New Energy Efficiency Standards Set
February 6, 2009 by Steph
Yesterday President Obama signed a memorandum that ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to create new, more energy efficient standards for a variety of household appliances. The list includes commonly used items such as dishwashers, refrigerators, lamps, and ovens. The memorandum addresses a series of deadlines first set by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 that have been missed by previous administrations.
The requested changes are estimated to save Americans $500 billion in electric bills. They will also save the equivalent amount of energy as that produced in two years by all coal-fired power plants in the U.S., thus reducing greenhouse gases.
The memorandum instructed the Department of Energy to finalize rules for nine appliances by this August to cover air conditioners, lamps, ovens, and vending machines. The remaining rules are to be completed by 2011; Mr. Obama asked that higher priority be given to changes that promise the biggest savings.
For more on the changes, as well as the full text of President Obama’s remarks to the Department of Education, visit the CBS News Political Hotsheet.
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Great for Obama, but the reality is we all have to be accountable to get the earth cleaned up.
Ken, I couldn’t agree more. But having more energy efficient appliances will help people make more earth-friendly choices.
A great initiative to reduce the damage to the Ozone Layer. Other leading industrialized nations like Japan, Germany, France and the United kigdom should definitely follow suit.
Maddie, the U.S. actually has quite a bit of catching up to do to match the energy efficiency efforts of other industrialized countries. The U.S. uses more energy than any other country, even those with MUCH larger populations. To see a comparison of population sizes and energy use, check out the Population and Energy Consumption page of World Population Balance.
Some details about energy reduction efforts in Japan were detailed in The Washington Post. Note that this was back in 2006, well before the big increases in the price of oil.
Let us hope this memorandum is not pushed under the rug and action is taken. The U.S has been very reluctant to make major changes and I hope President Obama has the backbone needed to make a difference.
Brenda, Congress is also working on these issues. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was released by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce committee earlier this year.