Department of Energy to Postpone Biden-Era Appliance Standards

WASHINGTON, DC — On February 19, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced the Department of Energy will postpone the implementation of seven of the Biden administration’s mandates on home appliances.

In the announcement, Wright referred to the action as, “a key step in undoing the previous administration’s burdensome policies that have driven up costs, reduced choice and diminished the quality of Americans’ home appliances… The people, not the government, should be choosing the home appliances and products they want at prices they can afford."

Today’s actions postpone the efficiency standards for the following home appliance rules:

• Central Air Conditioners
• Clothes Washers and Dryers
• General Service Lamps
• Walk-In Coolers and Freezers
• Gas Instantaneous Water Heaters
• Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
• Air Compressors

Additionally, the Department of Energy is creating a new energy efficiency category for natural gas tankless water heaters. Creating a new category for these popular and low-cost water heaters will exempt these products from the Biden Administration’s rules.

These actions were announced alongside action taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to overhaul all Biden administration WaterSense specifications.