Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

A few days ago, appliance manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates announced an agreement to call for new national minimum efficiency standards to improve energy and water efficiency standards for refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, and room air conditioners. The coalition of major appliance manufacturers, their trade union, and the energy efficiency advocates propose that the new national minimum efficiency standards and tax credits be instituted through action by the Department of Energy and by Congress.

According to the press release, the recommended standards and tax credits would save more than 9 quads of energy over 30 years. The recommended water efficiency standards and tax credits for clothes washers and dishwashers would save about 5 trillion gallons of water over 30 years.

Below, I’ve put together a rough timeline of how the proposed standards would take effect:

• January 2013 – dishwashers would see 14% energy savings and 23% water savings
• January 2014 – new refrigerator and freezer energy reduced up to 30%
• June 2014 – room air conditioners would increase in efficiency 10-15%
• 2015 – top loading clothes washers would have 26% energy savings and 16% water saving compared to current standards
• 2015 – front loading clothes washers would have 43% energy savings and 52% water savings compared to current standards
• 2015 – clothes dryers will increase in efficiency 5%
• 2018 – top loading clothes washers would have 37% energy and water saving compared to current standards

An overview of the agreement is here.