In an effort to up our family’s home movie game, we invested in a used projector and pull-down screen. The projector has definitely made watching movies and sports more satisfying. Our family is not alone in adding new electronic gadgets and gizmos to our lives. Today most Americans have devices that a generation ago only yacht-owners owned. Three generations ago, the stuff we have today was the subject of science fiction.
In the face of this rising tide of electronic gadgets, I find it staggering that the average U.S. household is actually using less energy than it was just a generation ago. According to data compiled in the Energy Information Administration and analyzed by Frontier Group, the average American household used over a quarter less energy in 2020 than it did in 1993.
These energy savings, which deliver significant environmental and consumer benefits to all of us, didn’t just happen. They occurred because our leaders consciously put in place policies that reduce energy waste. Today, we have rules and programs that ensure that energy-saving technological progress finds its way into the products we all buy. Smart public policy — from appliance efficiency standards to financial incentives for efficient equipment — have helped every household in America save energy.
Here is how America’s household energy efficiency success story breaks down:
- Refrigeration: Compared to 1993, the average household in 2020 used about 38% less electricity to refrigerate food, even as refrigerators have gotten bigger and better at keeping food fresh. This is no accident. In 1987, Congress passed the first federal minimum efficiency standards for household appliances, including refrigerators. Today, a typical new refrigerator uses less than a third as much electricity as a refrigerator from the 1970s.
- Heating: In most homes, space heating is the leading use of energy. Thankfully, we’ve made big gains in our ability to heat our homes efficiently. Compared to 1993, the average American household in 2020 used about 39% less energy for heating. That’s in large part because for 40 years building energy codes have required new construction to be energy efficient. Today leading states, including Massachusetts, are working to make home heating even more efficient by encouraging the transition to highly efficient heat pumps. Heat pumps are 3 to 4 times more energy efficient as the most efficient gas heating systems.
- Water heating: In most homes, water heating is the second-biggest use of energy. Compared to 1993, the average American household in 2020 used about 26% less energy to heat water. The voluntary Energy Star program has created a market for energy efficient products like water heaters by giving consumers an easy way to identify equipment that meets high standards for efficiency. A current Energy Star-certified electric water heater uses about a quarter of the energy of a standard model, saving a family of four around $600 each year on their electric bills.
- Laundry: While the least energy intensive option for drying clothes is to hang them on a clothesline, that’s not always an option. In 2024, the Department of Energy finalized new efficiency standards for clothes washers and dryers, which cut climate pollution and saved consumers money. Over 30 years, these updated standards are projected to save an amount of carbon pollution equivalent to what is produced by 22 coal-fired power plants.
- Lighting: The average American household in 2020 used about 30% less energy to light their home than in 2001. For more than a century, American homes were lit with incandescent bulbs, which wasted about 90% of the energy they used. In 2007, the first national lightbulb standards were signed into law. Soon after, lighting innovation flourished, and new ways to generate energy-efficient lighting were born.
A more efficient future
Energy efficiency standards have played a key role in reducing our homes’ energy use. These standards, updated periodically as technology improves, hold the potential to reduce home energy use even more. But, efficiency standards must remain in place for these savings to become a reality.
Unfortunately these policies that have benefited us all are under attack. This month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bills to dismantle efficiency standards for manufactured homes and shower-heads and more attacks are likely to follow. You can urge your member of Congress to stand up for energy efficiency by taking action here.
Keeping these policies in place will help make sure that future gadgets and appliances you bring into your home in the future make your life better, rather than needlessly increasing pollution and wasting energy.
Johanna Neumann of Amherst has spent the past two decades working to protect our air, water and open spaces, defend consumers in the marketplace and advance a more sustainable economy and democratic society. She can be reached at columnists@gazettenet.com.