The Biden administration announced new environmental regulations on Friday, targeting various popular home and commercial appliances to reduce carbon emissions. The Department of Energy (DOE) finalized energy efficiency standards for residential refrigerators and freezers while proposing standards for commercial fans and blowers. These measures are expected to eliminate 420 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next three decades and save households and businesses $5 billion annually on utility bills, Fox News Digital reports.
The standards for refrigerators and freezers will be implemented between 2029 and 2030, marking the first update in over a decade. The changes are designed to remove less efficient but cheaper models from the market, resulting in emissions reductions equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 12.7 million homes over 30 years.
Simultaneously, proposed standards for fans and blowers are the first-ever federal regulations targeting these appliances. Following California’s lead, the DOE estimates a reduction of nearly 318 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 30 years.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the administration’s commitment to lower utility costs for working families, strengthen energy independence, and combat climate change. The DOE plans to continue updating and strengthening outdated energy efficiency standards in 2024 in collaboration with industry partners and stakeholders.
Critics, including Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, argue that such standards may increase upfront costs for consumers and potentially compromise product performance. Lieberman highlighted the historical tendency for standards to force choices on everyone, potentially raising upfront costs more than the expected energy savings.
The Biden administration has been actively pursuing environmental regulations throughout the year, with a total of 30 proposed or finalized regulations in 2023. These regulations are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, aiming to provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings and reduce emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons.
Environmentalists have generally supported appliance and energy efficiency regulations, advocating for a shift toward electrification to reduce reliance on natural gas and promote renewable energy sources. The residential and commercial sector accounts for 30% of total end-use carbon emissions in the U.S., making it a crucial target for emission reduction efforts.
