The agreement also would extend and update tax credits for the development and manufacturing of smart appliances, and includes smart grid readiness as a feature of future ENERGY STAR qualified appliances.
The Energy Efficiency Advisory Council is made up of 13 manufacturing, trade, technology, environmental and policy experts. The council was created in June 2010 to help AEP achieve its energy efficiency and conservation goals and to drive national awareness to change behaviors, support new technologies/standards and influence public policy.
The Energy Efficient and Smart Appliance Agreement of 2010 would increase the energy and water efficiency of most major home appliances as well as provide a three year extension and update of a manufacturers’ tax credit for the production of smart appliances. The agreement, which covers refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and room air conditioners, also calls for the USDOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revise the ENERGY STAR program to prove five percent credit on energy use for smart appliances.
“Focusing on energy efficiency is a good for our customers and our company, which is why AEP increased its investment in energy efficiency programs from $13 million in 2008 to approximately $70 million in 2010,” Robert P. Powers, president of AEP utilities, said in a news release. “By supporting these proposed standards for home appliances and continuing to engage and collaborate with the experts on the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, we can help move energy efficiency efforts forward, save customers money and improve the environment.”
Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, agreed.
“Appliance standards, ENERGY STAR and tax credits have a long history of working in tandem to transform markets so that higher-effiency products are the norm,” Nadel said in a news release. “Many of the new standards in this agreement are based on earlier tax credit and ENERGY STAR levels. The new tax credit levels and ENERGY STAR recommendations will lay the groundwork for future market transformations.”
Kevin Messner, vice president of government relations for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, said “We are pleased that AEP’s advisory council has agreed to support this historic agreement by industry, efficiency advocates and consumer advocates that will save energy, jump start the smart grid and provide incentives for manufacturers to produce super efficient appliances.”
The letter sent by AEP’s Energy Efficiency Advisory Council to the USDOE can be accessed at http://www.aepsustainability.com/docs/US-DOE-AEP-EEAC.pdf. Additional information about the Energy Efficient and Smart Appliance Agreement of 2010 is available on the Web site http://www.aham.org/industry/ht/d/sp/i/49934/pid/49934.
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