Switch Green: Energy Star Appliance Feebate
Published by:
David Suzuki Foundation
Authored by:
Nic Rivers,
Jotham Peters
Cities, Climate solutions decarbonization, commercial products, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, policy and regulation, chemicals and toxins, water systems
This 38-page report explains how the government could reduce energy consumption by offering consumer rebates on Energy Star appliances and levying fees on inefficient devices. This revenue-neutral policy would reduce annual household energy consumption by 1,440 gigawatt-hours — the equivalent of taking 120,000 homes off the electricity grid — and greenhouse gas emissions by 275,000 tonnes each year. Some appliances use 50 per cent more energy than others to do the same job — there’s no difference in how well they clean clothes or wash dishes. Efficiency allows us to get the same quality of lifestyle and the same utility from a smaller amount of energy. It’s a no brainer!
Making it easier to buy energy efficient appliances has many benefits: reductions in greenhouse gases, savings on utility bills, reduced demand for coal-fired electrical plants and less impact on the environment. Switch Green: Energy Star Appliance Feebate, calls for a simple policy shift to make the most efficient machines more affordable.
Following its recommendations would cost government nothing but would have dramatic positive implications for the environment, including:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 275,000 tonnes per year
- Reducing the pollutants that cause smog
- Reducing household energy costs by $80 million annually
- Reducing water consumption
- Maintaining a revenue-neutral outcome for government
