Stove efficiency standards finalized

The Department of Energy (DOE) today issued updated efficiency standards for stoves. The new standards are supported by stove manufacturers and primarily affect new electric models, requiring no change for 98 percent of new gas stoves sold.

For electric smooth-top stoves, the DOE standards will ensure all new models use at least 30% less energy annually than the lowest-performing models today. Manufacturers can achieve these savings by reducing standby power consumption in lower-performing models, with no effect on cooking performance, clocks or displays. 

“It’s great to see the Department of Energy catching up on updating efficiency standards for stoves and other residential and commercial appliances,” said Johanna Neumann, Senior Director of the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. “By consistently making sure that manufacturers incorporate technological improvements into their products, the appliance standards program has a winning track record of reducing pollution that makes us sick and warms our planet.”

Compared to dozens of efficiency standards currently under consideration at DOE, the stove standard will have a relatively small consumer and environmental impact. But, if the agency finalizes all pending standards, the department projects their actions will reduce utility bills for consumers by nearly $1 trillion and cut 2.5 billion metric tons or more of climate pollution over 30 years of product sales.