NEWS RELEASE: Energy Department’s updated appliance standards will save households more than $100 annually

DENVER – Households across the United States stand to save an average of $107 annually on utility bills over the next two decades, thanks to updated appliance efficiency standards, according to a report released Tuesday by PIRG and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Businesses are also expected to be a major benefactor of the new standards, projected to collectively save more than $2 billion per year.

“These updated standards will save consumers money for years to come, just by using more efficient appliances. It’s a clear win for Americans’ wallets,” said Abe Scarr, energy and utilities program director for PIRG. “For residents and businesses across the country, the prospect of sustained annual utility bill savings is welcome news.”

The savings projections are published by ASAP and PIRG in a new report, Reducing Costs Across America: New Appliance Standards Save Consumers Money in Every State. The analysis looks at the impact of energy efficiency standards that have been updated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

“Consumers are going to save money year after year thanks to efficiency standards set during the Biden administration,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. “Whether you’re replacing a water heater or a clothes dryer, these standards are going to ensure you get a better product that doesn’t leave you with needlessly high utility bills.”

In the report, researchers project that the new standards will also contribute to cleaner air by cutting nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution across the country. Both pollutants are harmful to the human respiratory system, particularly in children, the elderly and those with asthma. 

“The Biden administration’s updated appliance efficiency standards will help Americans live longer, healthier lives,” said Scarr.

PIRG, alongside ASAP, the Consumer Federation of America, Climate Action Campaign and other partners, has long advocated for more efficient appliances. Most recently, PIRG’s sister organizations Environment America Research & Policy Center and Environment America, urged the Biden administration to finalize strong and long overdue updates to efficiency standards. 

Strong appliance efficiency standards, alongside other federal actions, will significantly reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions and help the Biden administration meet its goal of cutting climate pollution in half by the end of the decade, relative to 2005 levels. 

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