Trump administration to end appliance efficiency program

The Trump administration plans to eliminate the Energy Star program that sets efficiency standards for appliances.

The proposal comes after Mr. Trump campaigned on and continues to rail against federal regulations that have forced appliance manufacturers to increasingly cut water and energy use.

There was no formal announcement, but industry insiders confirmed the plan to cut the program.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star division is subject to elimination under a new organizational chart proposed on Friday. The changes are meant to reduce the size and cost of the agency and pivot its purpose away from curtailing climate change.

An EPA spokesman, when asked about the elimination of the Energy Star program, would not comment on it specifically but said the department was undergoing a reorganization.

“With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency’s core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback,” the EPA spokesman said in a statement provided to The Washington Times.

Industry insiders say appliance manufacturers aren’t in favor of ending the Energy Star program, which has governed appliance standards for decades.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the US Chamber of Commerce and others wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in March, urging him to continue the program.

“Our collective members — hundreds of manufacturers across America — have long participated in the ENERGY STAR program since its inception in 1992. As partners in this non-regulatory program, our members have worked hard to provide fully featured, efficient products to American consumers while also protecting access to products that work for them,” they wrote.

Mr. Trump pledged on the campaign trail to reduce the regulation of appliances, from low-flow showerheads to washing machines.

He signed an executive order earlier this month to end restrictions on the water flow in shower nozzles.

“It’s not just showers — the Biden administration aggressively targeted everyday appliances like gas stoves, water heaters, washing machines, furnaces, dishwashers, and more, waging war on the reliable tools Americans depend on daily,” Mr. Trump said in the memorandum.

The Energy Star program provides tax credits and other incentives for consumers to purchase appliances rated for their efficiency. The appliances appear with an “Energy Star” sticker.

Advocates for the Energy Star program say it has cut carbon emissions and saved consumers tens of billions of dollars.