Over the past decade, policymakers at the federal and state levels have sharply increased the level and coverage of energy efficiency performance standards, using both legislation and regulation. The requirements to increase the energy efficiency have affected consumer durables, like automobiles, appliances, and buildings, and capital goods used by industry, like heavy-duty trucks, and electric motors.

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has conducted economic analyses of many of these energy efficiency performance standards, focusing on the impact upon consumer pocketbooks. CFA has also commissioned public opinion polls about consumer attitudes toward energy efficiency in general and performance standards in particular. We have consistently found strong public support for increasing energy efficiency through standards and our economic analysis shows that this public support is well grounded in the economics of the standards adopted. Our economic analysis shows that higher standards save consumers considerable sums of money because energy saving technologies lower consumer energy bills much more than they increase the cost of consumer durables.

Read the entire research brief here.