Could Latest Energy-Saving Proposals From Biden Wind Up Costing You Money To Replace Appliances?
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Nicholas Morine
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The Department of Energy and the Biden administration recently released a proposal designed to save Americans roughly $652 million in utility bills, including water and electric, annually. But the proposed changes, some experts say, could lead to higher retail prices for appliances, increased water use, and — potentially — dirtier dishes in American homes.
If you are planning a kitchen renovation or new home construction after 2027, which is when the new regulation, if passed, would go into effect, you may want to budget more generously for appliances like a new dishwasher. However, in the long run, the newer models could reduce your overall home energy and water costs.
On May 5, the Department of Energy issued a new proposal that would mandate new energy- and water-efficiency standards for household dishwashers. Under current rules, dishwashers can use no more than 5 gallons of water per cycle. The new regulations would reduce that to a limit of 3.2 gallons per cycle, while reducing energy consumption by 27%.
If passed, the new rules would go into effect in 2027. The Daily Mail indicated that most dishwashers on the market already exceed federal standards for water use, requiring 3.5 gallons or less per cycle. But a representative from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said the new standards will lead to “higher upfront costs” for consumers.
“The Department of Energy has proposed very stringent standards for home appliances that will require higher upfront costs to purchase a product. Manufacturers just want to be able to deliver high performing, fully featured products at costs that consumers of all incomes can afford. The DoE is making that very difficult with the standards they are proposing,” Jill Notini of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers told The Daily Mail.
Duncan Kramer, a principle at Zeglin’s Home TV and Appliance, told independent retail trade website Your Source: “Most people are already rinsing their dishes before they put them in the dishwasher. If the new machines use both less water and less power, will people need to rinse and clean the dishes even more before placing them in the dishwasher? If so, they will likely be using even more water in total to get their dishes clean.”
He noted that the revised regulations and resulting changes to dishwashers would just shift the energy consumption to another stage of the process, while increasing costs for manufacturers who will have to update equipment.
The proposal comes on the heels of New York State’s ban of gas stoves in new construction, beginning in 2025 in small buildings and 2028 for larger multi-unit dwellings.
Future federal regulations could include new energy and water efficiency standards for washers, dryers, and refrigerators that could reduce performance while increasing prices for these appliances.
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