Minimum standards of energy efficiency for many major appliances were established by the U.S. Congress in Part B of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), Public Law 94-163, as amended by the National Energy Conservation Policy Act, Public Law 95-619, by the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act, Public Law 100-12, by the National Appliance Energy Conservation Amendments of 1988, Public Law 100-357, and by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, Public Law 102-486.

Appliances covered by these Acts include refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, room air conditioners, fluorescent lamp ballasts, incandescent reflector lamps, clothes dryers, clothes washers, dishwashers, kitchen ranges and ovens, pool heaters, television sets (withdrawn in 1995), and water heaters. Standards for some fluorescent and incandescent reflector lamps, plumbing products, electric motors, and commercial water heaters, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems were added in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct). EPAct also allowed for the future development of standards for many other products.

Appliance manufacturers must produce products that either meet the minimum level of energy efficiency, or that consume no more than the amount of energy that the standard allows. These rules do not affect the marketing of products manufactured before the standards went into effect. Any products already made and in stock can be sold. The new standards stimulate energy savings that benefit the consumer, and reduce fossil fuel consumption, thus reducing air pollution emissions.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for developing these energy efficiency standards. These standards, and the procedures with which appliances and equipment are tested to meet the standards, are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Chapter II, Part 430). The DOE periodically issues new standards or rulemakings for specific appliances. These are published in the Federal Register (FR). Information on the rulemaking process and FR notices is available at the DOE's Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards Program Web site.

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Federal Register are available on the Web. Print versions can be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Email: gpoaccess@gpo.gov. Libraries may have print copies in their reference section.

Residential Appliance Standards

The DOE Building Technologies Program's Appliances & Commercial Equipment Standards Web Site features information on residential appliances standards, including the following appliances:

• Air Conditioners - Central Air and Heat Pumps
• Air Conditioners ? Room
• Clothes Dryers
• Clothes Washers
• Furnaces and Boilers
• Cooking Products (including kitchen ranges, ovens, and microwaves)
• Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts
• Fluorescent and Incandescent Lamps
• Pool Heaters
• Refrigerators/Refrigerator-Freezers/Freezers
• Plumbing Products (including showerheads, faucets, and toilets)
• Water Heaters

Glossary

All-Refrigerator: A refrigerator that does not include a compartment for the freezing and long term storage of food below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

AFUE; Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency: The measure of seasonal or annual efficiency of a furnace or boiler. It takes into account the cyclic on/off operation and associated energy losses of the heating unit as it responds to changes in the load, which in turn is affected by changes in weather and occupant controls.

Ballast Efficacy Factor: The measure of the efficiency of fluorescent ballasts. It is the relative light output divided by the power input.

Basic Refrigerator: A refrigerator that includes a compartment for the freezing and short term storage of food or ice.

CRI; Color Rendering Index: A measure of light quality. The maximum CRI value of 100 is given to natural daylight and incandescent lighting. The closer a lamp's CRI rating is to 100, the better its ability to show true colors to the human eye.

EER; Energy Efficiency Ratio: The measure of the efficiency of room air conditioners. It measures instantaneous efficiency and is the cooling capacity in Btu/hr divided by the watts of power consumed for a specific outdoor temperature (usually 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

Energy Factor: The measure of overall efficiency for a variety of appliances. For water heaters, the energy factor is based on three factors: 1) the recovery efficiency?how efficiently the heat from the energy source is transferred to the water; 2) standby losses?the percentage of heat lost per hour from the stored water compared to the heat content of the water: and 3) cycling losses. For dishwashers, the energy factor is defined as the number of cycles per kWh of input power. For clothes washers, the energy factor is defined as the cubic foot capacity per kWh of input power per cycle. A Modified Energy Factor, to be used for testing washers to meet the standards that go into effect in 2004 and 2007, incorporates clothes dryer energy conservation by consideration of the remaining moisture content (RMC) of clothes leaving the clothes washer, different water temperatures, and using cloth loads. For clothes dryers, the energy factor is defined as the number of pounds of clothes dried per kWh of power consumed.

HSPF; Heating Seasonal Performance Factor: The measure of seasonal or annual efficiency of a heat pump operation in the heating mode. It takes into account the variations in temperature that can occur within a season and is the average number of Btu of heat delivered for every watt-hour of electricity used by the heat pump over a heating season.

Lumens: This is an empirical measure of the quantity of light. It is based upon the spectral sensitivity of the photosensors in the human eye under high (daytime) light levels.

LPW;Lumens per Watt: A measure of the efficacy (efficiency) of lamps. It indicates the amount of light (lumens) emitted by the lamp for each unit of electrical power (watt) that is used.

PF; Power Factor: The ratio of real power (kW) to apparent power (kVA) at any given point and time.

SEER; Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio: The measure of seasonal or annual efficiency of a central air conditioner or air conditioning heat pump. It takes into account the variations in temperature that can occur within a season and is the average number of Btu of cooling delivered for every watt-hour of electricity used by the heat pump over a cooling season.