NEWS RELEASE
Contacts: Andrew deLaski,
ASAP, 617-515-7755
Max Neubauer,
ACEEE, 202-507-4005
Press contact: Glee Murray, ACEEE, 202-507-4010
Ka-BOOM!
Appliance Standards Make a Big Bang
New Obama Administration
Standards Could Slash
Cut Global Warming Emissions
and Save Consumers Money
Washington, D.C. (July 22, 2009): Strong new national appliance standards
for 26 common household and business products planned during President Obama's
current term could slash total U.S. electricity use by over 1,900
terawatt-hours (1.9 trillion kilowatt-hours) cumulatively by 2030 while saving
consumers and businesses over $123 billion, according to a report released
today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the
Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). The new standards also could make
a big contribution to
The report, Ka-BOOM! The Power of Appliance
Standards: Opportunities for New Federal Appliance and Equipment Standards,
takes the first word in its title from a quote by Department of Energy
Secretary Steven Chu describing the speed with which energy efficiency can be
achieved: "Appliance standards, ka-BOOM, can be had right away." On
February 5th, after only two weeks in office, President Obama made
appliance standards a national priority by issuing a presidential memorandum
urging the DOE to meet and beat legal deadlines for new standards.
"The national energy savings at stake in these new standards are
huge," noted Steven Nadel, Executive Director of
ACEEE. "It's really encouraging that the President has made new standards
a top priority."
The new standards will affect many common household and business
products - ranging from furnaces to water heaters to air conditioners to
fluorescent light bulbs. In many cases, standards first set in the 1980s or
1990s are due to be updated and can now be strengthened thanks to technological
improvements. Cumulative savings from already existing standards total about
$2,800 per household; savings from new standards due in the next few years
could save an additional $1,100 per household over the life of the affected
products.
"Standards pack a big bang for national energy savings, but for
consumers and businesses they silently save energy and cash," said Max Neubauer, lead report author and a researcher at ACEEE.
"Buyers rarely know their purchases are affected, but they can take those
savings to the bank."
The effort to combat climate change will get a considerable boost from
standards. According to the report, existing standards will reduce global
warming carbon dioxide emissions by about 6.5% by 2020 and 7.5% by
2030. New standards analyzed in the report would add 1.3% and 2.6% savings in
2020 and 2030, respectively. Combined, the total carbon dioxide savings from
current and future standards are roughly equal to the output of 185
conventional coal-fired power plants in 2020, growing to nearly 250 coal plants
by 2030 (see graphic at http://www.standardsasap.org/documents/power_plant_emissions_existing_
vs_new_standards.pdf).
"New standards do not require action by Congress or other
nations," said Marianne DiMascio, ASAP Outreach
Director and a report co-author. "It's one important piece of the global
warming solution puzzle in the complete control of the Obama
Administration."
The new report enumerates the national savings that can be achieved from
new and updated standards. By sticking to its schedule for all 26 products and
setting strong standards, DOE can deliver enormous benefits for the entire
nation:
Ø Over 1,900
terawatt-hours saved by 2030, or roughly enough power to meet the total
electricity needs of every American household for 18 months.
Ø About 65,000
megawatts of peak demand savings in 2030, or around 6% of total
Ø About $123 billion
in net present value benefits from products purchased through 2030.
Ø 158 million metric
tons of carbon dioxide avoided in 2030, or 2.6% of total U.S. projected
emissions in that year - equivalent to taking 30 million cars off the road.
About half the total energy savings would come from new
standards for fluorescent lights, water heaters, home furnaces, furnace fans,
and refrigerators. However, it is the combination of all twenty-six standards,
including the large and small ones, that packs the biggest energy savings
bang.
Individual consumers stand to benefit considerably from strengthened
standards. For the 26 products reviewed in the report, the average payback is
3.1 years, with an average benefit-cost ratio of 4 to 1. That is, the lifetime
savings of a product are, on average, four times greater than the upfront
incremental costs for efficiency improvements.
"$123 billion in energy savings is a significant amount of money
for consumers to spend on other goods and services," said Mel
Hall-Crawford of Consumer Federation of America and a member of the ASAP
Steering Committee. "Our economy will benefit and jobs will be created as
a result. It's a win-win-win situation for the economy, the environment, and
The federal appliance standards program, in effect since 1987, sets
minimum appliance, equipment, and lighting efficiency standards for products
manufactured in or imported to the U.S. Savings from existing standards are
projected to be about 273 billion kilowatt-hours in 2010 or more than a 7%
reduction in projected U.S. electricity consumption in that year. Even greater
gains could have been achieved if the DOE had met the nearly two dozen legal
deadlines for updated standards that lapsed between 1994 and 2004.
Fortunately, both the Obama Administration
and the U.S. Congress have begun emphasizing the need for improved and expanded
national appliance standards as a key strategy for
"Appliance standards are a blockbuster
strategy for saving energy, cutting global warming pollution, and spurring
economic growth," said Andrew deLaski, Executive
Director of ASAP. "No wonder Secretary Chu used the word 'ka-BOOM' to
describe appliance standards."
Ka-BOOM! The Power of Appliance Standards: Opportunities for New Federal
Appliance and Equipment Standards is available for free download at http://www.aceee.org/pubs/a091.htm
or a hard copy can be purchased for $35 plus $5 postage and handling from ACEEE
Publications, 529 14th St, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20045, phone:
202-507-4000, fax: 202-429-2248,
e-mail: aceee_publications@aceee.org.
###
The Appliance Standards Awareness Project is dedicated to increasing
awareness of and support for cost-effective appliance and equipment efficiency
standards. Founded in 1999, ASAP is led by a steering committee that includes
representatives from the environmental community, consumer groups, utilities,
and state government. www.standardsASAP.org.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting
economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. ACEEE was
involved in the legislation establishing federal efficiency standards, and has
been active in all rulemakings since then. For
information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences,
contact ACEEE,
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Return to Environmental Update
Return to Homepage
Roubidoux
True tales of the Huckleberry Finn type adventures of a boy who journeys from
delinquency in California to Southern culture in the Missouri Ozarks. Although told
through the eyes of a twelve year old who never grows old, much of the real life
adventure is emotionally timeless with appeal to all ages. Brutally honest at
times but never off colored.
A sample from Roubidoux may be read here.
The book may be ordered here.
Do you know that your body is naturally acidic which makes you susceptible to all manner of unhealthy conditions and illnesses? By making your body alkaline instead of acidic you mitigate these potential health problems. One way of doing this is to drink alkaline water. The above machine is called the "Athena" and makes tap water into pure, clean alkaline water. It's rather expensive, but it's the best in the world. Isn't your health worth it? Click here to learn more and order it.