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| Wilson Pushes Energy Efficiency in New Homes, Appliances |
June 01, 2007 |
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Energy Savings Act of 2007 includes `Green Provisions` for appliances
Albuquerque, NM - Congresswoman Heather Wilson says we need a balanced, long term energy policy to make America more energy independent and preserve the beauty of the land we love. Today, she toured homes under construction on Albuquerque`s Westside and got a briefing on how Albuquerque home-builders are making new homes `greener`.
“A balanced, long term energy policy should encourage energy efficiency, more use of renewable fuels, and protect consumers,” says Wilson. "I introduced the Energy Savings Act of 2007, which includes new efficiency benchmarks for appliances. It includes efficiency standards for dishwashers, clothes washers, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, electric motors and residential boilers."
“As a business person who has been building and developing "green" communities for over 15 years, I am pleased to hear that Congresswoman Heather Wilson is supporting environmental policies that will address the availability of our precious resources - water and clean air; energy crisis and global warming,” says the President of the Legacy Sustainable Development, Frances Pavich. “New Mexico, with its’ wealth of natural resources is a logical choice to become the international leader in conservation technologies and economic development that will conserve those resources.”
Wilson`s House bill is identical to the Senate bill supported by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici and passed out of the Senate Energy Committee by a 20-3 vote.
Wilson says appliances contribute as much as two-thirds of an average American household`s electricity costs. New efficiency standards would bring consumers more than $12 billion in benefits, according to an American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy analysis.
“I have been in the appliance industry for over 25 years, and am very excited that Congresswoman Heather Wilson is supporting solutions to the energy crisis we are dealing with today,” says Tom Styer, who runs Pages Appliances, Inc. in Albuquerque. “We have seen some major trend changes in the appliance industry recently. Household appliances are considerably more efficient today than 10 years ago. Most refrigerators consume less energy than a 60 watt light bulb. Dishwashers use less water than doing dishes by hand, at approximately 4.75 gallons per cycle. Front load washers typically use 17-22 gallons per load versus 45-66 gallons for a top loading washer. We are truly on the right road towards conservation of both electricity and water, as long as the consciousness of the consumers stays in the fore front.”
These standards would save more than 50 billion kilowatt-hours per year in electricity, or enough to power 4.8 million typical American households. It would also save 17 trillion BTUs of natural gas per year, and more than 560 million gallons of water per day.
The bill would establish, by statute, new energy efficiency standards for residential boilers, electric motors, and some home appliances such as dish washers and washing machines.
DOE would be directed to set standards by rulemaking for furnace fans.
DOE would be allowed to set standards for multiple components and regional standards for heating and cooling equipment.
The Energy Savings Act of 2007 would authorize R&D; on improved efficiency for appliances and buildings in cold climates and provide incentives for the manufacture of high-efficiency consumer products.
Other provisions would guide expedited rulemakings, clarify limits to federal preemption of state standards, and require Energy Guide labels for several types of consumer electronic products.
Wilson was briefed today on New Mexico`s "Build Green" program. The Build Green program is moving homebuilders towards building sustainable, efficient, healthy homes. Build Green New Mexico is designed to bring more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly homes to the Albuquerque area by providing a base-line for practical green building approaches for local builders.
“As a developer and custom builder in Albuquerque, I truly appreciate the interest that Congresswoman, Heather Wilson has in sustainable building practices, and I am looking forward to any long term energy policies that she introduces or supports,” says Mike Knight, President of Lee Michael Homes, Inc. “Building green is not new, however it has now become a much bigger issue in the last year based on our current energy crisis. Green building practices have always been an important guideline we follow in our high performance homes and in our residential communities. The main focus on our homes is in improving the mechanical & insulation aspects of the home, while using recycled and low pollutant type products. In the development of the communities, our main focus is on resource and environmental consciousness.”
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