BREAKTHOUGH ON APPLIANCE EFFIENCY

Major Home Appliance Efficiency Gains to Deliver Huge National Energy and Water Savings and Help to Jump Start the Smart Grid; Industry and Advocacy Groups Agree on New Efficiency Standards, Tax Credits and “Smart” Appliances
August 3, 2010 (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)

"Home appliance manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates have agreed to improved efficiency standards and tax policies for refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and room air conditioners. This agreement could save enough energy to meet the total energy needs of 40 percent of American homes for one year and the amount of water necessary to meet the current water needs of every customer in the City of Los Angeles for 25 years…[There will also be major] emissions reductions…

"Appliance manufactures and efficiency advocates will pursue adoption of these recommendations through administrative action by the Department of Energy and through legislative action by Congress…[T]he recommended standards and tax credits will save more than 9 quads of energy over 30 years…The recommended water efficiency standards and tax credits for clothes washers and dishwashers will save about 5 trillion gallons over 30 years…[The emissions] reductions are equivalent to taking 100 million of today’s typical cars off the road for a year…"

From ACEEE (click to enlarge)

"The recommended new standards will reduce new refrigerator and freezer energy use by up to 30 percent by January 2014. For top loading clothes washers, 26 percent energy savings and 16 percent water savings would kick in for 2015 relative to current standards, increasing to 37 percent energy and water savings in 2018. For front loading clothes washers, the savings will be 43 percent for energy and 52 percent for water in 2015 compared to today’s standards. Clothes dryers will increase in efficiency by 5 percent in 2015…Room air conditioners will see a 10 to 15 percent increase in efficiency effective June 2014 and dishwashers will see 14 percent energy savings and 23 percent water savings beginning in January 2013…"

How the $2,200 yearly energy bill for a typical single home is used. (from Energy Star - click to enlarge)

"For a typical household, products just meeting the new standards would cut their total electric bill by about 6 percent relative to products just meeting the current standards…[T]he net total national benefits for consumers for products purchased through 2030 will reach nearly $30 billion…[E]stimated upfront cost increases to make products more efficient will pay back in lower energy bills well within the life of the affected products, often within just a few years.

"Additional key features of the agreement include…Support for a three-year extension and update of an existing manufacturers' tax credit for the production of super-efficient clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers…A planned petition to the ENERGY STAR program to provide a 5 percent credit to the required energy levels for smart appliances…Recommendations that DOE improve test methods for dryers and refrigerators to better represent actual product energy use…"