Positive Impact

Significant savings to consumer energy bills and reductions in carbon pollution.

Locations

Nationwide

Partners

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Navigant

EERE Investment

$1.2 million

Clean Energy Sector

Energy-saving homes, buildings, and manufacturing

A typical microwave is used to heat food for about 70 hours each year, but continues to use electricity for the remaining 8,690 hours of the year to power the electronic controls and display. On May 31, 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy published the first-ever energy conservation standards for microwave ovens to reduce the power used in standby mode by 75% in countertop models and 51% in over-the-range microwave ovens with convection cooking features.

The new standards improve energy efficiency of the nation’s home appliances, save consumers money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Beginning August 2013, microwave ovens manufactured on or after June 17, 2016, must meet these new standards. For microwaves purchased through 2045, these new standards will prevent 38 million metric tons of carbon emissions—equivalent to removing 12 million new cars from the roads for one year—and will provide consumers  a net present value of $3.4 billion.

The standards’ regulatory impact analysis was the first to use the updated social cost of carbon (SCC). Federal agencies use SCC to estimate the economic costs induced by carbon dioxide emissions and assess how proposed federal policies will reduce emissions and benefit the nation. These include costs related to health, property damage, agricultural impacts, and the value of ecosystem services. The net benefits of emissions reduction will be about $1.2 billion, making the total net benefits of the new microwave standards about $4.6 billion.

The microwave standards support the Obama Administration’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by 3 billion metric tons through 2030 by establishing new minimum efficiency standards for appliances and equipment. EERE’s Building Technologies Office implements minimum energy conservation standards for more than 50 categories of appliances and equipment. Products covered by standards represent about 90% of home energy use, 60% of commercial building use, and 29% of industrial energy use.

The Building Technologies Office leads a vast network of research and industry partners to continually develop innovative, cost-effective energy saving solutions—better products, better new homes, better ways to improve older homes, and better buildings in which we work, shop, and lead our everyday lives.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) success stories highlight the positive impact of its work with businesses, industry partners, universities, research labs, and other entities.