October 24, 2007—The electric industry, along with efficiency and environmental groups, said new electric distribution transformer standards finalized by the Department of Energy recently improve upon an initial proposal issued last year, but fall short of the strong levels the groups had jointly endorsed with one of the biggest transformer manufacturers.
“We’re glad DOE has improved upon their original proposed standard,” said Steven Nadel, Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “But, with the buyers and one of the biggest sellers of transformers urging even higher standards, DOE could have done better.”
Electric distribution transformers are the ubiquitous large grey, green, or sometimes brown metal cylinders or boxes on utility poles and cement pads that reduce or “step down” voltage from the levels used to efficiently ship power over an electric distribution network to the levels needed for business and household use. About 41 million transformers are in use across the US.
In February of this year, energy efficiency and environmental groups joined together with the utility industry (the major buyers of transformers), represented by Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the American Public Power Association (APPA), to recommend stronger standards.
With the recent final rule, DOE improved upon the initial proposal, increasing savings by 0.67 quadrillion Btu’s, capturing about two-thirds of the increased savings recommended by the utility, environmental, and efficiency groups, and ABB. If DOE had chosen the higher standard, the additional electricity savings over 29 years would have been about 48 billion kilowatt-hours—an amount equal to the consumption of all the homes in New York State in 2005.
“Users and producers of distribution transformers—the ones who will be impacted directly by the DOE rulemaking—called on DOE to issue stronger standards because they recognize that energy efficiency is the cheapest and fastest way to cut global warming emissions and to extend our nation’s energy supplies,” said Kateri Callahan, President of the Alliance to Save Energy. “DOE’s decision to do less than we had asked means that we left potential energy and CO2 savings ‘on the table’ and that’s sad news for our country.”
The new transformer standards are the first increased standards completed by the Bush Administration since taking office in 2001. Final standards for home heating furnaces and boilers are due out soon. Another twenty standards must be completed within the next few years under a court- ordered schedule determined in response to litigation brought by NRDC, National Consumer Law Center, and ten states.
For more information, see the Edison Electric Institute Web site.
