On October 30, 2020 and December 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published two final rules that established product classes for residential dishwashers with a cycle time for the normal cycle of 60 minutes or less, top-loading residential clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers with a cycle time of less than 30 minutes, and front-loading residential clothes washers with a cycle time of less than 45 minutes (short-cycle product classes). The rules resulted in amended energy conservation standards for these short-cycle product classes, without determining whether the relevant statutory criteria for amending standards were met. In short, the new product classes would not need to meet decades-old energy and water standards.
Thus, the DOE has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice proposing to revoke the two earlier rules that improperly promulgated standards and reinstate the prior product classes and applicable standards for these covered products.
The DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this notice until 60 days after the notice has published in the Federal Register. Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number EERE-2021-BT-STD-0002 at the Federal eRulemaking portal.
