Federal Agency Announces New Rules for Air Conditioners Amid Controversy Around Gas Stoves

As the federal government has indicated it would further regulate gas stoves, the Department of Energy( DOE ) announced on Thursday that it has finalized rules on window air conditioners and air cleaners that, in its opinion, will make common household items more efficient.

According to a news release, the organization has” finalized new energy efficiency standards for room air conditioners— commonly known as window air conditioning — and portable air cleaners that will significantly cut pollution and reduce household energy costs.” It also stated that it will” save American families and consumers approximately$ 1.5 billion annually on their electrity bills.”

According to the DOE, the regulations for air cleaners will go into effect starting the following year, while those for conditioning won’t until 2026. According to the regulations, over the course of three years, 106 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions may be eliminated.

Critics have claimed that the most recent round of rules combined with the proposed rules for gas stoves amount to national excess. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said the standards are” too restrictive and will have a significant, significant impact on low-income households and historically marginalized communities” during the post length for the DOE’s policy proposal.

In its 2022 comment to the DOE, the group further urged it to” reassess portions of its analysis with regard to proposed standards levels … and some of the assumptions upon which the analysis is based.” According to another executive order, DOE must carry out additional analysis to ascertain how highly strict standards disproportionately affect low-income residents and historically marginalized communities.

After they go into effect, the rules are reportedly anticipated to cost manufacturers a total of$ 82.1 million to implement. Washing machines, light bulbs, dryer, and gas stoves are a few other machines that have received more regulations. In recent months, some states and municipalities have outlawed the use of these appliances in new construction.

Additional Rules

According to Ben Lieberman, a colleague at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,” what these mandates and requirements do is maintain an efficiency level that doesn’t make sense.” ” And they degrade the quality of the product.” This has already been observed to some extent with regard to the cost of clothes dryer conditions.

Another issue is that this regulatory program has been in place for a very long time, and you’re approaching the point where clothing follow may be subject to regulation for the fifth time ,” he continued. Therefore, we are actually chasing after declining or minimal residual returns.

Republicans and business groups have criticized rulemaking regarding oil stoves as being overreach in light of the most recent regulatory blitz, and some have speculated that it will compel American consumers and homeowners to make expensive retrofits. As the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission( CPSC ) formally requested information about the stoves’ alleged health effects, House Republicans this week proposed legislation to prevent gas stove bans or restrictions.

A study funded by a forward-thinking economic team suggested that natural gas stoves and ovens may increase the risk of childhood pneumonia, prompting reports that the agency is interested in learning more about them. According to Rocky Mountain Institute’s coach, the research” does not expect or calculate a causal relationship” and just reports on” a population-level reflection of the comparative risk given what we know about exposure to the risk factor ,” according to news outlets in January.

In the meantime, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, the head of the CPSC, responded to a statement from another senior member by saying in January that he is” truly looking to banish gas stoves and that there is no proceeding to do so.”

However, DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated in a Thursday parliamentary hearing that gasoline stove regulation is on the horizon and that roughly half of the current market-placed stoves won’t be impacted. Granholm also criticized what she called” propaganda about” bans on gas cookers, though she made no clear what that meant.

Granholm added that because of their oval-shaped burners and heavier grates,” high-end oil stoves” were the ones that may be controlled. She remarked,” It certainly doesn’t argue that anyone would have their gasoline drive taken away.”