NJ homeowners may have to ditch these fridges and freezers

New Jersey consumers may have to bid farewell to many popular home appliances soon. The Biden administration’s rule last month that imposes stricter energy efficiency standards for residential refrigerators and freezers affects every state. The announcement promises savings and environmental benefits, according to .

The new standards for these “energy guzzling consumer appliances” will save consumers nearly 37 billion dollars over 30 years of shipments, according to the Department of Energy. The department states that energy savings will represent an 11% drop in the energy use of products currently on the market, Bloomberg Law reports.

Compliance will be required either Jan. 31, 2029, or Jan. 31, 2030, depending on the configuration of the refrigerator or freezer. The publication goes on to report that according to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, models meeting the new standards will most likely use some combination of more efficient compressors and fan motors and better insulation.

The department also proposed the first ever federal efficiency standard for commercial fans and blowers will reduce energy costs for U.S. businesses by $3.3 billion. The DOE finalized the fridge and freezer standards in time to meet the Dec. 30, 2023 deadline outlined by a legal settlement with environmental groups.

“In the settlement, reached in September 2022, The DOE agreed to review energy efficiency standards for 20 categories of appliances and equipment, such as microwave ovens, non weatherized and mobile home gas furnaces, residential clothes dryers, and residential refrigerators, freezers, and clothes washers,” Bloomberg Law reports.

Gallery Credit: Dan Alexander.