Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act
Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act
Plain Language Summary
# Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act (HR 4626) - Summary **What the bill does:** This legislation changes how the Department of Energy sets efficiency standards for household appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves. Currently, DOE must update these standards by specific deadlines. The bill would allow DOE more flexibility to revise standards when needed and would make it easier for manufacturers to request that existing standards be changed or removed if they believe the standards are too costly for consumers, technologically impossible to meet, or cause appliances to become unavailable for purchase in the U.S.
market. **Who it affects:** Consumers, appliance manufacturers, and the Department of Energy. The bill could impact appliance prices, product availability, and energy costs for American households. **Key provisions:** The bill requires DOE to consider new factors when setting standards, including consumer costs and product availability—not just energy conservation. It allows manufacturers to petition to revoke or weaken standards if those standards increase consumer expenses, don't save significant energy or water, aren't technically achievable, or result in certain products no longer being sold in America. **Current status:** The bill has passed the House of Representatives and awaits Senate action.
CRS Official Summary
Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances ActThis 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.
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.