Trump and Congress Target 'Efficiency' Rules That Hobble Home Appliances

Make dishwashers great again.

Taking up space in my kitchen is a G.E. dishwasher. We rarely use it because, frankly, it sucks. Too often, dishes must be rewashed after a cycle long enough that it might scrub the glaze from the ceramic, obviating the point of having an appliance dedicated to that task. My complaint isn't isolated; Americans have complained for years that appliances which once saved time and energy now produce frustration—largely because of regulations that hobble their ability to function. To their credit, the Trump administration and members of Congress are rolling back red tape and liberating appliances. The result should be expanded choices in labor saving devices that do what we want and do so more affordably.

Rescinding Rules That 'Make Household Appliances Less Effective'

"Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a memorandum to eliminate restrictive water pressure and efficiency rules that make household appliances less effective and more expensive," the White House announced May 9.

The order directs the Secretary of Energy to "review and rescind—or revert to the minimum standards required by statute—rules that limit water use in showerheads, faucets, dishwashers, toilets, urinals, and washing machines," to clarify "the scope of federal preemption of state rules for water use" in appliances, and to  "pause enforcement [of any] rules mentioned in the memorandum until they are rescinded or revised." It also directs the Secretary of Energy to work with Congress to repeal intrusive laws that dictate water usage and efficiency standards to Americans.

This recent regulatory move follows an earlier action addressing deregulation of showerheads.

It's no secret the federal government has been trying to make our household appliances greener for many years and that, despite innovation by manufacturers, regulatory intervention has had an unfortunate effect on performance.

Absurd Energy and Water 'Conservation' Rules

"Why do today's dishwashers typically take more than 2 hours to run through a normal cycle when less than a hour was common in the past?" George Mason University economics professor Alex Tabarrok wrote in January of 2024. "The reason is absurd energy and water 'conservation' rules. These rules, imposed on dish and clothes washers, have made these products perform worse than in the past, cleaning less well or much more slowly."

Supporting his point that washers have become less effective, Tabarrok cited a 2007 article from Consumer Reports that noted:

Not so long ago you could count on most washers to get your clothes very clean. Not anymore…. As of January, the U.S. Department of Energy has required washers to use 21 percent less energy, a goal we wholeheartedly support. But our tests have found that traditional top-loaders, those with the familiar center-post agitators, are having a tough time wringing out those savings without sacrificing cleaning ability, the main reason you buy a washer.

Writing in 2019 for the American Institute of Economic Research, Jeffrey Tucker added: "Dishwashers used to wash all the dishes in under one hour. Now they take two hours, three hours, and four hours, and still don't get the dishes clean…. All of this is directly due to government regulations."

Modern appliances attempt to make up for restrictions on water use by stretching out the cleaning time, but experience in the kitchen suggests that's not doing the job.

Interestingly, Tabarrok's January 2024 post celebrated a Fifth Circuit court ruling against efforts by the Biden administration to undo deregulatory actions Trump took during his first term to expand choice in appliances. While Biden was unable to fully reregulate through executive action what his predecessor had deregulated that way, a lot of red tape remained in place, especially rules passed by Congress. That means Trump's memorandum directing executive agencies to back off "efficiency" rules could run up against limits established by statutory law and could again be challenged through actions by his successors—that is, if it was unaccompanied by matching legislation.

Congress Acts To Free the Appliances

Fortunately, Congress sent to the White House, and Trump signed, laws repealing Biden administration's energy conservation standards for commercial refrigerators and freezers, restrictions on gas-fired tankless water heaters, and an energy conservation program for appliances. In terms of freeing the market from government interference, these legislative changes come closer to permanence than presidential directives to executive agencies can by themselves.

"From increasing the costs of refrigeration equipment used by small businesses to regulating reporting requirements for appliance manufacturers to banning gas-fired water heaters, the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to impose a far-left agenda that put Green New Deal-style policies ahead of the American people," commented Rep. Brett Guthrie (R–Ky.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, upon the signing of the bills into law.

Responding specifically to Trump's executive action, Devin Watkins, attorney at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), observed: "Federal limits on water and energy use have made appliances slower and less effective, frustrating consumers and limiting their choices. The water restrictions on dishwashers and clothes washers were found to violate the law by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, yet the Biden administration imposed them anyway. President Trump's new executive order marks a return to consumer choice—allowing Americans to purchase appliances that are faster, more effective, and better suited to their needs."

CEI has done a lot of heavy lifting over the years to fight rules and laws that limit choices in appliances, showerheads (another Trump concern), and light bulbs. The regulatory change during Trump's first term that expanded options for faster dishwasher's was initiated by a petition submitted by the organization, which Watkins co-wrote. CEI emphasizes that government intervention doesn't only reduce the range of options available to consumers even as it harms performance, it also raises costs so that we often end up paying more money for lousier products.

So, it's encouraging to see members of Congress and the Trump administration rolling back "efficiency" rules that render many appliances largely ineffective. A combination of legislation and executive action is exactly what's needed to trim back a federal government that has intruded too far into our choices and our homes.

It's too late to save my dishwasher. But I hold out hope that I'll eventually replace that waste of space with a device that actually washes dishes.