Rhode Island Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards

Rhode Island requires 15 types of products, including faucets, showerheads, toilets, gas fireplaces, residential fans, portable electric spas and EV charging equipment, to meet efficiency standards, so the most wasteful models are removed from store shelves. You don't need to apply for anything; the benefit is lower energy and water use from products you buy that meet the standards. Questions can go to the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources.

Since January 1, 2023, no uncertified products in the covered categories may be sold, leased, or rented in Rhode Island, so confirm that the fixtures and equipment you specify and install are certified. Covered products include commercial dishwashers, fryers, ovens, steam cookers, hot-food holding cabinets, EVSE, faucets, showerheads, urinals, water closets, water coolers, spray sprinkler bodies, and others. The rules do not apply to products installed in mobile manufactured homes at construction or designed for recreational vehicles, or to products sold for final installation outside the state.

The Appliance and Equipment Energy and Water Efficiency Standards Act of 2021 (R.I.G.L. § 39-27) updated the state's 2005 standards and now covers 15 products, with no federal preemption for the listed categories. Manufacturers must certify compliant products, using the California MAEDBS database or the NEEP State Appliance Standard Database depending on the category, and some products that match California's standard need no extra certification. It is a regulatory standard rather than an incentive, so there is no funding or participant enrollment, and it is administered by the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, targeting manufacturers and sellers of covered products.