IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6192 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 8, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

AN ACT 

To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from prescribing any new 

or amended energy conservation standard for a product 

that is not technologically feasible and economically justified, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hands Off Our Home 

3 Appliances Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PRESCRIBING NEW OR AMENDED ENERGY CON5 SERVATION STANDARDS. 

6 (a) AMENDMENT OF STANDARDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 325(m)(1) of the 

8 Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 6295(m)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, for any 

11 product, publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in12 cluding new proposed standards for such product 

13 based on the criteria established under subsection 

14 (o) and the procedures established under subsection 

15 (p).’’. 

16 (2) AMENDMENT OF STANDARD.—Section 

17 325(m)(3) of the Energy Policy and Conservation 

18 Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(m)(3)) is amended to read as 

19 follows: 

20 ‘‘(3) AMENDMENT OF STANDARD.—Not later 

21 than 2 years after a notice is issued under para22 graph (1), the Secretary shall publish a final rule 

23 amending the standard for the product.’’. 

24 (b) PETITION FOR AMENDED STANDARD.—Section 

25 325(n) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 

26 U.S.C. 6295(n)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘AN

2 AMENDED STANDARD’’ and inserting ‘‘AMENDMENT

3 OR REVOCATION OF STANDARD’’; 

4 (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or revoked’’ 

5 after ‘‘should be amended’’; 

6 (3) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol7 lows: 

8 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall grant a petition to deter9 mine if energy conservation standards for a covered prod10 uct should be amended or revoked if the Secretary finds 

11 that such petition contains evidence, assuming no other 

12 evidence were considered, that such standards— 

13 ‘‘(A) result in additional costs to consumers; 

14 ‘‘(B) do not result in significant conservation of 

15 energy or water; 

16 ‘‘(C) are not technologically feasible; and 

17 ‘‘(D) result in such covered product not being 

18 commercially available in the United States to all 

19 consumers.’’; and 

20 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘NEW OR AMENDED

22 STANDARDS.’’ and inserting ‘‘NEW, AMENDED, 

23 OR REVOKED STANDARDS.’’; 


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1 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

2 and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively (and 

3 by conforming the margins accordingly); 

4 (C) by striking ‘‘Not later than 3 years’’ 

5 and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) Not later than 3 years’’; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(B) Not later than 180 days after the 

9 date of granting a petition to revoke standards, 

10 the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Reg11 ister— 

12 ‘‘(i) a final rule revoking the stand13 ards; or 

14 ‘‘(ii) a determination that it is not 

15 necessary to revoke the standards. 

16 ‘‘(C) The grant of a petition by the Sec17 retary under this subsection creates no pre18 sumption with respect to the Secretary’s deter19 mination of any of the criteria in a rulemaking 

20 under this section. 

21 ‘‘(D) Standards that have been revoked 

22 pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be consid23 ered to be in effect for purposes of section 

24 327.’’. 


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1 (c) CRITERIA.—Paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 

2 325(o) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 6295(o)) are amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) DESIGN.—Any new or amended en6 ergy conservation standard prescribed by the 

7 Secretary under this section for any type (or 

8 class) of covered product shall be designed to 

9 achieve the maximum improvement in energy 

10 efficiency, or, in the case of showerheads, fau11 cets, water closets, or urinals, water efficiency, 

12 which the Secretary determines is techno13 logically feasible and economically justified. 

14 ‘‘(B) TEST PROCEDURES.—The Secretary 

15 may not prescribe a new or amended energy 

16 conservation standard under this section for a 

17 type (or class) of covered product if a test pro18 cedure has not been prescribed pursuant to sec19 tion 323 with respect to that type (or class) of 

20 product. 

21 ‘‘(C) SIGNIFICANT CONSERVATION.—The 

22 Secretary may not prescribe a new or amended 

23 energy conservation standard under this section 

24 for a type (or class) of covered product if the 

25 Secretary determines that the establishment 


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1 and imposition of such energy conservation 

2 standard will not result in significant conserva3 tion of— 

4 ‘‘(i) energy; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) in the case of showerheads, fau6 cets, water closets, or urinals, water. 

7 ‘‘(D) TECHNOLOGICALLY FEASIBLE AND

8 ECONOMICALLY JUSTIFIED.—The Secretary 

9 may not prescribe a new or amended energy 

10 conservation standard under this section for a 

11 type (or class) of covered product unless the 

12 Secretary determines that the establishment 

13 and imposition of such energy conservation 

14 standard is technologically feasible and eco15 nomically justified. 

16 ‘‘(E) DISCLOSURE.—The Secretary may 

17 not prescribe a new or amended energy con18 servation standard under this section for a type 

19 (or class) of covered product unless the Sec20 retary, not later than the date on which the 

21 standard is prescribed, publicly discloses each 

22 meeting held by the Secretary, during the 5- 

23 year period preceding such date, with any entity 

24 that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) has ties to the People’s Republic 

2 of China or the Chinese Communist Party; 

3 ‘‘(ii) has produced studies regarding, 

4 or advocated for, regulations or policy to 

5 limit, restrict, or ban the use of any type 

6 of energy; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) has applied for or received Fed8 eral funds. 

9 ‘‘(3) FACTORS FOR DETERMINATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.—Prior to pre11 scribing any new or amended energy conserva12 tion standard under this section for any type 

13 (or class) of covered product, the Secretary 

14 shall conduct a quantitative economic impact 

15 analysis of imposition of the energy conserva16 tion standard that determines the predicted— 

17 ‘‘(i) effects of imposition of the energy 

18 conservation standard on costs and mone19 tary benefits to consumers of the products 

20 subject to such energy conservation stand21 ard, including— 

22 ‘‘(I) costs to low-income house23 holds; and 

24 ‘‘(II) variations in costs to con25 sumers based on differences in reVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:25 May 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6192.RFS H6192

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1 gions, including rural populations, 

2 cost of living comparisons, and cli3 matic differences; 

4 ‘‘(ii) effects of imposition of the en5 ergy conservation standard on employment; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(iii) lifecycle costs for the covered 

8 product, including costs associated with 

9 the purchase, installation, maintenance, 

10 disposal, and replacement of the covered 

11 product. 

12 ‘‘(B) PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL COSTS

13 TO THE CONSUMER.—The Secretary may not 

14 determine that imposition of an energy con15 servation standard is economically justified un16 less the Secretary, based on an economic anal17 ysis under subparagraph (A), determines that— 

18 ‘‘(i) imposition of such energy con19 servation standard is not likely to result in 

20 additional net costs to the consumer, in21 cluding any increase in net costs associated 

22 with the purchase, installation, mainte23 nance, disposal, and replacement of the 

24 covered product; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the monetary value of the energy 

2 savings and, as applicable, water savings, 

3 that the consumer will receive as a result 

4 of such energy conservation standard dur5 ing the first 3 years after purchasing and 

6 installing a covered product complying with 

7 such energy conservation standard, as cal8 culated under the applicable test proce9 dure, will be greater than any increased 

10 costs to the consumer of the covered prod11 uct due to imposition of such energy con12 servation standard, including increased 

13 costs associated with the purchase, instal14 lation, maintenance, disposal, and replace15 ment of the covered product. 

16 ‘‘(C) REQUIRED ENERGY OR WATER SAV17 INGS.—The Secretary may not determine that 

18 imposition of an energy conservation standard 

19 is economically justified unless the Secretary 

20 determines that compliance with such energy 

21 conservation standard will result in— 

22 ‘‘(i) a reduction of at least 0.3 quads 

23 of site energy over 30 years; or 

24 ‘‘(ii) at least a 10 percent reduction in 

25 energy or water use of the covered product. 


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1 ‘‘(D) CRITERIA RELATED TO PERFORM2 ANCE.—The Secretary may not determine that 

3 imposition of an energy conservation standard 

4 is economically justified unless the Secretary 

5 determines that imposition of such energy con6 servation standard will not result in any less7 ening of the utility or the performance of the 

8 applicable covered product, taking into consid9 eration the effects of such energy conservation 

10 standard on— 

11 ‘‘(i) the compatibility of the covered 

12 product with existing systems; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the life span of the covered prod14 uct; 

15 ‘‘(iii) the operating conditions of the 

16 covered product; 

17 ‘‘(iv) the duty cycle, charging time, 

18 and run time of the covered product, as 

19 applicable; 

20 ‘‘(v) the maintenance requirements of 

21 the covered product; and 

22 ‘‘(vi) the replacement and disposal re23 quirements for the covered product. 

24 ‘‘(E) CRITERIA RELATED TO MARKET COM25 PETITION AND PRICE DISCRIMINATION.—The 


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1 Secretary may not determine that imposition of 

2 an energy conservation standard is economically 

3 justified unless the Secretary determines that 

4 imposition of the energy conservation standard 

5 is not likely to result in— 

6 ‘‘(i) any lessening of market competi7 tion; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) price discrimination. 

9 ‘‘(F) TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.—The 

10 Secretary may not determine that imposition of 

11 an energy conservation standard is economically 

12 justified unless the Secretary determines that 

13 imposition of such energy conservation standard 

14 is not likely to result in the unavailability in the 

15 United States of a type (or class) of products 

16 based on what type of fuel the product con17 sumes. 

18 ‘‘(G) OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.—In deter19 mining whether imposition of an energy con20 servation standard is economically justified, the 

21 Secretary— 

22 ‘‘(i) shall prioritize the interests of 

23 consumers; 

24 ‘‘(ii) may not consider estimates of 

25 the social costs or social benefits associated 


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1 with incremental greenhouse gas emissions; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(iii) shall consider— 

4 ‘‘(I) the economic impact of the 

5 standard on the manufacturers and 

6 on the consumers of the products sub7 ject to such standard; 

8 ‘‘(II) the savings in operating 

9 costs throughout the estimated aver10 age life of the covered product in the 

11 type (or class) compared to any in12 crease in the price of, or in the initial 

13 charges for, or maintenance expenses 

14 of, the covered products which are 

15 likely to result from the imposition of 

16 the standard; 

17 ‘‘(III) the total projected amount 

18 of energy, or as applicable, water, sav19 ings likely to result directly from the 

20 imposition of the standard; 

21 ‘‘(IV) the need for national en22 ergy and water conservation; and 

23 ‘‘(V) other factors the Secretary 

24 considers relevant. 

25 ‘‘(H) REGULATORY REVIEW.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 years 

2 after the issuance of any final rule prescribing 

3 a new or amended energy conservation standard 

4 under this section for any type (or class) of cov5 ered product, the Secretary shall evaluate the 

6 rule to determine whether such energy con7 servation standard is technologically feasible 

8 and economically justified and whether the reg9 ulatory impact analysis for such rule remains 

10 accurate. 

11 ‘‘(ii) EFFECT.—Notwithstanding any other 

12 provision of this part, if the Secretary deter13 mines, based on an evaluation under clause (i), 

14 that an energy conservation standard is not 

15 technologically feasible or economically justi16 fied— 

17 ‘‘(I) the Secretary shall publish such 

18 determination and such energy conserva19 tion standard shall have no force or effect 

20 (except that such energy conservation 

21 standard shall be considered to be in effect 

22 for purposes of section 327); and 

23 ‘‘(II) the Secretary may publish a 

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1 ered product to be technologically feasible 

2 and economically justified in accordance 

3 with this subsection, which amendment 

4 shall apply to such a product that is manu5 factured after the date that is 2 years 

6 after publication of such final rule.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

8 (a) REGIONAL STANDARDS.—Section 

9 325(o)(6)(D)(i)(II) of the Energy Policy and Conservation 

10 Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(o)(6)(D)(i)(II)) is amended by strik11 ing ‘‘this paragraph’’ and inserting ‘‘this subsection’’. 

12 (b) PROCEDURE FOR PRESCRIBING NEW OR AMEND13 ED STANDARDS.—Section 325(p)(2)(A) of the Energy 

14 Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(p)(2)(A)) 

15 is amended by striking ‘‘taking into account those factors 

16 which the Secretary must consider under subsection 

17 (o)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘as determined in accordance with 

18 subsection (o)’’. 

19 (c) ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS FOR HIGH20 INTENSITY DISCHARGE LAMPS, DISTRIBUTION TRANS21 FORMERS, AND SMALL ELECTRIC MOTORS.—Section 346 

22 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 6317) is amended by striking subsection (c). 


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1 SEC. 4. DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMERS. 

2 The final rule titled ‘‘Energy Conservation Program: 

3 Energy Conservation Standards for Distribution Trans4 formers’’ (signed on April 3, 2024; Docket No. EERE– 

5 2019–BT–STD–0018) shall not take effect. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 7, 2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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