Governor Ned Lamont announced that his administration filed opposition to a Trump administration proposed rule to roll back federal energy efficiency standards for appliances and consumer products.
If finalized, the rollback would remove federal Appliance Standards Program rules that set efficiency standards for manufacturers. Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection filed the challenge in collaboration with the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment, the Maine Department of Energy Resources, and the Washington State Department of Commerce Energy Division.
The existing federal standards have saved U.S. households more than $780 billion over the past decade, and U.S. businesses an additional $330 billion, according to state data. In Connecticut alone, these standards have saved households nearly $12 billion in utility bills over the past decade—averaging $8,268 per household—and businesses $4.3 billion.
Governor Lamont stated: "Rolling back energy efficiency standards for appliances means more wasted energy and higher utility bills all across the U.S. This is backwards policy and shows disregard for the challenges Americans are dealing with right now."
DEEP Acting Commissioner Emma Cimino added that in 2025 alone, the standards reduced total U.S. electricity consumption by 14 percent and summer peak electricity demand by 115 gigawatts, and reduced over 238 million metric tons of air pollution.