Governor Ned Lamont announced that his administration has submitted a filing in opposition to a Trump administration proposed rule that seeks to roll back federal energy efficiency standards for appliances and consumer products. If finalized, this rollback means that Americans will have access to less efficient products, resulting in more wasted energy and higher utility bills.
With this proposed rule change, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking to end the federal Appliance Standards Program, which sets efficiency standards for appliance manufacturers, protecting consumers against products that disproportionately waste energy and money. The existing federal energy efficiency standards have saved U.S. households more than $780 billion in costs over the past decade, and U.S. businesses an additional $330 billion more. In Connecticut alone, these federal energy efficiency standards have cumulatively saved Connecticut households nearly $12 billion in utility bills over the past decade—amounting to an average of $8,268 per household—and Connecticut businesses $4.3 billion over the past decade.
Connecticut’s filing was submitted by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in collaboration with the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment, the Maine Department of Energy Resources, and the Washington State Department of Commerce Energy Division.
“Rolling back energy efficiency standards for appliances means more wasted energy and higher utility bills all across the U.S.,” Governor Lamont said. “This is backwards policy and shows disregard for the challenges Americans are dealing with right now. Our administration will continue to push back against bad policy proposals from Washington with programs here in Connecticut that help consumers access more efficient appliances that save money and are better for the environment.”
“This rollback will cost all of us,” DEEP Acting Commissioner Emma Cimino said. “If finalized, this rule will lead to higher utility costs spent on inefficient products that waste energy. Over the past decade, federal energy conservation standards have saved the average Connecticut household $8,268 in utility bills and collectively saved Connecticut businesses $4.3 billion in utility bills. In 2025 alone, these standards reduced total U.S. electricity consumption by 14% and summer peak electricity demand by 115 gigawatts—double the demand of all data centers in the U.S. Last year alone, these standards reduced over 238 million metric tons of air pollution, which are harmful to the environment and to public health.”
