Joe Biden’s War on Dishwashers Rages On

Not content with merely getting rid of the Trump administration’s more liberal standards, the Biden administration has proposed strict new energy efficiency rules for dishwashers.

On Friday, the Department of Energy proposed a sweep of energy efficiency standards affecting electric motors, vending machines, and dishwashers that it says will collectively save Americans $652 million in utility bills every year.

“This Administration is using all of the tools at our disposal to save Americans money while promoting innovations that will reduce carbon pollution and combat the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in a press release.

Including Friday’s proposed changes, the administration has proposed tightening energy efficiency standards for 16 product categories, including many home appliances. The DOE has opened or finalized rules on microwave ovens, normal ovens, refrigerators, and laundry machines in just the last few months.

“We’re seeing costs of new products going up dramatically,” says Jill Notini of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). “The food we are putting in the refrigerator is costing a lot more than it did a year or two ago. Now we’re telling consumers not only is your food going to cost more, but your refrigerator will also cost you more.”

Meeting DOE standards will cost manufacturers $2.5 billion, according to AHAM’s aggregation of the DOE’s own cost estimates. That figure doesn’t include the costs of the latest dishwasher mandates.

The department estimates that consumers will save $3 billion over the next 30 years