Washington, D.C. – Consumer Federation of America (CFA) yesterday expressed support for the Department of Energy’s Direct Final Rule for central air conditioners and heat pumps slated to take effect in January 1, 2023.

Dr. Mark Cooper, Research Director and Mel Hall-Crawford, Director of Energy Programs in a comment letter submitted to DOE made the point that the agency’s “cost analysis built with extensive input from manufacturers, and the agency’s own experts found that consumer benefits outweigh costs in each region.”

“This was a negotiated rulemaking which worked to resolve substantive issues and arrive at outcomes that provide consumer savings and meet the needs of manufacturers for a predictable regulatory environment with changes on a schedule that enables investments to proceed in an orderly fashion. This Direct Final Rule saves taxpayers money by avoiding an unnecessarily protracted rulemaking process and should go into effect”, said Hall-Crawford.

Cooper and Hall-Crawford urged that the standards be allowed to stand to benefit consumers through lower electricity bills and to avoid unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ dollars on any further consideration by the agency.

Contact: Mark Cooper, 301-384-2204; Mel Hall-Crawford, 805-245-0523

The Consumer Federation of America is an association of more than 250 non-profit consumer groups that, since 1968, has sought to advance the consumer interest through research, education, and advocacy.