An analysis by environmental advocates claims new efficiency standards on certain appliances and water fixtures could give Pennsylvanians big relief on their utility bills, as prices continue to rise.
Bills in the state House and Senate propose new standards for 15 commercial appliances and household water fixtures; they include commercial ovens, fryers, and dishwashers, as well as gas fireplaces, toilets, and shower heads.
The analysis from PennEnvironment and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) said those benchmarks could save Pennsylvanians nearly $291 million per year on their utility bills by 2035. By 2050, the savings could grow to $7.7 billion for all consumers.
Brooke Lockwood, state policy associate with ASAP, said appliance standards work in the background to save money. She said the proposals would not be a ban on old appliances.
"No one would need to switch out their current products. It would simply work such that when consumers buy a new product, they will be a more energy-efficient version," Lockwood said.
The report found the standards would save more electricity by 2050 than is needed to power all the households in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for one year.
A bill has passed the state house, but the Senate has not called it up for a vote.
Allegheny County state Senator Lindsey Williams is sponsoring a companion bill that is also stalled in the Senate.
She said increased demand for electricity is threatening the grid, and the fastest way to ease demand and lower costs is to use less energy.
"Until we make meaningful investments in renewable energies and regulating data centers, we need to focus on cutting our energy consumption," Williams said.
The proposed standards could prevent climate pollution equivalent to taking 63,000 cars off the road each year by 2035.
Flora Cardoni with PennEnvironment said Pennsylvanians are already seeing the impacts of climate change, including wildfire smoke blowing in from Canada and scorching heatwaves.
"Appliance energy efficiency and water conservation standards might not be the sexiest topic out there," Cardoni said, "but they are a time-tested and proven way to reduce energy consumption, which in turn cuts air and climate pollution and generates huge savings for Pennsylvania consumers and businesses on their utility bills."
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