Republicans on the House Small Business Committee pressed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Thursday for answers on proposed energy-efficiency standards for ceiling fans.
The proposed standards were first published in the Federal Register in June, and the comment period closed earlier this week. According to the Energy Department, the rule as applied to standard residential ceiling fans would cut fan-related electricity costs by about 40 percent relative to the least efficient fans currently available.
The House panel presented the rules as burdensome to ceiling fan manufacturers, particularly smaller ones.
“This proposed rule would decrease the maximum estimated energy consumption permissible for large diameter and belt driven ceiling fans,” committee Republicans wrote. “This rule would require numerous small business fan manufacturers to redesign their products and may put between 10 and 30 percent of small business ceiling fan manufacturers out of business. It appears that the Department of Energy may not have properly considered small entities during this rulemaking process.”
An Energy Department spokesperson told The Hill this aspect has been mischaracterized, saying in an email that the one-time total conversion cost would be about $107 million for all manufacturers.
“The incremental cost to consumers is $86.6 million annually, while the operating cost savings are $281 million annually — both at a 7 percent discount rate,” the spokesperson said. “The savings are more than triple the incremental costs.”
The spokesperson noted the standards, “which are required by Congress,” would not be in effect for five years and would save Americans “up to $369 million per year, while substantially reducing harmful air pollution — a crucial fact that some have conveniently failed to mention.”
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Efficiency standards for home appliances have become culture war flashpoints under the Biden administration. The administration has restored a number of efficiency rules rolled back under the Trump administration, including for shower heads, water heaters and gas furnaces.
The most umbrage, however, has been reserved for efficiency regulations over gas stoves, beginning last year when Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. approved a request for information on hazards associated with the devices, which the CPSC formalized in March. Although Trumka has said there are no plans to ban gas stoves, House Republicans have introduced formal legislation this year to legally prevent such a ban.
Is this really a thing? Small businesses that manufacture fans?
There are niche manufacturers in many industries. I wouldn’t be surprised. Particularly for super high-end residential products.
You may right that there are exceptions. It is simple to craft legislation in such a way that it only applies to large companies. Or foreign companies. Or gives the niche guys 20 more years to comply. This isn’t moral philosophy where things need to be absolute. It’s trade regulation. It can be applied however it needs to be. But do we see Republicants introducing specific revisions like this? No.
Yeah, those low margin super high-end residential products that just can’t bear even another cent of regulatory compliance…
Do you even listen to yourself?
What are you talking about? When did I say anything about them not being able to comply? I was simply referring to the question “do small fan companies exist?”
With how the rule is written, I would be shocked if anything other than bargain basement import brands were affected.
No, it’s just that republicans hate democrats.
That was my thought too, I don’t have actual numbers to back it up, but my gut tells me that the vast majority of ceiling fans in the US are probably made by less than a dozen huge companies, and that’s being pretty generous, I would not be at all surprised if the actual stats are something like 2 companies make 95% of them (and slap different labels, private brands, etc. on them for different retailers, distributors, etc.)
And most of the rest I’d imagine are shitty imported knock-off pieces of crap made by some fly-by-night companies sold on wish/AliExpress/temu/Amazon/ebay/etc. that have maybe a 50/50 shot of actually even being UL listed.
Let’s say we’re right about that but there are actually two smallish American companies that would be hurt by this. It’s easy to modify a law so that it applies only above a certain threshold. It’s also perfectly okay to favor domestic companies and fuck over foreign ones, if that’s the issue.
Republicants…
Exactly what I’m saying. I love buying from local/small businesses for most everything that I can, but freaking ceiling fans??? You can’t make this shit up.
Highly doubt it.