Energy Efficiency Enforcement Penalties for 27 Companies
As part of an ongoing commitment to rigorously enforce appliance efficiency requirements, DOE is proposing penalties against 27 companies that sell products in the U.S. without certifying that they comply with energy efficiency or water conservation standards.
The 27 companies include manufacturers, importers, and private labelers of appliance, plumbing, and lighting products. Collectively, the notices propose penalty fees of more than $3.5 million, though the fines may be reduced if the companies quickly comply with certification requirements. Unless companies address these claims within 30 days, DOE will file actions either in the US District Court or with an administrative law judge to demand payment of the proposed penalties.
Under the Obama Administration, DOE has acted quickly to establish energy efficiency standards for over 20 different product categories that will save consumers $250-$300 billion on energy bills through 2030.
Over the past year, DOE's appliance standards enforcement efforts have initiated 75 enforcement investigations and actions, including the 27 new penalty cases, and have removed 66 products from the market that failed to meet federal energy efficiency standards. See the DOE press release, the penalty notices, and the Web site for DOE's Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards Program.
++++
EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
