New Energy Regulations Will Make Every Room in Your House More Expensive

3D rendering of modern cozy house in chalet style with garage for sale or rent with large garden and lawn. (Shutterstock)

By Mike "Mish" Shedlock

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

Mike Shedlock / Mish is a registered investment advisor for SitkaPacific Capital Management. On my “MishTalk” global economics blog, I write several articles a day on the global economy. Topics include interest rates, central bank policy, gold and precious metals, jobs, and economic reports, all from an Austrian Economic perspective.

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January 22, 2022Updated: January 22, 2022

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Commentary

The Biden administration moves to make appliances more expensive and less effective.

How to Make Every Room in Your House More Expensive

Ben Lieberman, a former staff member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has an interesting Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal on Biden’s regulatory overreach.

Please consider a Regulatory Burden for Every Room of Your House by Ben Lieberman. That is a copy-free link, not behind the WSJ paywall.

The Kitchen. The Trump administration took steps to fix the Energy Department’s efficiency standards for dishwashers that had the unintended consequence of increasing the time to clean a load of dishes from an hour or less in older models to well over two in new ones.
The Bathroom. In one of several agency measures that limit freedom of choice, the DOE has tightened water-use limits for certain types of showers. In addition, for those who prefer incandescent light bulbs surrounding their bathroom mirror (or anywhere else), the DOE is targeting these bulbs with energy-efficiency standards likely to boost their price to $7 each, leaving LEDs as the only viable option.
The Laundry Room. Washing machines have been hit with multiple rounds of energy and water-efficiency regulations that have compromised performance and even forced some owners to buy and use special products to eliminate the stink that accumulates in the new models. Compliant dryers, like the new dishwashers, take longer to do the job.
The Basement. Your next new furnace may be significantly more expensive, thanks to regulatory changes percolating through the Biden DOE bureaucracy. Furnaces are currently available in natural-gas or electric versions, but the DOE is all-in on the war against gas, which environmentalists hate because it’s a fossil fuel and thus a contributor to climate change.
Any Air-Conditioned Room. The Environmental Protection Agency, under authority granted by Congress in 2020, just rolled out tough new quotas on several refrigerants blamed as contributors to climate change. The price for the one used in most home air conditioners has already quadrupled, so don’t be surprised if your next repair bill is hundreds of dollars higher than you expected.
The Garage. Your car’s there. Need I say more?
The Kitchen Sink: Specifically, the DOE is reconsidering the method for testing compliance with water-use limits for faucets, and a change could result in tighter restrictions, with some currently available models declared illegal.