Consumer Clothes Washers
As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), “clothes washer” means a consumer product designed to clean clothes, utilizing a water solution of soap and/or detergent and mechanical agitation or other movement, and must be one of the following classes: automatic clothes washers, semi-automatic clothes washers, and other clothes washers. 10 CFR 430.2 Manufacturers have been required to comply with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation standards for clothes washers since 1988.
Current Standard | Current Test Procedure |
Ongoing Rulemaking for Standards | Ongoing Rulemaking for Test Procedure |
Helpful Links
Recent and Ongoing Activities
Standards
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Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Comment Extension
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
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Notice of Data Availability; Comment Period Reopening
Notice of Data Availability
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| Final Rule |
- Federal Register, 87FR2673 (January 19, 2022)
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Notification of a Webinar and Availability of Preliminary TSD; Comment Extension
Notification of a Webinar and Availability of Preliminary TSD
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- Federal Register, 86FR59889 (October 29, 2021)
- Federal Register, 86FR53886 (September 29, 2021)
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| Final Rule |
- Federal Register, 85FR81359 (December 16, 2022)
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Request for Information; Reopening of the Comment Period
Request for Information; Comment Period Extension
Request for Information
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The clothes washer energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2008-BT-STD-0019 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
Public Meeting Information:
There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
Test Procedure
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Final Rule; Correction Notice
Final Rule
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- Federal Register, 87FR78819 (December 23, 2022)
- Federal Register, 87FR33316 (June 1, 2022)
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Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Comment Extension
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
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- Federal Register, 86FR59652 (October 28, 2021)
- Federal Register, 86FR49140 (September 1, 2021)
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Request for Information; Comment Extension
Request for Information
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The clothes washer test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2010-BT-TP-0021 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.
Public Meeting Information
There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.
Submitting Public Comments
Current Standard
Clothes washers manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 430.32(g).
To determine that clothes washers that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 430.23(j).
Test Cloth Correction Factors
The Test Cloth Correction Factors page contains the information used to determine the test cloth correction factors for each test cloth lot.
Helpful Links
Compliance
DOE has established regulations on certification, compliance, and enforcement in the CFR at 10 CFR Part 429. These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement. More information on these regulations is available here.
Waivers
For information on current test procedure wavers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage.
For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR 430.27.
Exceptions
DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for clothes washers.
For information about obtaining exception relief, see 10 CFR part 1003.
Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions
For information on further guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions on all covered products, see DOE’s Further Guidance database.
State Exemptions to Federal Pre-emption
DOE has not exempted any state from this energy conservation standard. States may petition DOE to exempt a state regulation from preemption by the Federal energy conservation standard. States may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemptions. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart D.
Small Business Exemptions
Any manufacturer of a covered product with annual gross revenues that do not exceed $8,000,000 from all its operations and meets certain other conditions may apply for an exemption to the energy conservation standard. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart E.
ENERGY STAR®
DOE supports the testing and verification of ENERGY STAR® products in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Find tips and guidance for making your home, workplace, or vehicle more energy efficient visit EnergySavers.gov.
For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov
