Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing back on attempts to further regulate consumer appliances, including refrigerators and room air conditioners, as President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to reduce carbon emissions and cut energy use.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently passed five proposals, including the Refrigerator Freedom Act and the Affordable Air Conditioning Act, that, collectively, would prevent the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) secretary from “prescribing or enforcing energy conservation standards” for dishwashers, refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers, and room a/c units “that are not cost-effective or technologically feasible.” A sixth measure, a catch-all that would prevent the energy secretary “from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standard for a product that is not technologically feasible and economically justified,” was also approved.

“The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden Administration have done nothing but implement outrageous regulations that only serve to limit consumer choice, increase energy prices, and control everything Americans are able to do on a day-to-day basis,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who sponsored the Refrigerator Freedom Act. “I’m proud that my bill passed the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I will continue to ensure American consumers have freedom to choose what type of appliances they want in their own home.”

The six bills were put on a House calendar for this week, but were later postponed as the House took up several measures related to foreign affairs after Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.

The bills were in response to steps the DOE has taken during Biden’s tenure to further regulate the energy use of home appliances. For example, DOE in late December issued new efficiency standards pertaining to home freezers and refrigerators, saying in a statement that the standards had not been updated in more than 10 years. Enforcement is to begin in January 2029 or January 2030, depending on the configuration of the equipment.

DOE estimated that, over 30 years, the standards would save 5.6 quadrillion Btus, or 11% of energy use relative to products currently on the market, reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 100 million metric tons, and also save consumers $36.4 billion.

“DOE will continue to move quickly in 2024 — together with our industry partners and stakeholders — to update and strengthen outdated energy efficiency standards, which is critical to innovation, more consumer options, and healthier communities,” Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said in a press release.

At ACCA, Barton James, the president and CEO, criticized DOE’s approach.

“We believe the current approach of continually updating standards in the name of marginal efficiency improvements can often harm consumers in the process,” James said in an email. “The Department of Energy’s time and resources would be better spent promoting quality installation, including greater effort toward ensuring systems are properly sized and installed. That would lead to greater realized efficiency, and wouldn’t necessarily have to come at the cost of consumer choice.”

James pointed out that DOE is planning to map out more regulations for central air conditioners and heat pumps, and that ACCA will be involved.

“We look forward to working with the administration and friends in Congress to replace this costly focus on equipment efficiency regulations with incentives for quality installation that will deliver realized efficiency gains and savings for American households,” he said.