Proposed Dishwasher Energy Standards Turn Back Time

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New energy and water efficiency regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) would result in dishwasher performance that is unacceptable to consumers, essentially turning back the clock to the days of hand-washing dishes. The proposed standards, which will become effective in January 2019, would require dishwashers to cut energy use by 24% and water use by 38%, leaving just 3.1 gallons of water to clean an entire load of dishes in a normal wash cycle.   This will force handwashing and repeat cycles, undermining the energy and water savings accumulated from the three previous standards, and will trigger enormous consumer dissatisfaction.

Home appliance manufacturers recently completed several rounds of testing to the proposed standards. The testing revealed a build-up of film, fats and grease on dishes at the end of the cycle. As a result of the proposed standards, it is highly likely that consumers will pre-wash dishes or choose to repeat dishwasher cycles, thereby erasing any energy or water savings.

According to AHAM's analysis, DOE's forecasting models show water usage could actually increase because of product impact and altered consumer behavior in pre-rinsing dishes.

In addition to poor performance results, AHAM's analysis shows that it will take 20 years for the consumer to recoup the cost of a new dishwasher, longer than most consumers live in their home and longer than the expected life of the dishwasher. AHAM's analysis shows that the proposed standard levels result in a national energy savings of less than 0.6 quads, barely meeting the threshold for a product to even be eligible for a national efficiency standard.

"Standards work best when they are developed through consensus.  Unlike the three prior dishwasher standards, the latest proposed energy and water levels were published before manufacturers were consulted. Our testing shows that the impact on dishwasher performance would be disastrous," noted Joseph M. McGuire, president of AHAM. 

With the adoption of the proposed standards levels, it is possible that over 70 percent of consumers could actually experience a net financial loss when purchasing a product that meets the proposed levels, according to AHAM's analysis of the DOE proposal.  For manufacturers, DOE itself estimates the dishwasher industry's value to decrease up to 34.7 percent because of the increased investment costs required to meet the new standard levels.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is the trade association representing manufacturers of major, portable and floor care home appliances and suppliers to the industry. AHAM is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains an office in Ottawa. AHAM is the single voice providing the home appliance industry and its customers leadership, advocacy and a forum for action — developing and implementing credible solutions for public policy, standards and business decisions. You can visit the AHAM web sites at http://www.aham.org or www.ahamcanada.ca.

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SOURCE Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

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