WASHINGTON - The US Energy Department will impose stricter energy-efficiency standards for 22 categories of appliances over the next 5 years as part of a court settlement made public Monday.
The rules will govern the efficiency of a wide range of appliances -- including furnaces, air conditioners, ovens, hot water heaters, dishwashers, clothes dryers and pool heaters.
Last year 15 states, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and consumer groups sued the Energy Department, alleging that the agency was up to 13 years late in publishing standards required by laws that Congress passed in the aftermath of the 1970s oil price shocks.
The US government agreed to issue rules for appliances to be finalized between February 2007 and June 2011 in a court settlement filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The new standards will save consumers money and cut down on pollution because appliances will use less electricity, said Katherine Kennedy, who pursued the case for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"This agreement is great news for our pocketbooks -- and for our health -- because efficiency performance standards are the most successful tool we have to cut energy costs and pollution," Kennedy said.
Clearing a backlog of appliance standards is a priority for US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman, an Energy Department spokesman said.
"By implementing these standards we will save Americans energy and money while working to keep our environment clean," spokesman Craig Stevens said.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
