Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards

NOTE: The federal government has imposed and updated appliance efficiency standards through several legislative acts,* and now has standards in place or under development for 30 classes of products. In general, states which had set standards prior to federal action may enforce their own standards until the federal standards take effect. States that had not set standards prior to federal action must use the federal standards. This summary addresses (1) state appliance standards that will be in place until the federal standards take effect and (2) products for which the federal government is not currently developing an efficiency standard. Much of the information in this summary comes from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Visit the ASAP web site for comprehensive information about appliance standards.

In 2004 the Energy Efficiency Standards Act (EESA of 2004) became law in the State of Maryland. The General Assembly passed the EESA to establish minimum energy efficiency standards on nine separate products. Five of the nine appliances covered by the EESA were preempted by the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 immediately or by the end of the year, and the remaining four were preemted in the following years.

In 2007 the EESA of 2004 was amended to establish standards for seven additional types of appliances.  Federal standards have since preempted the standards for all products except for the two listed below.  Dates listed in parentheses signify the year when the standard took effect.

• Bottle-type water dispensers (2009)
• Commercial hot food holding cabinets (2009)

Regulations implementing the initial set of standards under the EESA of 2004 were officially adopted by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) in June 2006. These new regulations incorporate the EESA amendments enacted June 2005 and address the preemption issues caused by the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005. The 2007 amendments required the Maryland Energy Administration to officially adopt regulations establishing the new standards by January 1, 2008. However, as of June 2010 this task had not been completed. The MEA may delay the effective date of any standard by up to one year if it determines that products conforming to the standard will not be widely available in Maryland by that date.

Manufacturers must test products consistent with the testing standards established by the federal government in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Manufacturers must certify to the MEA that the product is in compliance with the minimum efficiency standards. Certification, proof of testing, and labeling requirements are outlined in the EESA. Every two years the MEA is directed to consider and propose standards to the General Assembly for products not already subject to efficiency standards and revised, more stringent amendments to existing standards.

* These acts include the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.