NEMA Commends Department of Energy for Appliance Standards Schedule
ROSSLYN, Va., February 2, 2006: NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, has commended the Department of Energy on its recent release of a schedule for setting new appliance efficiency standards that would save American consumers billions of dollars in energy costs. The five-year plan outlines how DOE will address the appliance standards rulemaking backlog and meet all of the statutory requirements established in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005).
"NEMA looks forward to working with the Department of Energy to meet its statutory requirements," says NEMA President and Chief Executive Officer Evan Gaddis. "Consensus energy efficiency standards, like those contained in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, can help to address and serve the nation's energy needs."
NEMA has consistently engaged the Department of Energy on rulemaking priorities and standards-setting processes. In December 2005, NEMA provided detailed comment on the rulemaking priorities on lighting, motors, and transformer products. Fundamentally, NEMA urged the DOE to work toward goals contained in the Process Improvement interpretive rule, and recommended the Six Sigma process improvement mapping tool to the agency. In addition, NEMA urged DOE to take a "systems-based approach" to lighting energy efficiency rulemakings to avoid piecemeal rulemakings, and address critical matters of federal preemption.
Statutes require DOE to set appliance efficiency standards at levels that achieve the maximum improvement in energy efficiency insofar as it is technologically feasible and economically justified.
DOE says that standards already in place for residential products are expected to save consumers nearly $93 billion by 2020 and save enough energy to operate all U.S. homes for approximately two years. DOE also notes that it is aggressively implementing process improvements to speed up the development and issuing of appliance standards rulemakings.
The plan, developed after public comment, including NEMA's on appliance rulemaking, provides for the issuance of one rulemaking for each of the 18 products in the backlog. The plan also provides for setting appliance standards for products required under EPACT 2005 and issuance of a number of new test procedures required by EPACT 2005.
NEMA is the leading trade association in the United States representing the interests of electroindustry manufacturers. Founded in 1926 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., its approximately 430 member companies manufacture products used in the generation, transmission and distribution, control, and end-use of electricity. Domestic shipments of electrical products within the NEMA scope exceed $100 billion.
NEMA. Setting Standards for Excellence
Visit our website at www.nema.org
Jason Peak
Senior Editor
(703) 841-3222
jas_peak@nema.org
