Refrigerators are the biggest energy hogs among household appliances and will soon be consuming much less energy, thanks to new Dept of Energy (DOE) standards.
The new standards, which go into force in 2014, will make the average refrigerator 25% more efficient from those in use today, and about 80% more efficient than those from the mid-1970s.
That’s important, because of the upsizing trend the US has experienced over the past 20 years. As refrigerators have become more efficient and less expensive, Americans have bought bigger ones, cancelling out some of the efficiency gains. The average new fridge today is about 20% larger and costs about 60% less than a 1970s-era unit.
DOE has strengthened the standards three times since they were enacted in 1987. The latest standards are based on a joint recommendation by energy efficiency groups and refrigerator manufacturers represented by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
Energy efficiency advocates praised the new standards, saying they would save people money, create jobs, reduce pollution and spur innovation and investment.
"Refrigerator standards have been quietly saving consumers money while protecting our environment for more than 35 years," says David Goldstein, energy program co-director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "But these new standards are the coolest yet, because they show that innovation can keep driving improvements even after decades of progress. New fridges do an even better job of keeping our food fresh and providing consumer amenity, yet they use only one-fifth the electricity they used to – and that means less pollution from power plants."
When they take effect in 2014, a typical fridge that exactly meets the new standards will use $215-$270 less per year in electricity than a comparable unit that met the first standards set in 1978.
Over the next 30 years, the new standards will save 4.84 quads of energy, enough to meet the total energy needs of 20% of all US households for a year, and equal to the annual emissions of 67 million cars. And taking into account up-front costs, consumers will save up to $36 billion. Smog-forming NOx emissions and toxic mercury emissions would also be reduced dramatically.
US refrigerator manufacturers are already making the investments needed to meet the 2014 standards. For example, GE announced plans to update its refrigerator factories in Decatur, Georgia, Bloomington, Indiana, and elsewhere.
"Even as our refrigerators have gotten larger and more functional, with features like automatic defrost and through-the-door ice, their average energy use has plummeted," says Jeff Harris, senior vice president for programs at the Alliance to Save Energy. "It’s clear that energy-efficiency standards have helped to create the market certainty that drives investments in such innovations, as well as better design, improved insulation and other components that make fridges better."
States led by California, New York and Florida set the first refrigerator standards in the 1970s and 1980s. The original national standards were negotiated in 1986 and signed into law by President Reagan. DOE updates to the national standards took effect in 1993 and 2001 and also were based on joint recommendations filed by consumer, environmental and industry groups. The most recent joint recommendation also addressed new minimum efficiency standards for dryers, washers, dishwashers and room air conditioners.
"In an era when hardly anyone in Washington can agree on anything, it’s refreshing that consumer groups, environmentalists and industry can continue our long history of working together to save energy," says Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. "Consumers, the environment and industry all benefit, making this standard a home run."
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