U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Office – Appliance & Equipment Standards

Residential Clothes Washers

This page describes rulemaking activities and regulations regarding energy efficiency for residential clothes washers.

Update to Large-Capacity Clothes Washer Guidance

DOE previously issued enforcement guidance on December 23, 2010 regarding the waiver process for clothes washers with clothes container capacities greater than 3.8 cubic feet. The March 7, 2012 final rule in part amended Table 5.1—Test Load Sizes in Appendix J1 to accommodate clothes washers with clothes container capacities up to 6.0 cubic feet. Table 5.1 in the new Appendix J2 also accommodates clothes washers with capacities up to 6.0 cubic feet. Therefore, manufacturers are no longer required to submit waivers for alternative test procedures for clothes washers with capacities up to 6.0 cubic feet. DOE has subsequently issued revised guidance on large-capacity clothes washer testing.

Interpretive Rule

• Guidance on what is considered the clothes container for purposes of measuring clothes container capacity has been finalized. DOE released a draft interpretive rule in May 2010 and reviewed the comments received. This is the final guidance.

Interpretive Rule

• Guidance on current residential clothes washer test procedure to machines that offer a warm rinse option that is not included in the recommended cycle for washing cotton or linen clothes has been finalized. DOE released a draft interpretive rule on June 30, 2010 and reviewed the comments received. This is the final guidance.

Statutory Authority

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6291, et seq.) established the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other than Automobiles, covering major household appliances including residential clothes washers. Later, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 amended EPCA by establishing energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers and requiring the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to consider amending standards in two subsequent rulemakings. In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) prescribed new standards for residential clothes washers and required that DOE consider amending these standards. DOE is currently developing a rulemaking to review and amend energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6295(g)(9)(B)(i).

Information on the developing rulemaking can be found below, under "Rulemakings Under Development." Documentation and materials associated with the prior rulemaking can also be found below.

Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.

Energy Conservation Standards

Direct Final Rule

• Compliance date notice for Amended Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers, Federal Register, 77 FR 59719, October 1, 2012
• Direct Final Rule, Federal Register, 77 FR 32308, May 31, 2012
• Technical Support Document and Analysis Spreadsheets
• Materials provided in support of stakeholder negotiations

  After a regulatory action has been issued, Section 6(a)(3)(E) of EO 12866 requires agencies to identify in a complete, clear, and simple manner, the substantive changes between the draft submitted to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review and the action subsequently announced, and identify those changes in the regulatory action that were made at the suggestion or recommendation of OIRA. The document at the link below is intended to comply with this requirement.

  • Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers received by OIRA on September 23, 2011 compared with notice concluded on April 26, 2012
  
  

  Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

  • Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Pre-Publication Notice, May 11, 2012

  Framework

  • Framework Document

  Prescribed Energy Conservation Standards

  • Standards prescribed in EISA 2007

  Test Procedures

  • Test Procedure Final Rule Correction #2, Federal Register, 77 FR 24341, April 24, 2012
  • Test Procedure Final Rule Correction, Federal Register, 77 FR 20291, April 4, 2012
  • Test Procedure Final Rule, Federal Register, 77 FR 13888, March 7, 2012
  • Test Procedure Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – Energy Test Cycle
  • Test Procedure Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
  • Test Procedure Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

  Test Cloth Correction Factors

  • Clothes Washer Test Cloth Correction Factor Information

  Previous Federal Register Notices and Technical Support Documents

  • Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedure for Clothes Washers Direct Final Rule and Proposed Rule, Federal Register, 68 FR 62198, October, 31, 2003
  • Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedure for Clothes Washers Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Federal Register, 68 FR 62205, October 31, 2003
  • Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Clothes Washer Energy Conservation Standards Final rule; Denial of reconsideration and completion of regulatory review, Federal Register, 66 FR 19714, April 17, 2001
  • Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Clothes Washer Energy Conservation Standards Final Rule, Federal Register, 66 FR 3314, January 12, 2001
  • Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Clothes Washer Energy Conservation Standards Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Federal Register, 65 FR 59550, October 5, 2000
  • Energy Efficiency Standards for Clothes Washers Technical Support Document, December 2000
  • Additional material used as the basis for the Clothes Washers 2001 Final Rule and the Technical Support Document
  • Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedure for Clothes Washers and Reporting Requirements for Clothes Washers, Clothes Dryers, and Dishwashers Final Rule, Federal Register, 62 FR 45484, August 27, 1997

  Contact Information

  Stephen L. Witkowski, P.E.
  Project Manager
  202-586-7463