Tell the Dept. of Energy: Keep Energy Efficiency Programs for Light Bulbs and Appliances!

Making light bulbs more energy efficient is one of the most common-sense things we can do to save energy, save money, and fight climate change. Yet, President Trump is going after light bulb efficiency standards now.

Trump and his Department of Energy (DOE) want to drastically weaken two critical energy efficiency initiatives that save consumers billions in energy costs and slash millions of tons of carbon pollution per year.

But right now, the DOE is accepting public comments on these proposed anti-environment attacks, so we need your help rallying massive public opposition that will stop their assault.

Submit an official public comment now: Urge the Trump administration to abandon its assault on energy efficiency and stay committed to reducing carbon emissions from light bulbs and appliances.

So why is Trump attacking these standards? Yet again, it's to bolster profits for the manufacturers of the inefficient products and his dirty energy cronies.

Trump's DOE wants to cut in half the number of light bulbs that will be subject to energy efficiency standards due to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. That means consumers would be stuck with more old, energy-guzzling incandescent and halogen light bulbs that will cost us up to $12 billion annually in higher energy bills and cause 25 coal burning power plants' worth of extra electricity to be generated each year. The DOE is also signaling that it doesn't intend to put new lighting standards into effect at all on Jan. 1, 2020, despite the fact that Congress called for these standards way back in 2007.

The administration is also trying to gut a crucial measure called the Process Rule, which is the internal guideline DOE follows to set new efficiency standards for other appliances like refrigerators, hot water heaters, or air conditioners. The federal standards program has been one of the U.S.'s most successful energy efficiency programs, saving consumers over $2 trillion and cutting billions of tons of carbon pollution.

The proposed changes to the Process Rule would make industry responsible for developing the tests used to measure the energy efficiency of its own products, while setting up barriers designed to slow progress and hamstring the government's ability to set new energy efficiency standards.

Tell Trump's DOE: Protect energy efficiency standards to help cut carbon emissions, reduce consumers' utility bills, and stave off climate catastrophe.

These are the latest Trump administration assaults on efforts to promote energy efficiency and combat climate change — all despite the growing body of scientific proof that we need to urgently address the climate crisis. These attacks will stifle technological innovation and increase air pollution that threatens the health of our children and the environment — all to bolster industry profits.


- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC

Tell AZ Corporation Commission Support Energy Efficiency

On January 7th, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) held a special meeting for the swearing in of new commissioner, Sandra Kennedy, and returning commissioner, Justin Olson. In her remarks, Commissioner Kennedy said she would be pursuing an increase in the renewable energy standard and promote transparency and accountability at the ACC, including with the state's largest utility. This is welcome news. Soon after, Commissioner Bob Burns was elected as chair of the ACC and he too is interested in making sure the utilities are accountable to the ratepayers.

The ACC is scheduled to address a number of important issues in the coming months and will be taking up the Arizona Public Service (APS) and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) Demand Side Management (DSM aka energy efficiency) plans. Please help let the commissioners know that Arizonans support and want more energy efficiency, the cheapest and cleanest energy resource.

Ask the Commission to require full funding and a full suite of programs to help consumers save money and make their homes and businesses more efficient.

https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/Arizona

For more information contact Sandy Bahr at sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org or (602) 999-5790.

Each year, Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and Arizona Public Service (APS) file efficiency plans to show how they will meet Arizona's Energy Efficiency Standards. This year, both utilities have filed plans that are inadequate and that fail to take full advantage of our cheapest cleanest energy resource -- energy efficiency.

The energy we save means less water use, less pollution, and more dollars in our pockets.

Please sign our petition to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to require TEP and APS to do more to promote energy efficiency in their plans.

Ask the ACC to require that the plans focus on real energy savings. We need to continue to invest in consumer programs that help reduce energy use in homes and businesses, saving money and reducing pollution and water use.

Click here to sign the following petition. Consider adding a personal comment for more impact.

 (The Sierra Club will deliver it to the ACC and have it entered into the docket.)

APS and TEP Energy Efficiency Plans E-01345A-17-0134 and E-01933A-17-0250

Please require APS and TEP to do more to promote energy efficiency in their 2018 Demand Side Management Implementation plans. I ask that you deny the utilities' waiver requests and require that these plans focus on real energy savings for consumers, not just shifting load. Please require that these utilities continue to invest in consumer programs that help reduce energy use in homes and businesses, saving money and reducing pollution and water use. It is outrageous that APS is cutting programs that save dollars for its customers at the same time it is raising rates. The utilities should also include new cost-effective programs in their plans that will provide for even more savings, and they should also be investing in electric vehicles -- they should be doing more of both. Finally, please support strong investments in low-income weatherization to ensure that those with lower incomes can reduce their bills and be more comfortable in their homes, leaving more dollars available for other needs. APS and TEP should have implementation plans that benefit ratepayers by helping them to reduce their bills and better protect their pocketbooks and our air and water at the same time. Thank you for your consideration of these important issues.