Want To Help The US Government Become More Productive? Increase Appliance And Building Efficiency – CleanTechnica

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With climate change becoming an ever-pressing issue, the demand for building efficiency has taken on new meaning. A global emphasis on sustainability had dominated the building industry in recent years, and a green building focus seemed to be the norm for new construction.

But then the Trumpsters, with Project 2025 in their back pockets, took control of the federal government. Their mission is to “create a playbook of actions to be taken in the first 180 days of the new Administration to bring quick relief to Americans suffering from the Left’s devastating policies.” Dismantling key clean energy initiatives and prioritizing fossil fuel production has taken center stage in this fight against the perceived enemy of the Left.

How’s that going? The Consumer Price Index has already risen 3.0% from a year earlier as food and energy prices picked up. Refusing to ever accept responsibility, President Donald J. Trump exploded on social media, “Biden inflation!”

Nonetheless, the Department of Energy (DOE) has begun restructuring efforts to dissolve the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Loan Programs Office, and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. These offices were central to advancing federal investments in renewable energy and managing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Their removal signals a major shift away from government-backed clean energy projects.

In light of the elimination of energy efficiency protocols, what will happen to energy-positive builders who were increasingly using sustainable materials, integrating renewable energy systems like solar panels, and installing advanced HVAC systems to reduce energy consumption? What will happen to a construction industry that was turning to green roofs, natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting systems, and the use of low-carbon concrete?

Building efficiency is an immediate and beneficial upgrade for businesses, especially as rising costs, new regulations, and rapid technical improvements combine to create a favorable sustainability climate. By aligning with climate action goals, businesses can improve their marketability while demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainability. Beyond compliance, meeting these standards enhances building performance and helps owners and managers reduce regulatory and financial risks.

Efficiency standards ensure new products sold meet a minimum level of energy efficiency as well as water efficiency for certain products. Up until this month, federal standards have covered about 60 types of residential and commercial products, such as furnaces, refrigerators, air-conditioning equipment, motors, and pumps. This status moving forward is uncertain.

President Ronald Reagan signed the first national efficiency standards into law in the late 1980s, and Congress expanded standards to more products in laws signed under both Bush administrations. A 2007 bipartisan law directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate each standard periodically and update it if economically justified. In the first Trump administration Congress did not follow in lock step with the executive office — even under Republican majorities, Congress either held the efficiency programs steady or occasionally increased them.

The law forbids DOE from weakening standards, so canceling them was intended to require Congress to pass a new law. But will the new administration follow a pattern of ignoring the rule of law when it comes to energy and building efficiency standards?

Household Efficiency Progress under the Biden Administration

The Biden administration made “tremendous progress” updating appliance and equipment energy efficiency standards over the last four years and is was about 85% of the way towards a significant 30-year emissions and savings target, according to an analysis from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced in late 2023 two energy-efficiency actions that would save US households and businesses $5 billion per year on their utility bills, while significantly cutting energy waste and harmful carbon pollution. The final standards for residential refrigerators and freezers—which are Congressionally-mandated —  and proposed standards for commercial fans and blowers were expected to save US approximately $92 billion on their utility bills. Together, these updated standards are also expected to reduce nearly 420 million metric tons of dangerous carbon dioxide emissions cumulatively over 30 years, which is equivalent to the combined annual emissions of nearly 53 million homes.

The Appliance Standards Awareness Project outlines how energy efficiency standards reduce the environmental impact of appliances and equipment. Standards finalized by the Biden administration alone were expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons, according to DOE. Standards also reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter, which directly harm human health. Eliminating standards would invite manufacturers and importers to sell products with old, energy-guzzling technologies that increase climate-warming and air pollutant emissions.

The EPA, for example, has a program identifying ENERGY STAR products, and there are requirements that appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners meet certain levels of energy efficiency. Those rules have helped US consumers to reduce their energy usage significantly.

Project 2025 was written by the Heritage Foundation ahead of a hoped-for Trump return to the White House. It includes this directive in its policy agenda: “Eliminate energy efficiency standards for appliances.” We can look to the cities, which are embracing stricter green certifications like LEED, Net-Zero, and building efficiency, making sustainable design a critical aspect of any new construction project. But it’s not enough.

Forecasting the effects as the Trump administration cut such programs, ASAP executive director Andrew deLaski wrote in a blog post. “That would mean more utility shutoffs, more people would freeze or swelter in their homes. It would really have large consequences. Efficiency programs help people save money. It cuts their energy bills, so that is a big threat,”

Case Study: Ohio and Building Efficiency under the Trump Administration

Project 2025 will increase Ohio households’ annual energy spending and cost the state tens of thousands of jobs by 2030 compared to a continuation of current federal law and policies, an analysis from Energy Innovation finds.

Ending federal spending on climate mitigation will cost jobs along with savings from energy efficiency and reduced dependence on fossil fuels, explains Robbie Orvis, senior director for modeling and analysis at Energy Innovation. Among other things, slashing energy efficiency programs for buildings and other sources of greenhouse gases will result in higher energy usage and utility bills. Gutting programs to incentivize electric vehicles and relaxing fuel efficiency requirements would also result in more fossil fuel use than would otherwise be the case.

With roughly $4.9 billion less in clean energy investments, Ohio’s greenhouse gas emissions would climb, the Energy Innovations analysis found. Sources in the state would emit roughly 9 million more metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2030, compared to what they would under current federal policies.

That figure would exceed 32 million metric tons in 2035. That’s comparable to the 2023 emissions from Ohio’s four largest coal plants.