Editor’s Note: The Washington Times published a story detailing the “avalanche of energy rules,” pushed by the Biden administration “to turn entirety of homes green.” As the story explains manufacturers warn the rules will reduce the performance of these appliances, leaving clothes and dishes dirtier, for example. The Washington Times analysis of the impact of the rules is accurate. Consumer choice and features will be sharply curtailed, for minimal, if any, cost savings. Climate Realism excerpts the story below.
Per the Washington Times story, “Biden seeks to turn entirety of homes green; manufacturers of appliances warn of lower performance:”
It’s not just your gas stove that the Biden administration is seeking to regulate in the name of combating climate change — it’s coming for your entire home.
President Biden’s green energy goals have resulted in an array of new efficiency rules for a slew of household appliances, including microwaves and toothbrush chargers. The effort is forcing manufacturers to produce more costly products that they say reverse innovation by decades and potentially eliminate thousands of U.S. jobs.
The Washington Times notes, the Biden administration’s new regulations will require manufacturers to fundamentally redesign the appliances covered by the rules, and any cost savings will be minimal. The Washington Times writes:
Combined, the plethora of rules would save the average family $100 annually by lowering energy bills. (emphasis mine)
Industry leaders say the rules come with steep upfront costs for consumers and negatively impact performance.
Rather than innovating features sought by consumers, the ramped-up regulations for appliances are forcing manufacturers to go backward, said Jill Notini, a spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
“They are literally going to have to redesign products that will look closer to the 1950s than they do to 2020,” Ms. Notini said.
…
One industry executive described the cascade of regulations as “an avalanche” and “unprecedented” in stringency and scope.
…
Energy savings for individual consumers would be small. The new washing machine rules would save less than $8 annually [while removing 98 percent of existing top loading machines from the market], and the clothes dryer efficiency standards would save $36 per year, according to the Energy Department.
To understand the full breadth and scope of the Biden administration’s regulatory restrictions on appliances, and how they will affect average people’s lives, one should read the full story linked above.
Linnea Lueken and myself previously discussed the regulatory onslaught restricting peoples’ choices of furnaces, air conditioners, stoves, lightbulbs, refrigerators, clothes washers, and gasoline and diesel-powered cars, in the Red State article, “Is the Biden Administration Celebrating Earth Day or Lenin’s Birthday With Its Regulatory Onslaught?” The pace, scope, and stringency of the Biden administration’s energy and water efficiency rules are as unprecedented as they are unhelpful, vis a vis, cleaning up the air and water or fighting climate change.
They are just another small step toward de-development, placing us on the path to taking washboards to the river to do laundry.