Appliance and Equipment 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 that 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 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 June 2005, Oregon passed legislation setting minimum energy efficiency standards for 11 appliances. The standards have been updated to include additional products, most recently by Senate Bill 692 of 2013. Those products regulated by Oregon law and not currently covered by federal standards include: 

1. Bottle-type water dispensers (2009)
2. Commercial hot food holding cabinets (2009)
3. Commercial refrigerators and freezers (2008)
4. Compact audio products (2009)
5. Digital versatile disc players and digital versatile disc recorders (2009)
6. Portable electric spas (2009)
7. Battery charger systems (2014)
8. High light output double-ended quartz halogen lamps (2016)
9. Televisions (2014)

Dates listed in parenthesis signify the effective year.

Testing requirements and minimum efficiency standards are outlined in the regulations. The standards do not apply to products installed in a mobile or manufactured home at the time of construction or designed expressly for installation and use in recreational vehicles. The law stipulates that the State Department of Energy must periodically review the minimum energy efficiency standards and report to the Legislative Assembly when the standards need to be updated, due to federal action or to the outcome of collaborative consultations with manufacturers and the energy departments of other states.


* 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.