The Trump administration is halting a bevy of Biden-era energy efficiency regulations targeting light bulbs and household appliances—actions that officials said would help lower consumer costs and improve the quality of appliances.
The actions are the latest example of the Trump administration's aggressive energy agenda and efforts to roll back former president Joe Biden's climate agenda. In early 2023, energy efficiency regulations targeting appliances emerged as a central tenet of the Biden administration's agenda to curb nationwide greenhouse gas emissions.
In an announcement Friday afternoon, the Department of Energy said it would pause implementation of seven energy efficiency regulations finalized during the Biden administration. Those regulations targeted non-LED light bulbs, central air conditioners, clothes washers and dryers, walk-in coolers and freezers, gas-powered water heaters, commercial refrigeration equipment, and air compressors.
"Today's announcement will foster consumer choice and lower prices—it is a win for all Americans," said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. "The people, not the government, should be choosing the home appliances and products they want at prices they can afford."
The Department of Energy is also creating an entirely new energy efficiency category for natural-gas-powered tankless water heaters that exempts the appliance from Biden-era regulations. In one of its final actions, the Biden administration moved to ban an entire category of gas-powered tankless water heaters, which critics said would force consumers to pay $450 more on average when buying a new water heater.
In a separate announcement, the Environmental Protection Agency said it will overhaul the Biden administration's WaterSense specifications, which restricted water use in appliances such as bathroom and kitchen faucets, residential toilets, and sprinkler nozzles. "If we do not act, the last Administration's actions will make new home appliances more expensive and contribute to a higher cost of living for Americans," the EPA said.
"Americans deserve access to the best products in their homes, and appliances like shower heads and lightbulbs that work," EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said.