Many Fridges, Freezers Soon to be Outlawed in Michigan

In an effort to help the environment and homeowners' finances, many types of refrigerators and freezers will soon be outlawed in the state of Michigan and around the country.

This is due to a new rule announced by the Biden Administration just before the New Year that will impose stricter energy standards for residential refrigerators, freezers and combo appliances.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects the move will save American households and businesses a collective $5 billion per year on utility bills while also cutting energy waste and harmful carbon pollution.

The type of appliances impacted are generally older refrigerators and freezers that were built to a different energy standard which hasn't been updated in over a decade. The new standard adopted by the DOE requires compliance by the appliances by either the end of January 2029 or 2030, depending on the configuration of the appliance.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to lowering utility costs for working families, which is helping to simultaneously strengthen energy independence and combat the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm via a press release. “DOE will continue to move quickly in 2024—together with our industry partners and stakeholders—to update and strengthen outdated energy efficiency standards, which is critical to innovation, more consumer options, and healthier communities.”

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The DOE estimates that the energy saving by this change over 30 years is equal to 5.6 quadrillion British thermal units, which "represents a savings of 11% relative to the energy use of products currently on the market." This means consumers could save an estimated $36.4 billion over 30 years while also reducing cumulative emissions at nearly 101 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is an amount equal to roughly 12.7 million homes' combined annual emissions.

This website outlines how to go about upgrading appliances to meet these new standards as well as other ways to cut energy costs with cleaner and more efficient options.