Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances, Lighting, and Equipment

This fact sheet describes the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) program for implementing minimum energy and water efficiency standards for appliances and equipment under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. It details the economic, environmental, and technological benefits of these standards, the role of voluntary programs like ENERGY STAR, and the impact of regional standards on heating and cooling products.

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) implements minimum efficiency standards for over 60 categories of products in residential and commercial buildings, which reduced the national energy bill by approximately $80 billion in 2015.
• Energy efficiency standards implemented between 1987 and 2013 are projected to save consumers over $1.7 trillion on utility bills by 2030 and save 128 quads of energy by the same date.
• The ENERGY STAR voluntary program, managed by the EPA and DOE, helped consumers prevent more than 300 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and save $34 billion in utility costs in 2014.
• Since 1987, the implementation of standards has avoided 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a volume roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 500 million automobiles.
• Regional standards for residential air conditioners and heat pumps effective since January 2015 are expected to save U.S. consumers $4.2 billion (156 billion kilowatt hours) over 30 years and avoid up to 143 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.
• The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimated that 340,000 jobs were attributed to existing appliance standards in 2010, with that number expected to reach 380,000 by 2030.
• While many products are regulated, electronic products like computers, DVD players, and video game consoles are not yet federally regulated, though California regulates DVD players and has proposed rules for computers and monitors.

APA

Hampton, R., Okpala, A., Perez-Reyes, M., Roycroft, D., & Sowards, S. (2017). Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances, Lighting, and Equipment. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-energy-efficiency-standards-for-appliances-lighting-and-equipmen

Chicago

Hampton, Rachel, Adanna Okpala, Marisa Perez-Reyes, Diana Roycroft, and Sunny Sowards. Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances, Lighting, and Equipment. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2017. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-energy-efficiency-standards-for-appliances-lighting-and-equipmen.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hampton |first1=Rachel |last2=Okpala |first2=Adanna |last3=Perez-Reyes |first3=Marisa |last4=Roycroft |first4=Diana |last5=Sowards |first5=Sunny |title=Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances, Lighting, and Equipment |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=11 August 2017 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-energy-efficiency-standards-for-appliances-lighting-and-equipmen |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hampton2017energy, author = {Hampton, Rachel and Okpala, Adanna and Perez-Reyes, Marisa and Roycroft, Diana and Sowards, Sunny}, title = {{Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances, Lighting, and Equipment}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2017}, month = aug, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-energy-efficiency-standards-for-appliances-lighting-and-equipmen}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }