February 22, 2002—In an overwhelming vote, the California Energy Commission has adopted the nation’s toughest energy efficiency standards for central air conditioners. The new regulations for home air conditioners are a 30 percent improvement on the current standard and are 10 percent better than the proposed federal standard—requiring a waiver from Washington to become law. According to the commission, the standard can reduce our peak electricity demand by 134 megawatts—the equivalent of a medium-sized power plant costing about $80 million.
The new rules are part of the energy conservation goals of Assembly Bill 970 signed by Governor Gray Davis in September 2000, and were negotiated after numerous workshops and input from consumers, manufacturers, electric and water utilities, environmental groups, and other stakeholders in the appliance industry.
For more information, contact the California Energy Commission.
