Consumer Clothes Washers

DOE has published a Federal Register final rule amending the test procedures for residential and commercial clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers to update the test cloth specifications. DOE is also reorganizing the test procedures for improved readability. DOE is conducting this rulemaking to address specific issues and to make minor corrections to the current test procedures. This rulemaking does not satisfy the statutory requirement that, at least once every 7 years, DOE review the test procedures for clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers.

• The effective date of this rule is February 18, 2025.
• The amendments will be mandatory for product testing starting July 16, 2025.
• The incorporation by reference of certain material listed in the rule was approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of July 1, 2022.

In light of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granting a petition for review of a final rule published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on January 19, 2022, and remanding the matter to DOE for further proceedings, DOE has considered the factors outlined by the Fifth Circuit on whether “short-cycle” product classes for dishwashers, residential clothes washers, and consumer clothes dryers are warranted under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and therefore has published a Federal Register notice confirming the withdrawal of “short-cycle” product classes in the January 19, 2022, final rule.

• The final rule published on January 19, 2022 (87 FR 2673) was effective on February 18, 2022.

DOE published a direct final rule to establish amended energy conservation standards for residential clothes washers in the Federal Register on March 15, 2024. DOE has determined that the comments received in response to the direct final rule do not provide a reasonable basis for withdrawing the direct final rule. Therefore, DOE has published this Federal Register notice confirming the effective and compliance dates of those standards. This document also clarifies the introductory notes to the appendices for the residential clothes washer test procedure to conform with the amended standards promulgated by direct final rule published on March 15, 2024.

• The technical correction in this document is effective October 21, 2024.
• The effective date of July 15, 2024 for the direct final rule published on March 15, 2024 (89 FR 19026) is confirmed. Compliance with the standards established in the direct final rule will be required on March 1, 2028.

The clothes washer energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2017-BT-STD-0014 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

Public Meeting Information

There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.

Submitting Public Comments

The comment period is closed.

The energy conservation standard rulemaking dockets EERE-2024-BT-STD-0002, EERE-2021-BT-STD-0002 and EERE-2020-BT-STD-0005 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

The clothes washer test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2016-BT-TP-0011 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

Public Meeting Information

There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.

Submitting Public Comments

The comment period is closed.

Clothes washers manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 430.32(g).

To determine that clothes washers that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 430, Subpart B, Appendix J2.

The Test Cloth Correction Factors page contains the information used to determine the test cloth correction factors for each test cloth lot.

Compliance

DOE has established regulations on certification, compliance, and enforcement in the CFR at 10 CFR Part 429.  These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement.  More information on these regulations is available here.

Waivers

For information on current test procedure wavers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage.

For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR 430.27.

Exceptions

DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for clothes washers.

For information about obtaining exception relief, see 10 CFR part 1003.

Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions

For information on further guidance and answers to Frequently Asked Questions on all covered products, see DOE’s Further Guidance database.

State Exemptions to Federal Pre-emption

DOE has not exempted any state from this energy conservation standard. States may petition DOE to exempt a state regulation from preemption by the Federal energy conservation standard. States may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemptions. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart D.

Small Business Exemptions

Any manufacturer of a covered product with annual gross revenues that do not exceed $8,000,000 from all its operations and meets certain other conditions may apply for an exemption to the energy conservation standard. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart E.

ENERGY STAR®

DOE supports the testing and verification of ENERGY STAR® products in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Find tips and guidance for making your home, workplace, or vehicle more energy efficient visit EnergySavers.gov.

For more information related to this product, please email:
ApplianceStandardsQuestions@ee.doe.gov