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Imagine standing on a sightseeing boat at the foot of Niagara Falls as millions of gallons of water gush over the American Falls, mesmerized by the massive flow and the power of the churning waters. Imagine staying there for 7 months, 2 weeks, and 1 day as the water pours over the falls day after day after day.

New efficiency standards that took effect today will save money for restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and other businesses that use commercial refrigerators and freezers. Manufacturers have introduced new products that not just meet the new standards, but in some cases are significantly more efficient than what the minimum standards require.

On December 28, 2016, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued five new efficiency standards, culminating a decade of energy efficiency progress that began under President George W. Bush. The new standards will save consumers money, help meet the nation’s energy needs and reduce environmentally harmful emissions, including greenhouse gases.

On December 28, 2016, the US Department of Energy issued a direct final rule establishing the first-ever national energy efficiency standards for swimming pool pumps.

On December 28, 2016, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued new energy efficiency standards for certain types of walk-in cooler and freezer equipment based on an agreement negotiated by a stakeholder working group.

On December 28, 2016, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued new energy efficiency standards for the relatively obscure, but important, class of products know as uninterruptible power supplies or UPS.  UPS provide critical protection from outages or fluctuations in electricity supply for sensitive electronic devices, particularly desktop computers (laptops usually have their own batteries built in).

On December 28, 2016, the US Department of Energy issued the first-ever energy efficiency standards for portable air conditioners (ACs). The new standards will reduce energy use more than 20% relative to the least-efficient products available today.

On December 28, 2016, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued new energy efficiency standards for commercial boilers, which are commonly used to heat schools, offices, apartments, and hospitals, among other building types. The new standards will reduce commercial boiler energy consumption by about 2-6% relative to the current standards.

This week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved first-in-the-nation energy efficiency standards for computers and computer displays, or monitors (CEC factsheet).