Contact: Ben Somberg, 202-658-8129, bsomberg@aceee.org
Washington, DC—Final efficiency standards issued by the Department of Energy (DOE) today for air conditioners for commercial buildings, circulator pumps, dishwashers, and beverage and wine chillers will lower overall costs for businesses and consumers while reducing climate pollution. The standards are each based on joint recommendations from manufacturers and efficiency advocates.
Together the standards will save businesses and households $33 billion on utility bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 134 million metric tons over 30 years of sales, according to the department.
“Consumer, environmental, and efficiency advocates came together with manufacturers of each of these products to recommend the strong standards you’re seeing today. The businesses and households that use these products stand to benefit,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. “The department is catching up on overdue standards, and it needs to keep up that momentum the rest of the year to reach its targets for saving energy.”
Commercial air conditioners and heat pumps
The standards for commercial air conditioners and heat pumps will deliver the largest energy savings of the rules finalized today. They will save a business buying a new model about $1,000–6,000, on average, depending on the size of the unit, over the lifetime of the equipment, taking into account somewhat higher upfront costs and utility bill savings over time, DOE estimates.
The products at issue are rooftop units commonly used to cool small- to mid-sized commercial buildings such as schools, restaurants, big-box stores, and small office buildings. Many buildings have multiple units; a typical big box store, for example, often has more than 20.
The standards are based on recommendations by a DOE-convened working group that included manufacturers and climate and efficiency advocates. DOE had last updated these standards in 2015.
Manufacturers can improve the efficiency of commercial rooftop units by implementing compressor staging and improving the efficiency of fan motors and drives, among other changes.
The commercial air conditioner standards will reduce utility bills by $24 billion and avert 109 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. They will take effect in 2029.
Circulator pumps
Circulator pumps are used to move water in heating and cooling systems in commercial buildings, and in homes with boilers and hot water recirculation systems.
There are currently no efficiency standards in effect for these products. The new circulator pump standards are based on a 2016 joint recommendation from manufacturers and efficiency advocates.
The standards, which can be met by using more-efficient motors, will cut energy use by more than half relative to the least-efficient models installed today.
The circulator pump standards will reduce utility bills by $4.3 billion and avert 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years of sales. They will take effect in 2028.
Dishwashers
The new dishwasher standards are set at efficiency levels that match a joint recommendation from home appliance manufacturers and consumer, climate, and efficiency advocates. DOE had last updated these standards in 2012.
The standards will bring less efficient new models up to the energy and water efficiency of their better-performing peers. Each of the largest manufacturers makes models that already meet these standards.
At least half of dishwasher models with five-star cleaning ratings from Consumer Reports already meet the new standards. In addition, the test procedure that will take effect with the new standards requires that dishwashers meet a cleaning performance threshold, ensuring that all models will be able to clean dishes well.
The dishwasher standards will reduce utility bills by $3.2 billion and avert 9.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. They will take effect in 2027.
More information on the dishwasher standards is available in a new ASAP fact sheet.
Beverage and wine chillers
The new standards for miscellaneous refrigeration products will improve the efficiency of several types of beverage and wine chillers, products that are designed to maintain a higher temperature than conventional refrigerators. The standards will reduce energy use in the most common products by 30% relative to the least-efficient models sold today.
These standards are at the levels jointly recommended by home appliance manufacturers and consumer, climate, and efficiency advocates. DOE had set the first national standards for these products in 2016.
The beverage and wine cooler standards will reduce utility bills by $2.0 billion and avert 6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. They will take effect in 2029.
The Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) advocates for appliance, equipment, and lighting standards that cut planet-warming emissions and other air pollution, save water, and reduce economic and environmental burdens for low- and moderate-income households. ASAP’s steering committee includes representatives from environmental and efficiency nonprofits, consumer groups, the utility sector, and state government.
