DOE to Repeal Illegal Dishwasher Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Energy Department announced final plans today to withdraw a loophole for dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers that opened the door to unfettered water and energy waste. In October of 2020, the agency exempted certain new dishwashers - those with a default wash and dry cycle of less than 60 minutes - from efficiency standards by needlessly creating a new category exempt from any water or energy-saving requirements. Two months later, the agency created standard-less “quick cycle” product categories for clothes washers and clothes dryers as well.

NRDC opposed these new classes as brazen attempts to illegally weaken efficiency standards for these products and filed suit in December of 2020, to challenge the dishwasher rule.

The following is a statement from NRDC energy efficiency advocate Joe Vukovich:

“Reinstating the longtime energy and water efficiency standards for dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers will ensure that consumers continue to have access to efficient products, saving them money on utility bills while simultaneously avoiding climate-warming pollution.

“The creation of the short-cycle product class for dishwashers was part of the reckless dismantling of standards at any cost from the Trump administration. Ignoring the clear Congressional prohibition against weakening standards was a threat to the entire efficiency standards program. Abolishing these loopholes is simply common sense.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.