9696) that provides information on how DOE may improve regulatory analysis by addressing equipment price trends and potential consumer welfare impacts, and requests comment on methods for equipment price forecasting in energy conservation standards analysis. The data and other supplemental material referred to in the NODA are available at the Supplemental Information and Data on Equipment Price Forecasting.
On December 2, 2010, the Department of Energy issued guidance to help clarify how DOE distinguishes between industrial/commercial and residential/consumer appliances for the purposes of its energy and water conservation standards. This guidance is provided in the FAQ on Consumer Products and Commercial Equipment.
Note for Residential Appliance and Commercial Equipment Consumers:
As mentioned above, the Program develops rules and regulations that manufacturers must adhere to in manufacturing products. These regulations apply to products manufactured for sale in as well as those imported into the United States. While the minimum energy efficiency standards require manufacturers to discontinue manufacturing products that do not meet the efficiency standards, products manufactured before the effective date of the new standards may still be sold.
Additionally, new performance standards do not make equipment that is already installed obsolete. There is no requirement for consumers to replace existing equipment before the time that they would normally replace those appliances or pieces of equipment. However, the Department encourages consumers to consider efficiency when making purchase decisions since savings in operating costs can more than offset any incremental increases in purchase price.
Full-Fuel-Cycle Analyses for Use in Energy Conservation Standards
In its effort to adopt several National Academy of Sciences recommendations, DOE's Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards Program intends to modify the methods it uses to estimate the likely impacts of energy conservation standards for covered products on energy use and emissions and to expand the energy use and emissions information made available to consumers. Specifically, DOE intends to use full-fuel-cycle (FFC) measures of energy and emissions, rather than the primary energy measures it currently uses.
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April 13, 2011
