WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump once expressed concern about how the showerhead’s low flow was affecting his “perfect” hair. Now that he’s back in the White House, he’s once again focusing on some high-efficiency household items — and that could lead to higher water and electricity bills in your home.
One of Trump’s dozens of executive orders on day one promises to “unleash American energy,” including a pledge to relax efficiency standards for home appliances and fixtures.
The standards are intended to ensure that dishwashers, shower heads, refrigerators, washing machines, toilets and the like use less energy and water. Higher efficiency appliances may have a higher initial cost, but they save water and electricity.
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Here’s what Trump said and what it means.
What did Trump’s executive order say?
Trump promised that consumers will not be forced to buy or use such items — a reflection of action he took during his first term.
His order would “protect the freedom of the American people to choose from a variety of goods and appliances, including but not limited to light bulbs, dishwashers, washing machines, gas stoves, water heaters, toilets, and shower heads.”
For the president, it’s personal. Trump has long been concerned about the flow of water – or the apparent lack thereof – from showerheads. During his first stint in the White House, he said he didn’t get wet enough in the shower and that his hair had to be “perfect.” Trump has also previously falsely claimed that people were not getting water from their plumbing and had to flush their toilets ten to fifteen times.
Trump follows the example of humorist Dave Barry who in 1997 complained about having to “lurk in the bathroom for what appears to be the flush, check, wait, flush, check” of several presidential administrations.
What standards already exist?
For more than thirty years, the federal energy law has established appliance standards that require new showerheads to pour no more than 2 gallons of water per minute. The Obama administration refined the restrictions, applying those limits to the water coming from the entire shower head, even if there are multiple nozzles.
During the first Trump administration, the president relaxed that so that each showerhead nozzle could spray as much as 2.5 liters.
The Biden administration reversed Trump’s action in 2021.
Other appliances and appliances at risk under Trump include dishwashers, washing machines and more, whose efficiency was increased by rules under the previous administration and others.
These standards are intended to reduce water use and save Americans money through lower energy bills, experts say.
What can President Trump feasibly change?
The president’s complaints are intended to justify rolling back long-standing appliance conservation standards and boosting water flow.
Policy analyst Thomas Houlie of Climate Analytics said that “industries and private sectors see this (energy efficiency) as an additional constraint on them. They tend to overlook the benefits that the measures will bring.”
But the law specifically addressing the Device Standards Act includes a clause that cannot be reversed, experts say, stating that no new standard can be weaker than the existing standard. This means that any changes must circumvent the existing provisions.
“What President Trump tried to do during the first administration was find ways to create loopholes that would allow energy- or water-wasting products to enter the marketplace,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
He noted that “to our knowledge, no manufacturer has taken advantage of these loopholes,” adding that “it is notable that toilets and showerheads are on the list of presidential priorities.”
Why does it matter and what are the consequences of changing policies?
These standards are not only important for consumers’ energy bills or their ability to enjoy a good shower.
“The megawatt we don’t use is the cheapest megawatt and the cleanest megawatt,” Margie Alt, director of the Climate Action Campaign, said Tuesday.
That means these are conservation measures that climate experts say are low-hanging fruit and a way for the United States to meet emissions reduction goals to stave off climate change — and keep costs in check.
Natural Resources Defense Council Chairman Manish Bapna called energy efficiency “the most effective antidote to energy price inflation.”
What is being done internationally?
While renewable energy and solutions are often central to the focus on climate action, efficiency efforts are a low-cost way to curb the greenhouse gases that warm the planet.
The problem is that it is easy to talk about and then forget, even on an international scale. In 2023, the world adopted the Dubai Climate Agreement, which pledged to double energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
A year later, Jon Creyts, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, lamented during international climate negotiations that the issue had been forgotten.
Climate Action’s Alt vowed not to let it go: “Maybe it’s not the sexiest fight ever fought, but sometimes we win it best, so we’ll be there.”
What does this mean for consumers?
There are no requirements telling consumers exactly which appliances or fixtures to purchase. But research shows that consumers are generally happy with the performance of energy-efficient and water-saving appliances.
A YouGov poll last summer found that 58% of Americans support stricter appliance efficiency standards; only 26% are against it and the rest had no opinion about it. A Morning Consult poll in 2023 yielded similar results.
Rating sites like Consumer Reports and Wirecutter show, “We don’t need unlimited energy and water to properly clean clothes, wash dishes, or have a great shower,” says deLaski.
“Let’s face it: Consumers have a wide range of choices when it comes to efficient, modern appliances. Often the appliances that work the best are also the most energy efficient,” he added. “So we don’t want to go backwards, back to the energy guzzlers of the past. It’s just not necessary and it would increase people’s energy bills.”
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St. John reported from Detroit.
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Read more about AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment
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