Why EPA Must Address Appliance Pollution

Fossil-fuel burning appliances in the US contribute significantly to outdoor and indoor air pollution, climate change, and public health disparities. Gas appliances are particularly problematic, emitting more than twice as much NOX as gas power plants. RMI proposes that the EPA implement a NOX standard of performance under Clean Air Act Section 111(b), requiring all new appliances to be electric by 2030. This transition could avoid over 500,000 tons of NOX and 14,400 tons of PM2.5 annually by 2045, potentially saving over 3,750 lives per year and providing $21 billion in annual economic benefits. The document emphasizes that electric appliances are cost-effective and that policies should include incentives to ensure low-income consumers can access these technologies.

• Fossil-fuel appliances in the US produced over 643 million tons of CO2 equivalent in 2018, representing 10 percent of total US emissions.
• Gas appliances account for approximately 80 percent of fossil-fuel appliances and emit more than double the NOX of gas power plants despite lower overall gas consumption.
• Pollution from residential and commercial fossil-fuel appliances caused an estimated 5,953 premature deaths in the United States in 2017, with disproportionate impacts on low-income Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
• A requirement for all new appliances to be electric by 2030 could avoid over 500,000 tons of NOX and 14,400 tons of PM2.5 annually by 2045, saving over 3,750 lives per year.
• Electrification of appliances offers economic advantages, including lower net present costs for new single-family homes in all cities studied and an estimated $21 billion in annual economic benefits by 2045 due to reduced premature deaths.

APA

RMI (2021). Why EPA Must Address Appliance Pollution. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2021/04/rmi_factsheet_appliance_pollution.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Why EPA Must Address Appliance Pollution. 2021. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2021/04/rmi_factsheet_appliance_pollution.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Why EPA Must Address Appliance Pollution |date=4 June 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2021/04/rmi_factsheet_appliance_pollution.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021why, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Why EPA Must Address Appliance Pollution}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2021/04/rmi_factsheet_appliance_pollution.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }