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The final few weeks of 2015 proved busy ones for new national appliance and equipment standards. The Department of Energy (DOE) completed the biggest energy-saving standard in agency history, along with several important but lower-profile standards which will collectively yield large energy and economic savings. Some of them point the way to much larger future savings.

The Department of Energy (DOE) issued new efficiency standards today for commercial and industrial pumps that are based on efficiency levels negotiated by manufacturers, efficiency advocates, and other stakeholders. In addition to establishing the first-ever national efficiency standards for pumps, the final rule also provides a mechanism for energy efficiency programs to incentivize high-efficiency pump packages.

Yesterday, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued two rules affecting ceiling fans: a proposed rule that would establish the first efficiency performance standards for ceiling fans, and a final rule that improves the efficiency of the lights attached to ceiling fans.

New energy efficiency standards for certain types of specialized air conditioners will reduce cooling costs for many schools as well as other buildings. The new standards issued by the US Department of Energy (DOE) last week will cut cooling energy use by about 18% relative to the current standards.

Late yesterday, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed strong new standards that would reduce the energy consumed by beverage vending machines to keep drinks cold. The proposed standards would cut energy use by 25-65% relative to the least-efficient machines available now, and save money for schools, hospitals, hotels, and other businesses and institutions where beverage vending machines are used.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) proposed new efficiency standards today for kitchen ovens that would improve cooking efficiency and reduce “vampire” energy waste. The proposed standards would cut energy use by 3-12% for electric ovens and 11-33% for gas ovens relative to today’s baseline products. 

Last summer, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued new efficiency standards for furnace fans, which are a little-known energy hog that may be lurking in your basement. Today, DOE proposed new standards that would help tame another energy hog that may be in your basement—dehumidifiers.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed new efficiency standards yesterday for commercial and industrial pumps that are based on efficiency levels negotiated by manufacturers, efficiency advocates, and other stakeholders. The proposal would establish the first-ever national efficiency standards for pumps.

On the heels of a proposed rule for new efficiency standards for furnaces, late on Friday the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a proposed rule for another type of home heating equipment. While the proposed standards for boilers would save money for many consumers in cold climates, higher standards could achieve significantly greater energy savings.