Return of the killer shower heads

 

During his first term, Trump railed about energy-efficient plumbing. He claimed he had to flush his toilet 10-15 times and was forced to stand in the shower five times as long. I have no idea what he’s talking about.  Sounds like what he needs is a plumber. 

In the event, the Biden Administration mandated resource-conserving appliances. The result?

 

“ . . . the standards have been widely embraced, dramatically cutting energy and water consumption, reducing emissions and providing plenty of attractive consumer choices. In 2023, Consumer Reports found that “even the simplest and least expensive showerheads can provide a satisfying shower.” Dishwashers and clothes washers clean better while using less than half as much water and energy as they once did. The transition to LED light bulbs, nearly complete, is estimated to have cut energy bills by $3 billion a year and eliminated the need for about 30 large power plants. 

 

In January, days before Trump returned to office, a Department of Energy report estimated that the efficiency standards are now saving the average American household about $576 a year on their utility bills, while cutting the nation’s energy consumption by 6.5% and water consumption by 12%. A 2022 survey by the Consumer Federation of America found that 76% of Americans support the government setting efficiency standards for appliances.”

 

$576/year means nothing to Trump and his billionaire pals, but it’s a welcome savings for the average American.

So what’s the plan. Will the Trump Gestapo invade American homes and rip out energy-efficient appliances? Will they cut off power and water to homes that don’t use a minimum amount of resources each month?

“With the aid of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team, Trump appears to be attempting an end run that could succeed where his past attempts failed: by simply terminating the consulting contract that the Department of Energy relies on to develop and enforce the rules.”

*snip*

“It would have a huge impact,” said George Washington University law professor Emily Hammond, who helped run the program as deputy general counsel at the Department of Energy and now serves on its appliance standards advisory committee. “DOE does not have the internal capacity to do that work. Taking that away pulls the rug out from under the agency’s ability to run that regulatory program.”

“Appliance manufacturers seem almost as concerned. “This is not a positive development,” said Josh Greene, vice president for government affairs at A.O. Smith, the largest manufacturer of water heaters in the U.S. Terminating the Guidehouse contract, he said, would create “a wild Wild West” where “upstart manufacturers” are free to import poor-quality products because “they know there’s no one to enforce the rules. That’s not good for American manufacturing and it’s not good for consumers.”

Chaos is very much on brand for Trump. But there’s very little Trump can do on his own and he will have virtually no effect because manufacturers have little interest in making, for example, showerheads that exceed the current limits and Americans in most of the country don’t want to pay higher utility bills.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/beyond-showerheads-trumps-attempts-to-kill-appliance-regulations-cause-chaos