Appliances energy efficiency standards

In the east, a New York Public Service Commissioner testified before Congress in mid-1973 in support of appliance efficiency standards, even before the energy crisis, and New York State began to adopt its own appliance efficiency standards in 1976. 

This act selected some dozen key residential appliances and proposed industry-tvide voluntary targets for energy efficiency improvement. If industry could not meet these volnntary targets, which averaged a 20 percent reduction in energy use compared to then-current figures, mandatory standards wonld be estab-... 

The prospect of a patchwork of state standards became a cause of great concern to manufacturers. When President Jimmy Carter was elected, he proposed that mandatoi y standards be set by the Department of Energy (DOE) to replace the voluntary efficiency targets. Wliile opposing mandatory standards at the federal level, manufacturers acquiesced to the National Energy Conservation and Policy Act (NECPA) of 1978, which required DOE to set appliance efficiency standards for residential products. In return, manufacturers were able to obtain a requirement for DOE to evaluate the impacts on manufacturers that standards would impose and to consider them in setting the standards. 

California, the Energy Commission in 1983 adopted stringent standards for refrigerators, freezers, central air conditioners, and heat pumps. Following California s lead, several other states became interested in adopting appliance efficiency standards, since there was now a state model on which they could draw. By the end of 1986, six states had adopted new standards for one or more products. 

There has been not only gi owth m the total number of electric motors (more standard appliances in use), but also a proliferation in their use for new, novel applications. Both trends will continue to increase demand for the electricity to run electric motors. In the United States, electric motors arc responsible for consuming more than half of all electricity, and for the industrial sector alone, close to two-thirds. Since the cost of the electricity to power these motors is enormous (estimated at more than 90 billion a year), research is focused on finding ways to increase the energy efficiency of motors and motor systems. 

Additionally, as a response to rising energy prices and uncertainty of supply, several states adopted appliance efficiency standards. At the federal level, the National Appliance Energy Consei vation Act of 1987 established the first national standards for refrigerators and freezers, furnaces, air conditioners, and other appliances. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 added national standards for incandescent and fluorescent lights, small electric motors, office equipment, and plumbing products. 

Appliance and equipment efficiency standards are having a notable impact on electricity demand in the United States. Standards have lowered national electricity use by 3%. A few energy efficiency measures, such as power-managed personal computers, have been widely adopted without financial incentives or much utility involvement. 

After 1986, the CAFE and appliance standards in place resulted in stock turnovers to more efficient automobiles and appliances. However, the decline in energy consumption per dollar of GDP slowed appreciably and, between 1986 and 1997, the energy intensity trend remained rather flat. Other forces in the U.S. economy were pushing energy consumption higher, resulting in increases in the energy-intensity measure. 

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