Repealing Costly Mandates on Home Appliances and Restoring Consumer Choice

Within the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Biden Administration implemented radical “Green New Scam” mandates that would essentially ban gas stoves and appliances, forcing consumers to switch to electric alternatives, taking away Americans’ choice, and costing taxpayers more than $5.7 billion.

These three provisions – section 50122, section 50123, and section 50131 – use taxpayer dollars to subsidize the transition from natural gas to electric appliances, including the cost of replacing gas stoves with electric cooktops and gas heating with electric heat pumps, and mandate expensive “green” building codes. 

By using taxpayer dollars to support extreme green energy mandates intended to stop the use of natural gas in homes, these provisions force taxpayers to pay for new electrical appliances while keeping prices high for consumers. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), these mandates cost new homebuyers up to $31,000 – putting the American Dream even further out of reach for hardworking families.

Many Americans rely on natural gas for heating their homes and cooking because it is more efficient and economical for them. They should be able to choose the home appliances that best suit their needs – not have electric appliances forced on them by the government to further a policy agenda. House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to repeal these costly provisions, protect consumer choice, and lower the cost of home appliances.

H.R. 4758, the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act, sponsored by Rep. Craig Goldman, repeals three provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act designed to subsidize the electrification movement and end the use of gas appliances, restricting consumer choice and raising the cost of home appliances.

House Republicans will continue working to protect consumer choice from government overreach, get rid of costly “Green New Scam” mandates, and ensure families and hardworking Americans can keep their preferred appliances in their homes.
 
Safeguarding Consumer Choice and Affordable Home Appliances

For four years, President Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) consistently abused their authority to push radical energy policies on American families and consumers, attempting to implement conservation standards that furthered their extreme electrification agenda and taking choice out of consumers’ hands. 

Congress established the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) in 1975 to increase American energy production, encourage efficient energy use, and bolster national energy security. Under the EPCA, the Department of Energy (DOE) sets efficiency standards for 60 product categories – but these standards must be cost-effective, significantly save energy, and be technologically feasible. 

The Biden Administration implemented or attempted to implement various conservation standards for all kinds of home appliances, including dishwashers, refrigerators, water heaters, and dryers, that could significantly increase upfront costs for hardworking families.

Not only were the Biden DOE’s conservation standards neither economically justifiable nor significantly more energy efficient, but these overreaching mandates aimed to shut down the use of natural gas and force electric appliances on the American people, regardless of cost, performance, or availability – putting their radical “Green New Scam” agenda before the needs of hardworking Americans.

This week, House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to ensure future administrations do not continue prioritizing “Green New Scam” regulations ahead of the cost and accessibility of everyday appliances.

Rep. Rick Allen’s legislation, H.R. 4626, the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act, reforms and modernizes the EPCA to prevent future administrations from implementing unaffordable conservation standards that take away consumer choice, burden American families, and force Americans to use expensive appliances that do not perform as well.

House Republicans are fighting to restore consumer choice and make homeownership more affordable for hardworking Americans.