Nineteen business and consumer organizations have united to oppose the Biden administration’s proposed dishwasher rules. Comments were sent to the DOE by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) on Tuesday night, stating that the regulations are unneeded, too onerous, and will hurt consumers.
The organization said that customer issues, such as cycle times that are an hour or longer than they were before the rules went into force, will be made worse by the new regulation. The Competitive Enterprise Institute claimed the proposed law would not help existing issues and undermine consumer legal safeguards.
Along with restrictions aimed at electric motors and beverage vending machines, the DOE announced new criteria for energy efficiency in dishwashers in early May. The regulations were anticipated to save customers $168 million annually in utility costs and 12.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The Department of Energy (DOE) came under fire from business organizations and Republican senators who pointed out that the DOE had already set standards for dishwasher efficiency and that customers could opt for more expensive but more environmentally friendly versions if desired.
This proposal is the seventh time the CEI has attempted to legislate efficiency criteria for the typical household appliance, the dishwasher. Because of the widespread discontent with dishwashing cycle durations that have more than quadrupled from approximately an hour to two or more because of the existing energy and water conservation rules for dishwashers, the organization said that the new dishwasher regulation is particularly damaging. Additionally, the organization said that the efficiency criteria will decrease performance and increase repair frequency.
The CEI also found that the restrictions’ claimed energy and water savings were insignificant. The average dishwasher has a lifespan of 15 to 16 years; thus, the restrictions would save customers $17 throughout that period. Consumers run the risk of significantly reduced performance and convenience for this little gain.
As part of its climate policy, the Biden administration has made 110 steps on energy efficiency standards in 2022. Rules affecting dozens more appliances, such as pool pumps, home furnaces, ceiling fans, battery chargers, and dehumidifiers, are highlighted in the federal Unified Agenda – a semiannual list from the government that spotlights regulatory agency plans that are to be proposed or finalized within the next 12 months.
