The Biden administration has announced new regulations on air conditioners that some say will harm lower-income households.
The new energy efficiency mandates, revealed by the Department of Energy (DOE) in a press release last week, are aimed at “tackling the climate crisis.”
The DOE claims the regulations will save consumers $1.5 million annually and more than $25 billion over the next 30 years on electricity bills.
Jeremy Ortiz, deputy press secretary for the DOE, told The Dallas Express that these numbers were determined by the “combined impacts from room air conditioners and portable air cleaners based on the individual analyses conducted in the rulemakings.”
“For room ACs, annual savings on electricity bills are $816 million per year and $11.5 billion over 30 years of shipments,” he explained. “For air cleaners, it’s $689 million per year and $13.7 billion over 30 years of shipments.
The rules will apply to room air conditioners and portable air cleaners. Air cleaner regulations will take effect in 2024, while the air conditioner standards will be implemented in 2026.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said these regulations “will help save on people’s energy bills and reduce our nation’s carbon footprint.”
“DOE will continue to engage with our public and private sector partners to finalize additional proposals like today’s that lower household energy costs and deliver the safer, healthier communities that every American deserves,” she said in the press release.
However, critics say these regulations constitute government overreach and will hurt lower-income Americans.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said these standards are “too stringent and will have a negative, disproportionate impact on low-income households and historically marginalized communities,” reported The Free Press.
Compliance with these regulations is expected to cost manufacturers roughly $82 million, according to The Hill.
Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News that these mandates “enforce a level of efficiency that doesn’t make sense” and “compromise product quality.”
“Their philosophy is energy efficiency at all costs or energy efficiency no matter the cost,” an unnamed former senior DOE official reportedly told Fox News. “That means we are going to see, as a result of their efficiency standards, higher-priced appliances. It’s that simple.”
“The reality is that we are not talking about saving huge amounts of energy from these new regulations,” the official said.
The Biden administration faced similar criticism earlier this year when officials proposed restrictions on gas stoves over similar climate impact concerns.
These new regs might save money over time but they need to be purchased first. Most room AC’s units are purchased by more poorer people who cannot afford central AC or their house is to small or not worth adding the cost of central AC. Anytime something is regulated, the price increases. 11.5 billion dollars over thirty years saving is pie in the sky government lies.
When will this country see the hurt this prez is causing all around. One example is, in my life I have never had to pay more taxes on my IRS 1040 form and I guarantee you that it’s to pay all the sh** that was in that bill that Pelosi said was nothing to worry about. W-H-A-T-E-V-E-R!!! It’s now biting all of us middle class citizens in the butt!!! All clueless Biden is interested in is making his green energy nuts happy no matter who has to be stepped on along the way……restrictions on my gas stove and my gas lawn mower, really? You’d be blind if you can’t see the grab for power he and his party want over us. God help us!
If its “Green” its good. Even if it’s not smart Joe Biden says
Hey Dallas Express, how come my first post was deleted?!?! Prime example of censorship, but didn’t expect it from you guys! Wow. Why Does Sam’s post remain, he made a negative comment about Biden. Free speech is dead, dead, dead.
Way to go Dallas Express, you lost me as a subscriber. I will tell everyone I know, that you censor any thoughts or comments you don’t like. Oh well, go ahead and censor this too. Y’all don’t have many followers anyway. There’s other ways to get the word out. Buh-bye!
From light bulbs to gas stoves to A/C to toilets.
Has anyone noticed how the government is mandating how you live your life, and taking away your freedoms.
Climate Change
Find out how the IPCC really operates in setting their standards.
[IPCC shapes the narrative, then ‘alters the science’ to fit the narrative per the IPCC website; and thus you get the ‘official’ Climate Change narrative.]
https://www.corbettreport.com/qfc-ipcc/