"The Biden administration announced final rules on Thursday that impose updated energy efficiency requirements for residential clothes washers and dryers, the latest in a series of appliance standards required by a legal settlement.

The new standards will save consumers $39 billion over 30 years of shipments, while also reducing nearly 71 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions—equivalent to the combined annual emissions of nearly 9 million homes, the Energy Department said. Compliance will be required beginning March 1, 2028.

The efficiency standards adopted a recommendation offered in September by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and a group of environmental organizations and efficiency advocates. This marks the second time the department has referred to a compromise between industry and advocates, after the DOE adopted recommendations for refrigerators and freezers in December."

Daniel Moore reports for Bloomberg Environment February 29, 2024. [2]