RELEASE: Department of Energy’s new appliance efficiency standards will save AK households $114 annually

ANCHORAGE – A typical household in Alaska stands to save an average of $114 annually on utility bills over the next two decades, thanks to newly updated national appliance efficiency standards, according to analysis released Tuesday by Alaska Environment Research & Policy Center, U.S PIRG Education Fund, and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Businesses in Alaska are expected to be a major benefactor to these new standards, and are projected to collectively save an estimated $5.6 million per year on average over the next two decades on energy costs due to the new requirements.

“It’s great to see how much impact updating efficiency standards can have on both our air quality and Alaska utility bills,” said Dyani Chapman, State Director of Alaska Environment Research & Policy Center. “The cleanest and cheapest energy is the energy we never use, so stronger efficiency standards are welcome news.” 

The savings projections are published as part of a new policy analysis, Reducing Costs Across America: New Appliance Standards Save Consumers Money in Every State. Under President Joe Biden, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has updated energy efficiency standards for a range of appliances.  

“Consumers are going to save money year after year thanks to efficiency standards set during the Biden administration,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. “Whether you’re replacing a water heater or a clothes dryer, these standards are going to ensure you get a better product that doesn’t leave you with needlessly high utility bills.”

The newly released analysis also shows that the new standards will cut nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide pollution in Alaska by an average of 164 tons and 10 tons per year respectively, over the next twenty years. Both pollutants are harmful to the human respiratory system and contribute to respiratory conditions, particularly in children, the elderly and those with asthma. 

“The Biden administration’s updated appliance efficiency standards will help Alaskans live longer, healthier lives,” said Chapman.

Alaska Environment’s national partners, Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S PIRG, have long advocated for more efficient appliances, alongside ASAP, the Consumer Federation of America, Climate Action Campaign and others. Most recently, the coalition urged the Biden administration to finalize strong and long overdue updates to efficiency standards. 

Strong energy efficiency standards, alongside solutions for pollution across other agencies, will significantly reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions in Alaska and help the Biden administration meet its goal of cutting climate pollution in half by the end of the decade, relative to 2005 levels.