FTC Calls for Comments on Energy Labeling Rule
Trade Update • November 3, 2022
he Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking public comment on potential amendments to the Energy Labeling Rule, including energy labels for several new consumer product categories, and other possible amendments to improve the Rule’s effectiveness and reduce unnecessary burdens.
Under the current Rule, refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, room air conditioners, portable air conditioners, clothes washers, dishwashers, ceiling fans, pool heaters, water heaters, central air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, general service lamps, specialty consumer lamps, and televisions must display yellow EnergyGuide labels.
EnergyGuide labels contain three main disclosures: estimated annual energy cost, a product’s energy consumption or energy efficiency rating as determined by DOE test procedures, and a comparability range displaying the highest and lowest energy costs or efficiency ratings for all similar models.
The Rule prohibits retailers from removing these labels or rendering them illegible and it directs sellers, including retailers, to post label information on websites and in paper catalogs from which consumers can order products.
New Categories
The FTC is now proposing to add the following product categories to the Rule’s labeling program:
- Clothes dryers
- Air purifiers (air cleaners)
- Miscellaneous Refrigerator Products
- Additional Lamps (Light Bulbs)
- Residential Ice Makers
- Humidifiers
- Miscellaneous Gas Products (hearth products)
- Cooking Tops
- Electric Spas
Submit Your Comments
Comments must be received on or before December 27, 2022.
Interested parties may file a comment online or on paper. Write “Energy Labeling Rule ANPR, Matter No. R611004” on your comment, and file your comment online at https://www.regulations.gov/, by following the instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file your comment on paper, mail your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex J), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580.
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