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Appliance Energy Efficiency Rules Help Americans Lower Their Energy Bills

Last Updated: 6/4/26 — Updated Quarterly

In a February 2025 Truth Social post, President Trump ordered EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin to return to weaker efficiency standards for household appliances. These weaker standards, established during the first Trump administration, will only increase household energy and water costs for American families while increasing water waste. The current standards are lowering energy costs for all Americans. The efficiency standards established under the Biden administration are projected to save American families over $17.9 billion per year on their energy bills, with total savings of over $256 billion in the next 30 years. In addition to lowering energy costs, these new rules will reduce carbon emissions by more than 919 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

Water Heater Efficiency Standards

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy-efficiency standards for residential water heaters. The new standards will save American households $7.6 billion per year on energy and water bills through efficiency improvements. Over 30 years, the rule will save Americans $124 billion on energy bills while avoiding 332 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the combined annual emissions of nearly 43 million homes. Water heating is currently responsible for 13% of residential energy use and consumer utility costs; water heaters that meet the new standard will save consumers 10% on their energy bills compared to current offerings.

Lightbulb Efficiency Standards

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy-efficiency standards for lightbulbs. The new standards will save American households $1.6 billion annually on household energy costs. Over 30 years, the new standard will save Americans more than $27 billion on their utility bills while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 70 million metric tons, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of over 9 million homes. 

Dishwasher Efficiency Standards

In April, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized a new energy efficiency standard for dishwashers. The new standards will save Americans nearly $3.2 billion on their energy bills over the next 30 years while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 9.5 million metric tons, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 1.2 million homes. 

Residential Clothes Washers and Dryers Efficiency Standards

In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy efficiency standards for residential clothes washers and dryers. The new standards will save Americans $2.2 billion per year on utility bills. Over 30 years, the new standards will save Americans up to $39 billion on energy and water bills while avoiding 71 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of nearly 9 million homes.

Residential Cooking Products Efficiency Standards

In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy efficiency standards for residential cooking products. Over the next 30 years, the new rule will save Americans $1.6 billion on their utility bills while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 4 million metric tons, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 500,000 households. 

Residential Refrigerators and Freezers Efficiency Standards

In December 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy efficiency standards for residential refrigerators and freezers. The new standards will save American households and businesses $5 billion annually on utility bills. Over 30 years, the standard will save Americans $36.4 billion on energy costs and reduce emissions by 101 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the combined annual emissions of 12.7 million homes. 

Residential Furnaces Efficiency Standards

In September 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy finalized new energy efficiency standards for residential furnaces. The new standards will save American households $1.5 billion annually on household utility costs. Over 30 years, the rule will save consumers $24.8 billion on energy bills, cut emissions by 332 million metric tons, the equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 42 million homes, and cut methane emissions by 4.3 million tons, equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 14 million homes. 

Toilet Efficiency Standards

Water efficiency standards for toilets were first established in 1994. Since then, new toilets sold were required to not exceed 1.6 gallons per flush, saving more than 18 trillion gallons of water. Design improvements now allow toilets to use less than 1.3 gallons of water per flush; the average family could save over $170 per year in water costs by replacing old toilets with high-efficiency models.

Faucet Efficiency Standards

Federal efficiency standards require bathroom faucets to have a maximum flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute. These specifications were last updated in 2007. EPA-labeled WaterSense sink faucets have a maximum flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute without sacrificing performance. If every U.S. home replaced existing faucets with WaterSense-labeled models, the country could save nearly $1.6 billion in water and energy costs and 71 billion gallons of water across the country every year.

Showerhead Efficiency Standards

In 2021, the Biden administration restored the 2013 definition of a showerhead, overriding the first Trump administration’s weaker standard. The 2013 showerhead rule saved American families over $111 billion on their energy and water bills between 2013 and 2020. As of 2016, nearly 75 percent of showerheads on the market, including low-cost models, met the standard while providing a “pleasing amount” of water flow, per a Consumer Reports test. Comparatively, few manufacturers even offered showerheads that met Trump’s rule.

Hydrofluorocarbon Protection Standards

In 2023, the Biden administration finalized new rules to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 40% from historic levels between 2024 and 2028. The protections were set to save Americans $4.5 billion annually, generating $50 billion in net benefits by 2050. Grocery stores have already pledged to meet these refrigerant rules: Aldi committed to using natural refrigerants across its U.S. stores by 2025; 235 Whole Foods stores already use refrigerants with lower global warming potential than HFCs; and Target plans to transition to 100% natural refrigerants by 2040. U.S. appliance manufacturers said that this repeal will allow Chinese appliance manufacturers to flood the U.S. market with less environmentally friendly products because U.S.-based companies adjusted production to meet the previous federal limits.