WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 9, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — DOE issued on August 26 final energy efficiency standards for home refrigerators and freezers. The new standards will improve the efficiency of home refrigerators some 25% by 2014. The standards, developed through a consensus process with manufacturers, consumer groups, and environmentalists, are expected to deliver more than $200 in electricity bill savings for the typical consumer over the lifetime of the refrigerator.
Nationally, consumers are expected to save more than $21 billion on their energy bills through 2043 as a result of these standards. According to a DOE analysis, the standards will save enough electricity each year to power 3.4 million homes, about the same number of homes in the entire state of Virginia.
The efficiency standards finalize the proposed consensus standards agreed to by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, more than 25 individual refrigerator manufacturers, and some of the nation’s leading consumer and environmental advocacy groups. The standards will go into effect three years after their publication in the Federal Register. See the DOE press release and the final rule
