Joseph M. McGuire, AHAM president, testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in support of legislation to enact the appliance efficiency standards portion of a consensus agreement among appliance manufacturers, efficiency and consumer advocates and state energy officials. 

Joseph M. McGuire, AHAM president, testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in support of legislation to enact the appliance efficiency standards portion of a consensus agreement among appliance manufacturers, efficiency and consumer advocates and state energy officials.

    The bill, Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act of 2011 would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to improve energy efficiency of refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and room air conditioners.

  In his testimony, McGuire stated that the agreement, including the standards contained in the legislation, “saves energy and increases our energy independence. It would lead to improved product energy efficiency saving more than 9 quads of energy over 30 years and save consumers billions of dollars in reduced energy bills. Further, it requires and incentivizes clothes washers and dishwashers to use nearly 5 trillion less gallons of water over 30 years. Overall, it will result in greenhouse gas emission reduction by approximately 550 million metric tons of CO2.”

  The other two components of the agreement are an extension of manufacturer tax incentives for production of super-efficient appliances, which are even more efficient than those in the Energy Star program and recognition by Energy Star of the benefits of smart appliances.