Washington Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Standards
Washington's appliance efficiency standards ensure that refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, air conditioners, pool pumps, and other covered products sold in the state meet minimum energy performance requirements, helping you save on long-term operating costs and reducing energy and water consumption. These standards apply automatically to products manufactured for sale in Washington—you don't need to take any action, as manufacturers and retailers must comply before products reach stores.
Washington's appliance and equipment efficiency standards apply to manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and installers across multiple product categories including commercial cooking equipment, pool heaters, and HVAC systems. You must ensure that equipment you sell or install meets the state's minimum efficiency requirements, which are specified in WAC 194-24 and detailed in the Appliance Standards Guidebook; standards are enforced based on date of manufacture rather than sale, and products already in inventory may be installed after effective dates. Review the current rules and the Appliance Standards Guidebook to confirm which products are covered and their specific performance benchmarks.
Washington's appliance standards program, administered by the Department of Commerce, sets minimum efficiency requirements for 18+ product categories not preempted by federal law, with effective dates ranging from 2019 to 2022; the most recent updates (HB 1619, signed March 2022) added air purifiers, commercial ovens, and electric vehicle supply equipment. The program is estimated to generate $2 billion in cumulative energy and water cost savings across the state; enforcement targets manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and installers rather than consumers, and Commerce is actively updating rules—such as electric storage water heaters—to maintain consistency with other states and current ANSI/CTA standards.
Program details
- Program ID
- 1584
- Last updated
- 10/31/2024
Eligibility
- Sectors
- appliance manufacturers
- Technologies
- refrigerators/freezers water heaters air conditioners other ee food service equipment commercial cooking equipment pool pumps
Program summary
Note: The federal government has imposed and updated appliance efficiency standards through several legislative acts,* and now has standards in place or under development for 30 classes of products. In general, states which had set standards prior to federal action may enforce their own standards until the federal standards take effect. States that had not set standards prior to federal action must use the federal standards. This summary addresses (1) state appliance standards that will be in place until the federal standards take effect and (2) products for which the federal government is not currently developing an efficiency standard. Much of the information in this summary comes from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). Visit the ASAP web site for comprehensive information about appliance standards.
Washington enacted appliance efficiency legislation in 2005, creating minimum efficiency standards for twelve products, all of which have been preempted by federal law. HB 1004, signed in May 2009, added efficiency standards for several more products, which took effect January 1, 2010. These products include:
- Wine chillers designed and sold for use by an individual
- Hot water dispensers and mini-tank electric water heaters
- Bottle-type water dispensers
- Pool heaters, residential pool pumps, and portable electric spas
- Commercial hot food holding cabinets
To amend the aforementioned efficiency legislation in 2019, the Washington House passed House Bill 144 on April 18, 2019. Products in the 2019 bill with an effective date of 01/01/2021 and not preempted by federal law include:
- Commercial fryers
- Commercial Steam Cookers
- Computer and computer systems
- Residential Ventilating Fans
- Water Coolers
- Uninterruptable Power Supplies
- Water Coolers
According to ASAP, the following products have efficiency standards that states are responsible for enforcing. These products include:
- Air Cleaners (2022)
- Commercial Dishwasher (2019)
- Commercial Fryers (2019)
- Commercial Ovens (2022)
- Commercial Steam Cookers (2019)
- Compressors (2019)
- Computers and Computer Systems (2019)
- Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (2022)
- Faucets (2019)
- High-CRI Linear Fluorescent Lamps (2019)
- Hot Food Holding Cabinets (2022)
- Portable Electric Spas (2022)
- Residential Ventilating Fans (2022)
- Showerheads (2019)
- Spray Sprinkler Bodies (2019)
- Toilets (2019)
- Urinals (2019)
- Water Coolers (2019)
Standards do not apply to new products manufactured in Washington and sold outside the State, new products manufactured outside Washington and sold at wholesale inside Washington for final retail sale and installation outside the State, products installed in mobile manufactured homes at the time of construction, or products designed expressly for installation and use in recreational vehicles.
The law stipulates that existing standards and test methods may be increased and updated. Any recommendations shall be transmitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature sixty days before the start of any regular legislative session.
* These acts include the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- Energy_Policy@commerce.wa.gov
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
