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.

Today, 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.