January 21, 2020

​​The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) today welcomed the Department of Energy (DOE) final Process Rule that modernizes its current appliance efficiency rulemaking process to conform to changes in the law, clarify ambiguities, and streamline the rulemaking process.

"NEMA believes that the amendments to the 1996 Process Rule will make the Department of Energy more effective in meeting congressional rulemaking deadlines, focusing on products where energy savings are meaningful," said NEMA General Counsel Clark Silcox.

"The1996 Process Improvement Rule was published at a time when the appliance efficiency Standards regulatory program was just getting started, and DOE had limited experience with these rulemakings. The Appliance Standards Program itself and Standards have matured, and an enormous amount of energy savings have been achieved since 1996. The modernization of the Process Rule facilitates data-driven rule development with early and frequent input. Notably, a number of products are at or near the maximum amount of energy efficiency that can be economically justified; and based on its cumulative experience since 1996, the agency should be able to determine early whether further improvements in energy efficiency are achievable and worth pursuing."

"The regulatory improvements are commonsense and will not impair future efforts to address meaningful improvements in energy conservation," added Silcox.​