Biden Administration continues its "war" on household appliances: DOE publishes new dishwasher rules

Demonizing gas stoves seems to not be enough for the Biden Administration. It has also decided to target dishwashers as part of its climate change agenda.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced new rules to reduce the limits on water and energy used by dishwashers, setting a maximum of 3.2 gallons per cycle and a nearly 30% decrease in electricity consumption.

Most dishwashers on the market use about 3.5 gallons per cycle or less, which is already well below the federal standard of 5 gallons. However, the new rules would limit appliance manufacturers and force them to comply with new requirements for electric motors, which could reduce equipment performance.

Counterproductive measures

Although the DOE claims that these actions are intended to support the president's climate agenda and help save Americans money, the measure is criticized for being counterproductive by minimizing the efficiency of household appliances.

Donald Trump explained that this measure would force people to repeatedly use the dishwasher to get the same results previously obtained with a single use.

Biden's "war" against household appliances

The new restrictions would be part of several efforts by the Biden Administration against washing machines, refrigerators and gas stoves.

On his first day as president in January 2021, Biden signed an executive order calling for making "major revisions" to the current standards of regulation of household appliances and shortly after that, announced that it would focus on more than a dozen efficiency rules for products such as water heaters and cooking products, among others.

Last year, the government boasted of cracking down on 110 household appliances, and one of the most controversial efforts has been against gas stoves.

This year, the DOE proposed a rule that could take many gas cookstoves off the market. In fact, according to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm herself, the proposal would affect approximately half of the stoves currently on the market.

Congressional Republicans have tried to block any rules restricting or banning such devices, but Democrats insist on killing this option. New York recently became the first state in the country to ban gas stoves. In other locations in Massachusetts, San Francisco and Berkley, decisions have been made to force citizens to use alternatives such as induction or electric stovetops.