NEW DATA: Efficiency standards cut pollution, energy waste dramatically in New Hampshire

CONCORD, N.H.– Federal energy and water efficiency standards have significantly reduced health-harming pollution, electricity demand and household utility costs over the last decade in New Hampshire, according to new analysis by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and released by Environment New Hampshire and NH PIRG.

The analysis comes as the U.S. House of Representatives is poised to take up a bill that would make it easier for the administration to roll back these standards and harder to set new ones. The U.S. Department of Energy has also proposed to revoke standards for 17 products.

“Efficiency standards help us breathe easier. Saving energy reduces pollution, saves money and saves lives,” said Emily Rusch, vice president and senior director of State Offices, The Public Interest Network. “These standards help American households do more with less energy. Congress shouldn’t be threatening them.”

According to the analysis, without efficiency standards, New Hampshire’s electricity consumption would be 17% higher than it is today. The research also found that efficiency standards have reduced New Hampshire’s nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution by 457 tons. NOx causes asthma attacks, heart disease and even premature death. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer children with asthma reported suffering from asthma attacks in 2021 than just 20 years earlier; high levels of NOx pollution can trigger asthma attacks. In 2001, 62% of children with asthma reported having asthma attacks. By 2021, that number dropped to only 39% according to CDC data.

Efficiency standards also save Americans money; New Hampshire households would have spent $7,604 more on utility bills over the past decade on average without the standards. The average American household used over a quarter less energy in 2020 than it did in 1993, according to a Frontier Group analysis of data from the Energy Information Administration.

“The energy savings we’ve experienced over the past 30 years show how common-sense policies can make our lives better. It would be a tragedy to throw away the progress we’ve made in protecting New Hampshirites’ health and environment,” added Rusch.