The Alliance applauds the Department of Energy (DOE) for continuing to prioritize energy efficiency as the most affordable and abundant energy resource. Today, DOE proposed new energy efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and issued a final determination strengthening commercial buildings codes.

The new AC standards would save 11.7 quads of energy over the lifetime of units sold for 30 years, saving consumers nearly $10 billion in energy bills. These new standards would offer the largest energy savings of any efficiency standard issued by DOE thus far — historically; appliance standards have resulted in savings closer to one quad of energy.

DOE also issued a final determination on commercial building codes on Thursday after issuing a preliminary affirmation of industry’s latest standards in May. This decision will offer increased energy savings compared to previous standards, which have already saved U.S. homes and businesses $44 billion on energy bills.

These two announcements are a part of a long series of executive actions and commitments initiated by the federal government supporting policies that provide more energy savings for businesses and consumers alike. These announcements come on the heels of the launch of a new partnership between DOE, the Alliance to Save Energy and the Council on Competitiveness, Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030, which will be focused the goal of doubling U.S. energy productivity by 2030.

“Building energy code improvements and aggressive efficiency standards for appliance and equipment are key tools for increasing U.S. energy productivity and thereby delivering not only economic gains, but also environmental benefits and enhanced national security, said Alliance president Kateri Callahan.  She added, “Through its ambitious and targeted efforts to advance energy efficiency, the DOE is delivering wins for American consumers and businesses alike and we applaud these nationally important actions.”