Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act
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The bill would rewrite how the Department of Energy sets energy conservation standards for appliances like dishwashers, clothes washers, and water heaters, adding new cost-benefit and feasibility tests the agency must satisfy before tightening efficiency rules.
It would also let manufacturers and consumers petition to roll back existing standards deemed too costly or infeasible, bar new efficiency rules for distribution transformers, and require DOE to disclose meetings with groups tied to China or advocating fuel restrictions.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act's process for setting energy conservation standards on consumer products such as dishwashers, clothes washers, water heaters, and other household appliances. It would let the Department of Energy propose new standards as needed rather than on a fixed schedule, but would require any new or amended standard to pass detailed new tests: a quantitative economic impact analysis, a requirement that consumers not face additional net costs, minimum energy or water savings thresholds, and findings that performance and product availability would not suffer. It would also require DOE to grant petitions to amend or revoke standards meeting similar criteria, and to publicly disclose meetings with entities tied to China, advocacy groups seeking energy restrictions, or federal grant recipients before finalizing a standard. The bill would separately bar DOE from prescribing any new or revised energy conservation standards for distribution transformers, while leaving standards issued before enactment in place. It would authorize DOE to issue new design and performance standards specifically for clothes washers and dishwashers. It does not eliminate DOE's standard-setting authority generally, and existing standards remain in effect unless revoked through the new petition process.
Key provisions
- 1Would let DOE propose new appliance energy conservation standards as needed rather than on a mandatory deadline schedule, with a 2-year deadline to finalize after proposal
- 2Would require DOE to grant petitions to amend or revoke a standard if it raises consumer costs, saves little energy or water, is not technologically feasible, or removes a product from the market
- 3Would establish new criteria DOE must meet before finding a standard 'economically justified,' including a quantitative economic impact analysis and no net cost increase to consumers
- 4Would require DOE to publicly disclose meetings with entities tied to China, energy-restriction advocacy groups, or federal grant recipients before finalizing a standard
- 5Would prohibit DOE from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standards for distribution transformers, while preserving standards already in effect
- 6Would authorize DOE to issue new design and performance standards specifically for clothes washers and dishwashers
Who would be affected
Appliance manufacturers, importers, and retailers subject to DOE efficiency standards; consumers who purchase household appliances like dishwashers, clothes washers, water heaters, and transformers; the Department of Energy and the Attorney General, who gain new analytical and disclosure duties; and advocacy or research organizations that meet with DOE on energy standards.
Why it matters
If enacted, appliance manufacturers could find it harder for DOE to impose new efficiency mandates, potentially slowing energy-saving upgrades but easing compliance costs and preserving availability of certain products, including gas appliances. Consumers could see delayed or rolled-back efficiency requirements, while DOE would face new procedural hurdles, including economic analyses and disclosure of meetings with China-linked or advocacy groups.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Section 325(m) (Sec. 2(a))
Removes fixed rulemaking deadlines and lets DOE amend appliance standards as needed, with a 2-year deadline after a notice is issued
Amends Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Section 325(n) (Sec. 2(b))
Requires DOE to grant petitions to amend or revoke standards meeting cost, feasibility, and availability criteria, with a 180-day deadline to act
Amends Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Section 325(o) (Sec. 2(c))
Adds new economic analysis, cost, savings, performance, and disclosure requirements DOE must satisfy before issuing standards
Amends Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Section 346 (Sec. 3)
Bars DOE from prescribing new or amended standards for distribution transformers, preserving existing standards
Amends Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Section 325(g) (Sec. 4)
Authorizes DOE to prescribe new design and performance standards for clothes washers and dishwashers
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Ban on new or amended distribution transformer standards
- Amended appliance standards apply to products manufactured after this window following a final rule
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that H.R. 4626 would have no significant net effect on the federal deficit, with changes to direct spending and discretionary spending each totaling less than $500,000 over the 2026–2035 period.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4626 would reduce direct spending (mandatory outlays) by less than $500,000 over the 2026–2030 period but would have no effect on total direct spending over the 2026–2035 period; revenues would not change. Spending subject to appropriation (discretionary funding that Congress must separately approve) could change by less than $500,000 over 2026–2030, as new petition-review requirements at the Department of Energy could modestly increase costs while less frequent standard updates could decrease them. CBO identified one intergovernmental mandate — preempting state and local governments from enforcing their own appliance energy and water conservation standards — but estimated its cost would not exceed the UMRA annual threshold of $107 million; no private-sector mandates were identified.
How implementation would work
DOE would propose new or amended standards through rulemaking, supported by a quantitative economic impact analysis with at least 60 days of public comment, and would have to satisfy multiple statutory tests—cost neutrality to consumers, minimum energy or water savings, feasibility, and performance—before finalizing a rule. The Attorney General would independently assess competitive effects within 60 days of a proposed rule. DOE must also grant qualifying petitions to amend or revoke standards within set timeframes, publicly disclose certain meetings before finalizing standards, and periodically re-evaluate existing standards for continued justification.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill modifies the process by which the Department of Energy (DOE) issues or revises energy conservation standards for consumer products such as household appliances, including by requiring DOE to consider additional factors related to the cost and availability of such products.
First, the bill allows DOE to amend an energy conservation standard for a consumer product when needed rather than by a deadline.
The bill also allows DOE to grant a petition to revoke or amend energy conservation standards if the standards (1) result in additional costs to consumers, (2) do not result in significant conservation of energy or water, (3) are not technologically feasible, and (4) result in a product (e.g., gas stoves) not being commercially available in the United States to all consumers.
Additionally, the bill modifies the criteria used to prescribe new or amended energy conservation standards, including by establishing new criteria for determining whether a standard is economically justified.
The bill establishes disclosure requirements for DOE meetings with entities that have (1) ties to China or the Chinese Communist Party; (2) produced studies regarding, or advocated for, regulations or policy to limit, restrict, or ban the use of any type of energy; and (3) applied for or received federal funds.
The bill also prohibits DOE from prescribing new or revised energy conservation standards for distribution transformers.
Finally, the bill allows DOE to prescribe certain new or amended energy and water conservation standards for clothes washers and dishwashers.
Legislative subjects
Administrative remedies; Consumer affairs; Department of Energy; Energy; Energy efficiency and conservation; Energy prices
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-470