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News Release Senator
Liz Brater, 517-373-2406 Andrew
deLaski, ASAP, 617-363-9470 Energy-Saving Appliance Standards
Would Save Senate Bill Would Capture Savings
by Setting Standards for 15 Appliances Ann Arbor, Michigan (March 15, 2005): From light bulbs to office water
coolers to DVD players, new appliance energy efficiency standards could save
the state’s consumers and businesses millions of dollars, ease pressure
on high natural gas prices, improve electric system reliability, and cut global
warming pollution, according to a report released today by PIRGIM and authored
by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the
Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). “Energy efficiency standards are a win-win-win policy,”
said PIRGIM Director Mike Shriberg.
“They save money, cut pollution and help wean us from imported
energy sources.” The report is being released on the same day as Senator Liz Brater
(D-Ann Arbor) announced her sponsorship of a bill that would set standards on
15 common appliances. “ According to the report, passing this bill in “Advances in technology keep giving us opportunities to cut
energy waste,” said Shriberg.
“Standards that improve the energy efficiency of common consumer
products and commercial equipment are a cornerstone of a sensible energy
policy.” Since 2004, ten states (AZ, CA, CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, OR, RI and WA) have
established new energy-saving standards covering between five and thirty
products, most through new state legislation. In August 2005, Congress took its cue
from the states and made 15 of these state standards federal law. For the new report, the authors looked
beyond those products addressed by Congress in 2005 and found another 15
products for which near-term state standards make sense. Most of these newly-recommended
standards have already been adopted in one or more states. “The states are ‘leading the way’ when it comes to
energy-saving standards,” said Andrew deLaski, Executive Director of ASAP
and co-author of the report, referring to the new report’s title. “With consumers and businesses
getting hammered by high energy prices and persistent worries about our
nation’s addiction to imported energy, state policy-makers are looking to
energy efficiency. It’s the
cheapest, fastest, and safest way to meet our energy needs.” By lowering natural gas use, the standards could help lead to lower
energy prices. In a separate
2005 study, ACEEE found that a 2 to 4% reduction in natural gas use can reduce
natural gas prices by 20% or more in tight market conditions. The recommended appliance efficiency
standards would start saving natural gas immediately. If adopted nationally, the savings levels
would grow to 340 billion cubic feet per year by 2020, about 1.3% of the U.S.
Department of Energy’s projected national consumption for that year. Products for which the report recommends state efficiency standards
include: bottle-type water dispensers; DVD players, certain audio products and
external power supplies for electronics (a.k.a., “energy
vampires”); reflector light bulbs and certain commercial light fixtures;
swimming pool pumps and heaters; hot tubs; and walk-in refrigerators. Strong standards for home furnaces and
boilers, a product covered by an out-of-date federal standard, would yield the
biggest savings. The new report
provides details on each of the products for which new state standards make
sense. According to Shriberg, standards are a “proven successful”
way to curtail energy waste. New
standards can be set at the state or federal level, but states have nearly
always acted first. States first
set appliance and equipment efficiency standards in the 1970s and 1980s,
leading eventually to federal standards for more than two dozen products. Based on U.S. Department of Energy data,
these already existing standards will cut The report relied on clear criteria for selecting recommended
standards. Each recommended
standard would result in significant energy savings and be very cost-effective
(i.e. purchasers of the affected products would earn back any incremental cost
to improve efficiency within one to three years for most products). In addition, products meeting the
recommended standards are readily available today from multiple manufacturers
and existing technical standards ease state implementation of such standards. “The Legislature has the opportunity to take immediate, strong
action to save energy through appliance efficiency standards,” said
Brater. “Given our high
energy prices, flagging economy and the fact that we import nearly all of our
energy resources, the time is right to significantly reduce our energy use by
adopting appliance efficiency standards.” Leading the Way: Continued
Opportunities for ### PIRGIM is a non-profit, non-partisan public
interest organization. With over
10,000 members across the state and offices in The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is an independent,
nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of
promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection. For
information about ACEEE and its programs and other publications, visit http://aceee.org. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) is a coalition group
dedicated to advancing cost-effective energy efficiency standards for
appliances and equipment. ASAP
works at both the state and federal levels and is led by a Steering Committee
with representatives from consumer groups, utilities, state government,
environmental groups, and energy efficiency groups. For information about ASAP, contact ASAP, |