Energy Efficiency Aim of Proposed Appliance Code

Energy Efficiency Aim of Proposed Appliance Code

Washington, DC Federal legislation that would hasten the market introduction of super-efficient clothes washers and refrigerator/ freezers has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and is now being considered by Congress.

The bill under consideration S.361, the "Resource Efficient Appliance Incentives Act" would offer appliance manufacturers tax credits for the production of appliances that significantly exceed minimum federal efficiency requirements, while offering major new water savings, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), which has endorsed the proposed legislation.

According to AHAM, the legislation, if adopted into law, would result in a savings of more than 200 trillion BTUs of energy per year the equivalent of taking 2.3 million cars off the road.

"The bill, by encouraging the manufacture of super-efficient washing machines, will reduce the amount of water necessary to wash clothes by 870 billion gallons or approximately the amount of water necessary to meet the needs of every household in a city the size of Phoenix, for two years," AHAM observed.

Aside from AHAM, the legislation is supported by several major environmental organizations, the appliance group noted. The proposal complements a historic agreement reached in 2001 by appliance manufacturers and environmental groups on national minimum efficiency standards for clothes washers.