Federal energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment lead to cleaner air, creating health benefits. By conserving energy, standards reduce both indirect emissions (from power plants) and direct emissions (from fossil fuel appliances). This decreases human exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution, a harmful form of particle pollution capable of entering the lungs and bloodstream and contributing to increased incidences of respiratory and cardiovascular health complications.

This factsheet summarizes the key findings from a recent report that estimates the distribution of public health benefits in disadvantaged communities in the United States. Specifically, it estimates the reductions in PM2.5-related deaths that can be attributed to standards adopted over a 30-year period and explores how standards can contribute to Justice40 Initiative goals.

This Issue Brief serves to inform the US Department of Energy (DOE) and policymakers of widespread public support for federal appliance energy efficiency standards across key U.S. demographic groups. Supporting evidence is derived from a nationally-representative survey of 4,000 U.S. adults. The survey asked about consumer attitudes towards national appliance standards and payback periods, and revealed new data on appliance purchasing decisions by race, income, and homeownership.

The brief covers:

• new insights on consumer purchasing behaviors, including information on the reasons for and regularity of appliance replacements across the US;
• first-of-its-kind data on the used appliance market;
• and an evaluation of how more stringent appliance standards can benefit Americans, with a particular focus on low-income households, households of color and renters who often spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy bills.

Readers can explore the study’s methodology in the Annex companion document.

WASHINGTON, DC – A new issue brief from CLASP and Consumer Federation of America finds 76% of Americans support federal energy efficiency standards for appliances. The brief highlights a significant opportunity to lower energy bills across the country, including for low-income households, households of color, and renters that spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy.

The nationally representative survey of over 4,000 Americans revealed that a majority of the country, regardless of race, gender, or income, is in favor of standards and in support of payback periods ranging between three, five, and even ten years.

“With rising energy prices and widespread inflation, now more than ever, consumers can use the additional pocketbook savings that updated efficiency standards will provide in hundreds of dollars annually thanks to the increased energy efficiency of their household appliances,” said Richard Eckman, Communications Manager and Energy Advocate at Consumer Federation of America. “Our data show that consumers across all demographics support efficiency standards and are willing to make an investment in energy efficiency that pays for itself over a short period of time through energy bill savings.”

The survey found that two-thirds of US households replaced major appliances – like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and space heating equipment – within the last five years, largely due to emergency situations like product failure.

“Without stringent efficiency requirements, we are missing out on massive cost and energy savings that would benefit consumers across the country – especially lower-income households,” said Matt Malinowski, Director of Climate Research at CLASP, an efficiency policy NGO. “The data showcase the urgent need to eliminate the worst performing products from the market to promote the equitable benefits of leading technology.”

When faced with the need for a new appliance, a notable portion of the population turns to the used market. The survey found that low-income, Black, and renter households are at least 50% more likely than the general population to replace a major appliance with a used product.

“Our findings suggest a large used appliance market in the US. When the most inefficient appliances are passed on as second- or even third-hand items, they can have persistent and lasting cost burdens, particularly for low-income renters and households of color that spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy bills. We need to amplify efforts that lower barriers to efficient appliances for marginalized groups and expand initiatives that prevent the oldest, least-efficient products from entering the resale market,” said Lauren Boucher, Research Manager at CLASP.

Standards already save the average American household over $300 per year on their energy bills. To ensure that all Americans reap additional economic benefits from more efficient technologies, the authors recommend that the US Department of Energy meet legally binding deadlines for updating standards and, when warranted, implement efficiency requirements for uncovered products.

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About CLASP: CLASP serves at the epicenter of collaborative, ambitious efforts to mitigate climate change and in the global movement for clean energy access, through appliance efficiency. CLASP works hand-in-hand with governments, experts, industry, consumers, donor organizations and others to propel policies and markets toward the highest-quality, lowest resource-intensive products possible. Learn more at https://www.clasp.ngo/.

About Consumer Federation of America: The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is an association of more than 250 nonprofit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance consumer interest through research, education, and advocacy. Learn more at https://consumerfed.org/.

Read the full release here.

On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2208 into law, a landmark bill by Assemblymember Kalra and Senator Becker that sets phase out dates for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) starting in 2024. Climate, clean air, worker safety, and public and environmental health advocates applaud the move to protect Californians and the planet from the dangers of mercury containing lamps.

“We are delighted to have legislative champions in Assemblymember Ash Kalra and Senator Josh Becker who were willing to take action to remove toxic mercury from lighting which unnecessarily exposes the public and waste workers to a potent neurotoxin,” said Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director of the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC), sponsor of the bill.

Over the last 10 years, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have become an increasingly available, cost-effective, and much more efficient lighting solution. Because LED retrofit lamps produce the same illumination as fluorescents but use half as much electricity, this new law will cut California’s lighting energy bills in half and protect the state from rolling blackouts caused by electricity shortages.

“AB 2208 will result in even more efficient energy use in our homes and businesses, reduced electricity bills, as well as reductions in both carbon and toxic pollution,” said Victoria Rome, Director of California Government Affairs for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).

A recent market study found that by 2030, California could save over $1 billion annually on electricity bills, achieve annual electricity savings of about 5,600 gigawatt hours, and avoid the release of 950,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.

California is now the second state to pass a ban on fluorescent lamps, following Vermont’s vote to phase out CFLs in 2023 and 4-foot LFLs in 2024. California, however, went further by including lamps up to 8 feet in the phase-out.

“We applaud the leadership being shown by the State of California, transitioning away from toxic mercury-based light sources in favor of clean, efficient and cost-effective LED technology,” said Corinne Schneider, Chief Communications and Development Officer at CLASP. “We hope California’s move will generate some momentum, with other states taking action to protect people and the planet from fluorescent lighting.”

Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing LEDs as the foremost lighting technology on the market today. In December 2021, the European Union banned the sale of almost all mercury-containing fluorescent lamps by September 2023, and in March 2022, 137 governments voted to phase out CFLs by 2025 through the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

As one of the biggest lighting markets in the country, the new California law signals that the US is ready to make the transition to a clean lighting economy. The US is well positioned to take a leading role in global negotiations and push for an equitable global transition to better lighting at the Minamata Convention COP5 next year.

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About the Clean Lighting Coalition: The Clean Lighting Coalition is a global partnership coordinated by CLASP to capture the health and environmental benefits of eliminating mercury-based lighting. To learn more, visit www.cleanlightingcoalition.org and follow the Coalition on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the National Stewardship Action Council: The National Stewardship Action Council was founded in 2015 as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that engages in education and advocacy work that drives a circular and equitable economy, anywhere in the U.S., and at any level of government.  Our vision is that the U.S. achieve a circular and equitable economy.  You can follow us on social media via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and You Tube.

Every six seconds a new residential furnace or air conditioner starts up in the US, meaning homes lose out on the opportunity to decarbonize until the product is ready to be replaced – likely not until 2035-2040. This report advocates for households to replace existing air conditioning units at the end of their useful life with look-alike electric heat pumps – a super-efficient technology that can both heat and cool indoor spaces.

Two-way heat pumps offer a reliable, cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional air conditioners, enhancing energy security and reducing fossil fuel consumption. In this proposal, households would keep their legacy heat system in place, using it to supplement the heat pump at lower temperatures. As of 2022, there are 54 million US homes that are ready for hybrid heating.

This report, expanding on findings from CLASP’s 2021 3H Hybrid Heat Homes Report, offers benefit analyses of four major heating fuel types – oil, propane, methane and electric resistance – and outlines key recommendations for how state governments and utilities can support accelerated heat pump adoption across the US.

By transitioning these households to super-efficient hybrid heating, US could reduce national heating bills by $13.6 billion and cut annual CO2 emissions by 67 Mt, the equivalent of removing 14.4 million passenger cars from the road for an entire year.

Read the full press release here.

A new report from CLASP and the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) finds that the US could reduce national heating bills by $13.6 billion and cut annual CO2 emissions by 67 Mt, the equivalent of removing 14.4 million passenger cars for an entire year, by swapping air conditioners for heat pumps.

The report, “Combating High Fuel Prices with Hybrid Heating: The Case for Swapping Air Conditioners for Heat Pumps”, advocates for households to replace existing air conditioning units at the end of their useful life with look-alike electric heat pumps – a technology that can both heat and cool indoor spaces. In this proposal, households would keep their legacy heat systems in place, using them to supplement the heat pump at lower temperatures.

“AC retirements are a low-cost opportunity to bring super-efficient heat pumps into US homes,” said Matt Malinowski, report author and Director of Climate Research at CLASP. “Our report offers a robust argument in favor of making the swap, including huge cost savings for households and meaningful mitigation impacts.”

Every six seconds a new residential furnace or air conditioner starts up in the US, meaning these households miss out on the opportunity to begin home decarbonization until that equipment is retired in 2035-2040. In contrast, 1.7 million oil, 3.1 million propane, 16 million electric resistance, and 33 million methane gas households across the country can benefit right now from swapping one-way ACs for hybrid heat pumps. Households will also reduce their heating bills by $77-$555 per year, while reducing CO2 emissions by 11%-20%, depending on fuel.

“The transition away from fossil heating in the US requires millions of new electric heat pumps to be installed in the next few decades,” said Steve Pantano, Chief of Research at Rewiring America. “But the opportunity is clear. We can tackle a big part of this challenge at a very low cost, save consumers money on their energy bills, and accelerate progress toward our nation’s climate goals.”

The report, which extends the research in CLASP’s 2021 3H report, offers an analysis of the feasibility and benefits of household transition from oil, propane, methane gas, and electric resistance heating to hybrid heating systems in light of rising fuel costs and a desire to reduce fossil fuel dependence. The authors also recommend proven state and local policy tools to accelerate the adoption and overall availability of heat pumps.

“Rerunning the numbers, the Hybrid Heat Homes idea makes even more sense this year than last,” said Nate Adams, founder of HVAC 2.0 and co-author of the 3H paper. “All fuel prices are up substantially, so savings amounts got higher. Particularly for rural areas with expensive fuels and lower income, it’s a boon for equity. And, of course, being able to run on renewables helps deliver true energy independence so we’re less prone to price shocks like those caused by events like Russia invading Ukraine.”

Pushing for a swap from air conditioners to heat pumps over the next 5-10 years will smooth the way for full-building electrification and advance the United States towards its ambitious goal of achieving net zero by 2050.

“Electrification of the existing housing stock is a big mountain to climb,” said Max Dupuy, coauthor of the report and Principal at RAP. “Every home is different. Our proposal to swap AC to heat pumps opens a clear path to get rolling.”

Heat pumps, which can both cool and heat indoor spaces, are up to four times more efficient than traditional equipment, providing a significant opportunity to save people money on energy bills, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease our reliance on oil and gas. With the rapid increase in fossil fuel prices and an accelerating climate crisis at hand, US policymakers are scoping out effective and affordable climate solutions.

In early May, Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced the Heating Efficiency and Affordability Tax Relief (HEATR) Act. Drawing directly from recommendations in CLASP’s 3H Hybrid Heat Homes report, the bill aims to establish upstream incentives for manufacturers to transition production to heat pumps, resulting in lower upfront costs to consumers and accelerated deployment of the super-efficient technology.

Supplementing traditional home heating with heat pumps offers noteworthy climate and economic benefits. The average household can cut fossil fuel use by 39% when running a heat pump above 41°F/5°C and save $154 per year in operating costs.

Support the HEATR Act

Underscored by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and skyrocketing oil and gas prices globally, CLASP and our partners are urging other NGOs and civil society organizations to voice their support for the bill.

To endorse the HEATR Act, please fill out this form.

More About the Bill

The HEATR Act was introduced by Senator Klobuchar and co-sponsored by Senators Hickenlooper, Whitehouse, Leahy, Merkley, and Booker.

Targeted manufacturer incentives can help keep the purchase cost of the equipment low by avoiding markups along the manufacturing and distribution process. This strategy helps to reduce the high upfront costs to consumers, lowering the barrier for mass heat pump deployment across the US, and complements the consumer-facing incentive currently proposed in Build Back Better.

The bill is currently awaiting approval from the Senate Finance Committee.

To learn more about the bill and heat pump technology, explore the following resources:

• Bill Text and Bill Status
• CLASP 3H Hybrid Heat Homes Report 
• Replacing Residential Heating Oil with Heat Pumps in the US

Press

• Senator Klobuchar’s Press Release.
• Senator Smith’s Press Release.
• A new bill could speed up American electrification by 20 years, Canary Media.
• New Senate Bills Encourage U.S. Heat Pump Manufacturing Jobs, NRDC.
• The U.S. Is Addicted To Gas Heating. A New Bill May Make Going Electric The Easy Choice, Huffington Post.
• Two new bills could help pump up a climate-friendly system for heating and cooling homes, Popular Science.

On May 19, 2022, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed H.500 into law, making Vermont the first state in the US to ban all four-foot linear fluorescent lamps. The bill will go into effect January 1, 2024, complemented by an existing  law  to phase out all screw-based compact linear fluorescents beginning February 17, 2023.

Taken together, these two policy actions will remove well over 90% of the fluorescent lighting products from the Vermont market by 1 January 2024, saving Vermont residents $167 million in reduced utility bills by 2040 by cutting 1,000 gigawatt hours of electricity.

Vermont stands as a leader in the US clean lighting transition. California and Rhode Island have produced similar bills that are awaiting approval. Learn more about efforts in California here.

Read the full press release here.

Today, the Vermont Senate adopted legislation to ban the sale of 4-foot linear fluorescent light (LFL) bulbs in 2024. Climate, environmental, and health advocates applaud the vote, noting the widespread availability of more energy-efficient, mercury-free LED alternatives.

“Vermonters no longer need to tolerate fluorescent lighting, which contains mercury, a potent neurotoxin,” said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project. “By passing this legislation, Vermont is making a clear statement that it will not accept outdated and toxic technologies when safer, more efficient bulbs are widely available.”

Four-foot LFL bulbs are the most common type of fluorescent bulb, covering about 90% of fluorescent installations including lighting in most offices, schools, and other indoor spaces.

According to a recent report, fluorescents release mercury whenever they are broken, posing a threat to the environment and vulnerable groups like pregnant women, infants and others with chemical sensitivities.

“Who wants to put toxic mercury lighting in their homes, day care centers, schools, offices, hospitals, or shops when they don’t have to?” said Paul Burns, Executive Director of Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “LED alternatives are available, cost-effective, are mercury free and offer better quality light than fluorescents.”

Experts say that in the majority of cases, efficient LED retrofit solutions are widely available and can save Vermont residents and businesses money by cutting electricity costs in half.  

A new study from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) found a typical school could see $24,000 in lifetime savings from transitioning to LEDs. Further, by 2040 Vermont could see savings of $167 million in reduced utility bills thanks to just over 1,000 gigawatt hours of saved electricity due to transitioning to LED four-foot tubes.

“Based on our analysis of drop-in retrofit LED bulb prices in Vermont, we concluded that an LED bulb can pay for itself 5 times over in electricity bill savings over its lifespan,” said Brian Fadie of ASAP. “Clearly LED is the lowest cost option today.”

In response to a consumer advocate petition last fall and a subsequent review, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources issued a determination in February that will end the sale of screw-based mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This restriction will begin on February 17, 2023, to allow Vermont retailers and distributors sufficient time to sell any existing inventories.

“We applaud the leadership of Vermont’s legislators in setting phase-out dates for the most common fluorescent lighting technologies in state”, said Ana Maria Carreño, Director at CLASP. “There is no place for mercury in lighting today, especially when LED alternatives offer better performance, coupled with climate and environmental benefits”.

Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing LEDs as the foremost lighting technology on the market today. On December 16, the European Union banned the sale of almost all mercury-containing fluorescent lamps by September 2023, and in March, 137 governments voted to phase out CFLs by 2025 through the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

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For more information:

Vermont ANR determination: https://dec.vermont.gov/content/10-vsa-%C2%A77152a6-sale-mercury-containing-lamps-final-determination-notice

European Commission ban on fluorescent lamps: https://www.eceee.org/all-news/news/eu-commission-adopts-regulation-to-ban-fluorescent-lighting-by-september-2023/

About the Mercury Policy Project: Founded in 1998, the Mercury Policy Project promotes policies to eliminate mercury use and reduce mercury exposure. To learn more, visit www.mercurypolicy.org

About the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP): ASAP organizes and leads a broad-based coalition effort that works to advance, win and defend new appliance, equipment and lighting standards which deliver large energy and water savings, monetary savings and environmental benefits. To learn more, visit https://appliance-standards.org

About the Responsible Purchasing Network:  RPN is an international network of buyers dedicated to socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing.  To learn more, visit  http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org/

About VPIRG: The Vermont Public Interest Research Group is Vermont’s largest consumer and environmental advocacy organization with more than 40,000 members and supporters across the state. To learn more, visit www.vpirg.org

For more information about the transition away from mercury-based lighting, visit https://cleanlightingcoalition.org/benefits/

Heating oil is one of the most expensive heating fuels in the US, requiring millions of households to spend more than $2,000 annually for heat. Replacing all or some oil-powered heating equipment with modern two-way heat pumps can cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce household heating and cooling costs, and increase comfort.

This paper explores two opportunities for heat pump retrofits for oil heating equipment in the US and the costs and benefits of each based on a 2021 CLASP analysis, with updates to reflect December 2021 prices.